Mark Bittman: "The Right to Sell Kids Junk"

Make sure to read Mark Bittman's column ("The Right to Sell Kids Junk") in today's online edition of The New York Times. Many of us have read about the powerful and systemic advertising of junk food to kids, but Bittman discusses how First Amendment rights have been weaved into the discussion.

The lead paragraph:

"The First Amendment to the Constitution, which tops our Bill of Rights, guarantees — theoretically, at least — things we all care about. So much is here: freedom of religion, of the press, of speech, the right to assemble and more. Yet it’s stealthily and incredibly being invoked to safeguard the nearly unimpeded 'right' of a handful of powerful corporations to market junk food to children."

It's no shock that money plays a big role in the conversation. Big Food wants to protect its profits and the source (our kids!) of future profits. With each passing day, it becomes more and more obvious that we must take the health of our families and communities into our own hands, despite the shenanigans of the junk food peddlers.

As Bittman writes:

"It’s easy to get lost in the Constitution and forget that we’re talking about children being bombarded by propaganda so clever and sophisticated that it amounts to brainwashing, for products that can and do make them sick."

Click here to read Bittman's entire piece.