By George Anderson
Will SpongeBob SquarePants be more successful than Popeye in getting kids to eat their spinach?
Poseidon's favorite fry cook always says that the secret ingredient in his famous crabby patties is love. But, even SpongeBob would admit that one cannot live by crabby patties alone and now the animated star of the little and big screen is taking that message to kids as he adorns the bags of branded vegetables and fruit sold in food stores.
USA Today reports that a licensing deal between the children's television network Nickelodeon and Boskovich Farms, Grimmway Farms and LGS Specialty Sales is a response to rising concerns over childhood obesity.
"At Nickelodeon ... what's good for kids is good for business," says Sherice Torres, head of Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products. "When we heard rumblings of the rising obesity issue, we wanted to be part of the solution."
Moderator's Comment: How big a role can the food industry play in getting kids to eat healthier?
We couldn't help but think that all the efforts by the food industry to help curb childhood obesity are going to be for naught when we considered the recent study which showed parents of overweight or obese children had no plans to make lifestyle changes to help their kids slim down. - George Anderson - Moderator
- Food marketers hope veggies look fun to kids - USA Today
- Parents not always ready to help overweight kids - Reuters