President Calls on America to "Cope" With Child Obesity [1]
Submitted by Jonathan Rosenblum [2] on
President Bush described child obesity as "a costly problem for the country" and called for strategies to "help folks...cope with the issue" as he met with executives from McDonald's [3], Kraft [4], PepsiCo [5] and other companies that market food products to children. The President cast the problem of child obesity as one of personal responsibility for choosing what to eat and whether to exercise. The guests previewed a Dreamworks public service announcement of characters from the movie "Shrek" who encourage kids to go outside and play. The Post article omitted reports that a Dreamworks promotion with McDonald's has been scheduled [6] to begin with the release of "Shrek 3" sometime in 2007, according to CorpWatch. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest called the meeting "a feel-good event for a beleaguered White House" and "...great for some of the companies that have been major contributors to childhood obesity."