It doesn't seem to matter that I spend most of my time commenting on Frocks and making up obscure lists of 5 things. They are still interested in reaching the people who care to read what I have to write. So I crawled out from under my rock and had a look at who they are.
The Parents' Jury is an online network of parents, grandparents and guardians, who are interested in improving the food and physical activity environments of Australian children.
"We provide a forum for members to voice their views and collectively advocate for change."
It is an initiative of Cancer Council Australia, Diabetes Australia – Vic, the Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society, VicHealth and YMCA Victoria. In other words, the groups that are at the coalface of dealing with the results of poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyles.
"At present, some of the issues The Parents' Jury is working to address include; the provision of healthy food in schools, tackling the use of junk food for fundraising purposes, unhealthy food marketing to children and creating active, child-friendly communities."
The Parents' Jury sit down with the major food retailers and advocate for things such as lollies free checkouts. They meet with food companies to push for better food labelling. They provide information to parents on how to promote healthier fundraising activities in schools and articles on healthy lunchboxes that can be included in school newsletters. And they also advocate for the end of unhealthy food and drink sports sponsorship programs.
One of the means by which The Parents' Jury gets their message across to retailers and food companies is by the Fame and Shame Awards. These awards are meant to give parents the opportunity to voice their praise or discontent with how companies are marketing and labelling their food products.
I just read an article by one of my favorite bloggers, CRAPMamma (it's worth reading). She was pondering the need for groups like The Parents' Jury to lobby so heavily against "Pester Marketing" when "at some point there has to be credit given to ‘parental intelligence’".
I agree totally with her point that many parents are savvy to those pesky marketing agents and that we all have the ability to say "no" to our children. However, I do think there is a place for groups like The Parents' Jury.
Unfortunately we live in a society that needs help. Not every parent takes the time to read a food label, let alone make any sense of it, before tossing it in their shopping trolley. The proof is in the fact that 37% of Australian adults are overweight and 25% of Australian children are obese; and these numbers are just creeping up.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, but chances are that if you are reading this and you write your own blog, you are reasonably intelligent, are informed about social issues and go to great lengths to care for your family and their health. Sadly, we are a minority.
There are lots of people out there who need groups like The Parents' Jury to advocate that having clearer labels to alert shoppers about the nutritional value of a food is important. They need someone to encourage food retailers to put something other than lollies at the checkout aisle. They need someone to say that perhaps a fast food chain isn't the best sponsor of an athletics group. And we all benefit from the power of a group voice when the marketing companies step over the line.
Remember that the Cancer Council Australia, Diabetes Australia and the other organisations who initiated The Parents' Jury are just trying to curb the trend of declining health. They obviously think it will have some benefit.
Apparently, Kellogg's has issued a pre-emptive strike in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald today against The Parents' Jury since they are likely to be shamed again this year for one of their products. Personally, I couldn't care less that Kellogg's has taken offense. But I do care that it has made them sit up and take notice. If they crossed the line in their marketing, then someone should call them to task on it.
Do you think there is a need for an advocacy group like The Parents' Jury or do you think the money is better spent elsewhere?
10 comments:
I never read a food label until my mum was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 10 years ago. She taught herself andme to read food labels and now I check sugar and sodium levels on anything I buy for the kids. They mainly drink water and milk and fresh juices. And I try and buy lots of fresh fruit and vegies and processed items that have lower levels of all the bad stuff.
Penny I am glad to hear that you read food labels too. In the long term it would be great if food labels also highlighted food additives (such as colourings), but for now it's great to be able to assess the basics.
Great post. I will be writing something along a similar theme. Parental intelligence vs ignorance, vs slackness vs trying to survive, see, even Penny's mum is still teaching her! Good role modelling is important. I worry sometimes I protect my kids too much, but the pester power of campaigns kills me and gives me another thing to contend with not to mention crap other kids get in their school lunch boxes. whole foods are much easier, ever heard of an apple or a banana? it even has its own packaging, amazing!
This really is a great article FEM and I really commend you for relaying the good work that the Parents' Jury does do. Having been interested in health and fitness since a young age I've always been one to read nutritional panels and have a pretty good understanding of what's good and what's not. There are many parents out there that have no or very little idea and that's where it seems that The Parents' Jury fits in - they seem to be fulfilling the role of 'conscience' for companies spruiking misleading information about their products and I think that's very noble.
Above all I think there needs to be some level of balance - companies have to be able to market their products (with some semblance of 'reasonableness') and parents need to have some level of responsibility and control with what they purchase for their kids.
Great post. It did it's job - I signed up for The Parents Jury
A big YAY for the Parent's Jury. I have a child who reacts to certain food preservatives and it does my head in trying to decifer food labels and all it's codes. Doing the groceries takes me hours!
We NEED clearer labelling, as CRAP Mamma mentions, not all parents, as much as we try, understands the nutritional panel & ingredients.
Gemma, you worry too much - but that's why I love to read your blog! And yes, isn't the banana just amazing!
CRAP Mamma, Thanks for the comment. Again, I agree with you.
Jacki, good on you!
Jodie, one day I hope food labels include clearer info about additives rather than just fat/sugar. But it's one step at a time!
I had never heard of them before, so thanks for writing this.
It is all down to parental responsibility. We are the ones who should say "no" to our children, who decide what our children eat. But groups like this still have an important role.
Supermarket check-outs with no sweets? Excellent. Ideas for healthy lunchboxes in school newsletters? Brilliant. Same goes for the other things they do.
As parents, you can be as educated, intelligent and well-meaning as you like. It's still good to have that bit of help though.
I think they're great, and added them to my post today too. Knowledge is power, and when we all get together and vote, we shed a light on shady practices that try and sell crap to our kids xo
Great post!
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