Regulating Fast Food Marketing to Kids in Vermont

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Attorney General Bill Sorrell is looking to target fast food marketing in his next initiative to fight childhood obesity in Vermont. The state has had penny-per-ounce tax on sugar sweetened beverages already instated by Sorrell, and now they want to begin cutting advertising from directing their marketing toward children.

It is in the early stages of planning, but Sorrell is determined to fight childhood obesity in all areas. They do know that this will be a challenge, because of all the laws and policies already in place protecting First Amendment Rights. However they still wish to push forward with this initiative because of their desire to fight childhood obesity in all aspects of life.

Sorrell brought in a professor from Dartmouth, Dr. James Sargent, who conducted a study on the affects of fast food advertising aimed at children, to help introduce the issue to the House Committee on Health Care.  “We don’t allow companies to employ children under 12,” Sargent explained to them. “So should we consider what we want to do about their ability to deliver persuasive messages?” Sorrell is in the process of learning more about the options for regulating marketing will be, what challenges they will face, and how they should go about introducing these changes.