Parental food challenge

McDonald's advertising and marketing executives probably were doing a back flip after a Stanford University study showed that young children preferred the taste of food wrapped in the fast-food chain's wrappers. Even milk, carrots and apple juice tasted better when wrapped in the familiar Golden Arches packaging, the study indicated.

Although the study was limited to 63 children ages 3 to 5 years old, the results speak to the powerful lure of marketing and its role in consumer choices, even among the pre-school set.

Hopefully, McDonald's will use this information to set the bar higher, nutritionally speaking. If their name brand is that powerful, it follows that the fast-food chain can be a leader in promoting better nutrition and become a stronger partner in combatting childhood obesity.

To its credit, McDonald's has developed french fries without trans fatty acids linked to high cholesterol, and it limits advertising of its Happy Meals to its white-meat McNuggets, fresh apple slices and low-fat milk.

Truth be told, children don't motor themselves to the drive-through window at McDonald's. Nor are they in charge of the family's dining choices. If children have a steady diet of fast food, parents are responsible.

As for the makers or growers of healthy food choices, this research suggests that it's time to embark on creating the next Ronald McDonald or Tony the Tiger. With the right hook, children will apparently respond.

Knowing how powerful marketing to children can be, parents would also do well to be better gatekeepers of how much television their children watch and any other means by which they consume advertising messages. Parents should teach their children about the role of advertising and marketing in our society.

Parents should not underestimate the role they play in their children's choices. If parents have a healthy diet and offer healthy choices during meals, children will benefit as well. If parents are couch potatoes, it shouldn't surprise them that their children would rather watch television, play video games or wile away hours on the Internet.

Fast-food restaurants are easy targets in the war on childhood obesity. No question, they should be constantly refining recipes and seeking ways to offer healthier menu choices for children. But parents have to be full partners in this effort — both in offering healthy food choices at home and ensuring children get sufficient physical activity.