Defining strategic approaches to policy actions that reduce youths' exposure to unhealthy food marketing, 2012

This grant will provide the Berkeley Media Studies Group, a project of the Public Health Institute, with an additional three months of funding to convene and coordinate the Food Marketing Workgroup (FMW). FMW is a network of more than 120 organizations and academic experts in the United States taking action--as a means of reducing childhood obesity--against the proliferating marketing of unhealthful foods and beverages to children. During the extension, FMW will continue to: (1) coordinate advocates and researchers (including those representing Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded research programs and initiatives) to enable them to take full advantage of the window of opportunity that has opened for policies and industry self-regulations to reduce the marketing of unhealthy foods to youths; (2) broaden and strengthen FMW's membership, particularly by involving more organizations representing low-income communities and communities of color; (3) identify feasible, near-term and high-impact policy priorities for addressing racially/ethnically targeted food marketing to children at national, state and local levels; (4) host regular conference calls among FMW members to share information and discuss strategy; (5) organize meetings with regulators and industry leaders; and (6) develop and disseminate model standards, resolutions, reports, and talking points on food marketing aimed at children. The funding also will help FMW refine its role within the Foundation's Childhood Obesity team's strategic-advocacy structure to address food marketing. FMW will not use RWJF funds for lobbying.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $60,222.00

Awarded on: 1/17/2012

Time frame: 1/15/2012 - 4/14/2012

Grant Number: 69751