Two disturbing bits of kid-food news to share:
New Pizza Study: File Under “Duh”
A new study in the journal Pediatrics finds that pizza is a significant contributor to the daily calorie count of American children.
Specifically, according to a Los Angeles Times report* on the study:
On any given day, 22% of kids between the ages of 6 and 19 eat pizza . . . .
The results revealed that younger kids eat 83 calories’ worth of pizza a day and teens eat 143 calories of the dish each day, on average. Those amounts were high enough to account for 5% and 7% of total daily calories, respectively.
On days when pizza is eaten, it composes 22% of children’s calories and 26% of teens’ calories. . . .
From what I can gather*, the study didn’t distinguish between pizza consumed at school (which must meet stringent nutritional requirements) versus pizza eaten off campus. Either way, though, this news will likely come as no surprise to parents, who know from experience that at any gathering of two or more children, pizza always seems to be on hand.
Frito-Lay “Goes After” Young Kids With Sugar-Sweetened Cheetos
Frito Lay has announced that this spring it will be introducing limited edition sweet Cheetos, called “Sweetos.”
One industry analyst, speaking to Bakeryandsnacks.com, said,
Part of the sweet snacking trend is that it’s worked with younger consumers, so they’re hoping they can latch on there. Cheetos are skewed to a reasonably young audience. They don’t want to seem they’re blatantly going after kids, but at a certain age it is fine.
Hmm…. At what age is it “fine” to “go after kids” with sugar-sweetened Cheetos? I’d really love to know.
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* The Pediatrics study is behind a paywall, hence my reliance on media reports.
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Casey says
Do you think this new research will get teachers to reconsider using pizza as a reward?