From: James Michael Lukenda [jlukenda@huronconsultinggroup.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 01, 2002 12:28 PM
To: FDA Chief Counsel Daniel Troy
Subject: RE: FDA Docket # 02N-0209

James Michael Lukenda
37 Erwin Park Road
Montclair, NJ 07042-3019


October 1, 2002

Dear FDA Chief Counsel Troy:

On behalf of US children, I urge you to implement stronger regulation of 
commercial advertising aimed at children.  The average US child sees more 
than 40,000 advertisements a year on TV alone, and food commercials 
account for most TV advertising during children's peak viewing hours. (On 
Saturday mornings, children see one food commercial about every five 
minutes.)  It is no wonder that childhood obesity, diabetes, and eating 
disorders (all serious public health issues for our kids) are linked to 
children's reaction to food advertising. From 1992 to 1999 the amount 
spent marketing to children shot from $6.2 billion to $12 billion. It is 
time for FDA to be much more assertive in regulating marketing aimed at 
children.  Such regulation poses no real threat to freedom to do business. 
We're still free, productive, capitalistic - and the biggest economy in 
the world -- even after 30 years of pollution regulation by the EPA. 
Chemical companies haven't gone out of business just because they can't 
dump carcinogens into Love Canals anymore. Consumers, government -- even 
chemical companies themselves - expect those companies to operate without 
blatantly threatening our health and well-being.  It's time to adopt the 
same attitude with the marketers who dump toxic messages and products into 
the stream of US childhood. It is past time that we hold advertisers 
accountable for their commercial exploitation of children.  Sincerely,


Sincerely,


James M. Lukenda