Effort to limit commercials may be revived

EFFORT TO LIMIT COMMERCIALS MAY BE REVIVED
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: George Raine]
An alarming growth in the rate of overweight children and the political sea change in Congress make it likely that lawmakers will consider restricting the marketing of food to kids. With a briefcase full of warnings about the mushrooming childhood obesity rate, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) will become the chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee next month. He is expected to use the position to argue, as he did in a 2004 speech, that "the marketing of junk food, especially to kids, is out of control.'' Sen Harkin introduced a bill that year that would have restored the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to regulate the marketing of foods and beverages to children younger than 18. To do so, the FTC would have to find evidence that consumption of certain foods is detrimental to the health of children. The bill stalled in committee.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/20/KIDSADS.TMP