Oct 17, 2006, 17:11 GMT
Los Angeles - Family entertainment giant Disney is pitting the might of Mickey Mouse and its other lovable characters against the scourge of junk food, according to a statement Tuesday.
The move is a major boost for supporters of healthy diets for America's overweight children and will see the company license its characters' names only to foods that follow government guidelines for healthful diets.
'This is very significant,' said Margo G. Wootan, the nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. 'Disney characters will not show up on Pop-Tarts, waffles and fruit snacks. This will allow parents to feed their children more healthfully.'
The new policy will be phased in by 2009 and will see Disney refuse to tie its brand to oversize portions, foods that get more than 30 per cent of their calories from fat, more than 10 per cent from saturated fat or more than 10 per cent from added sugar.
In its parks, Disney will replace French fries and soda with vegetables and fruit drinks and eliminate all trans fats.
The decision comes after Disney announced earlier in the year that it was ending its licensing deal with McDonalds - a fast food chain that has become synonymous with junk food. Little models of Disney cartoon characters were often given away free with so-called happy meals for children.
Other major companies that will be affected by the new policy include Coca Cola and Kellog. However. Disney will continue to accept advertisements for junk food on its TV stations, including its popular children's channels on cable TV.
The move comes as childhood obesity soars in the US with 15.5 per cent of children ages 12 to 19 categorised as obese, a threefold increase since 1980. For children ages of 6 to 11, the figure is 15.3 per cent, twice as high as in 1980.
The announcement also followed several reports by scientific panels that blasted the use of cartoon characters to sell food with low nutritional value to children.
'This is wonderful,' said Ellen Wartella, who contributed to one such report by the National Academy of Sciences in December. 'The concern about obesity and childhood is a national concern, and it's putting all our children at risk. Disney should be lauded.'
Disney's Chief Financial Officer Thomas O. Staggs said the nutrition programme, to be phased in as current contracts end, could cost Disney revenue in the short term because fewer products would qualify for licensing deals, but it would pay off in the longer term.
Parents 'try to make intelligent choices,' Staggs said. 'The right thing to do for our company, our brand and our characters is to provide them those choices.'
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