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Oregon Launches Statewide Campaign to Counter Junk Food Advertising
The Nutrition Council of Oregon—a coalition of nutrition professionals representing public health, academic settings, nutrition and food programs, and nonprofit organizations—has launched a statewide campaign aimed at countering junk food advertising, the Associated Press reports. According to statistics provided by the state Office of Family Health, the average American child views more than 40,000 advertisements each year, approximately one-half of which are for food, with most food advertising space dedicated to items that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. Launched October 15, the Marketing Junk Foods to Kids: Oregon's Parent Awareness Campaign includes advertisements in 200 TriMet buses in Portland, posters and bookmarks in child care and health care facilities, and a page on the social networking Web site Facebook, with links to information about advertising to children and healthy food. According to a release, the Nutrition Council expects that the campaign will "raise awareness among Oregon parents about food marketing and provide parents with the information they need to help their kids make good food choices" (AP/Business Week, 10/15/09; The Portlander, 10/15/09).