New Ad Role Eyed for Cartoon Characters; Report Seeks Promotion of Healthy Food Habits

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Byline: Marguerite Higgins, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Cartoon characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Shrek should promote healthy foods instead of junk food to children ages 12 and younger, a government report said yesterday.

The report, by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies, examined 123 scientific studies to determine the role food ads, particularly those on television, play in children's eating habits.

"Current food and beverage marketing practices put kids' long-term health at risk," said J. Michael McGinnis, a senior scholar at the nonprofit scientific society, which was established in 1970 to advise Congress on medical care and health …