Tony the Tiger not so grrr-eat

Two American consumer groups are considering taking cereal manufacturer Kellogg's and kids TV channel Nickelodeon to court over their promotion of junk food.

The Centre for Science in the Public Interest and the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood have given Kellogg's and Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom 30 days to stop using characters like Tony the Tiger to promote junk food on Nickelodeon and to withdraw popular characters like SpongeBob SquarePants from cereal packets or face court action. The pressure groups are both Massachusetts-based and any legal action would initially be hears in that state but the repercussions could be felt worldwide.

Campaigners would ask the court to stop the companies from marketing junk foods in venues where 15 percent or more of the audience is under age 8, and to stop promoting junk foods through websites, toy giveaways, contests and other techniques aimed at that age group. 'The industry has had decades to clean up its act, but instead it has only intensified its marketing,' said a spokesperson at a press conference festooned with images of TV characters on biscuits & snacks. According to the campaigners over half the food ads on Nickelodeon were for foods with poor nutritional quality.

If a suit were filed, it would contend that Kellogg and Nickelodeon are harming children since the overwhelming majority of food products marketed to them are high in sugar and fat.

Kellogg's claimed they informed consumers of all ages about the importance of a healthy, balanced diet and physical activity while Nickelodeon pointed to the appearance of SpongeBob SquarePants on packs of carrots as evidence of their commitment to promoting healthy food.

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