FCC's TV/Child Obesity Task Force Adds Members, Sets Valentine's Day Meeting

The Federal Communications Commission has added junk food marketing critic Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the Benton Foundation (an FCC watchdog), and several academic groups to a list of mostly industry advocates on an FCC task force slated to consider limits on marketing food and beverage products to children. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan), who has taken credit for creating the task force, issued a statement calling it "a bipartisan effort to provide a forum for the public and private sectors to examine the impact of media and on childhood obesity." Brownback's mantra is that any restrictions must be voluntary. He initially excluded Sen. Harkin from deliberations over creating the task force. The first meeting of the task force has been announced for Valentine's Day. The task force press release is mum on whether sweets will be available at the table.