Uncovering The Coverings

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) recently released a report charging that corporations in the food industry are increasing their efforts to market unhealthy foods to children.i Part of the concern the report raises involves the techniques used to market certain foods to students in schools.From Krispy Kreme promotions that offer students a donut for every A to "the Oreo Adventure game [called an 'advergame'] on Kraft Foods' Nabiscoworld.comweb site. ..[that has children's] 'health' ratings reset to '100 percent' when kids acquire golden cookie jars on a journey to a Temple of the Golden Oreo," marketing is big business and health seems to be marginalized or overlooked.ii "No amount of eye-rolling can capture how hypocritical it is for food company flacks to talk about 'moderation, balance, and exercise," said CSPI executive director Michael F.Jacobson."Anyone who looks at these marketing techniques can see that they encourage excess, not moderation.Almost exclusively, they encourage consumption an unbalanced diet of high-cal and low-nutrient foods.And to link junk foods like Oreos or Pepsi to physical fitness or athletic prowess has to be one of the most cynical and unfair marketing strategies I've ever seen."iii This essay extends the critique of business influences in schools by examining one specific medium for corporate marketing-textbook covers.It is not unusual for businesses to supply schools with "free" textbook covers, to be sure.The covers are typically handed out by

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• Secret histories, hidden figures

  Erin Giannini•The Journal of Popular Television•2024

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