That’s right, a food police group has turned cereal killer. What's worse, the media don't see any foul play.
Fruit Loops cereal’s brightly colored mascot Toucan Sam, along with Sugar Smack’s Dig ‘Em and Rice Krispies’ Snap, Crackle and Pop are likely to be axed due to an agreement between Kellogg Company and the food police group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
“Early Show’s” Hannah Storm was happy about the announcement. She called getting rid of the popular cartoon figures a “great idea” on June 14.
Video (0:57): Real (1.55 MB) or Windows (1.82 MB), plus MP3 audio (275 kB).
“[B]ecause you can’t even take your child to the grocery store because they’re clamoring for the products with characters on them. When are we going to see them disappear?” Storm asked correspondent Nancy Cordes.
NBC’s “Today” called the agreement to stop advertising cereals during children’s programming a “partnership,” but that’s like saying if I give my wallet to a mugger at gunpoint it was voluntary.
CSPI as well as the liberal Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and two parents threatened to sue Kellogg’s for marketing sugary cereals to kids. I have a question, who exactly should they be marketed to? The demographic of Sex and the City perhaps?
Kellogg’s told ABC’s “Good Morning America” the products that can’t be reformulated to meet the manufacturer’s self-imposed nutritional criteria for television commercials will be either marketed to an older group or they’ll stop advertising it altogether.
Which basically means the death of Toucan Sam and his friends. May they rest in peace.
