26 Jan Fat Free TV

The good folks over at Cancer Council NSW recently launched Fat Free TV. And no, the initiative is not a campaign to ban all those weight loss shows. Seriously, it’s not! Rather it’s an easy peasy way to help parents understand just how much junk food advertising TV stations feed our kids.

And you can *rate* those TV shows spruiking a not so healthy amount of junk food ads directed to the kidlets. Genius right?

Here let me give you a visual:

Click on the image and you will be taken to the FFTV site. Then go crazy typing in your kid’s favourite TV shows. You will be shocked just how much junk food ads are being shown.

Exhibit A.

So why has the Cancer Council created this initiative?  According to Clare Hughes, Nutrition Manager at Cancer Council NSW…

“One in 4 Aussie kids are overweight or obese. And most of these kids will grow up to become overweight adults with a higher risk of developing obesity related cancers such as bowel, oesophageal, endometrial, kidney, pancreatic and some breast cancers.”

I don’t about you but that statement up there is enough to make me eat green leafy vegetables and yummy fresh fruit for the next 20 years.

Advertising has got the pester power down pat. So if we can somehow *pester* those giant networks to stop or at least limit the amount of junk food ads being shown on TV then that’s got to be a good thing, right?

And if you don’t believe me when I say those ads are master influences. Here, watch this clip.

Go to their website and add your voice. And then give your child a piece of fresh fruit!

Thanks to Brenda at Mummytime for spreading the news about this great initiative.