 The first priority for the companies that make processed food is that they sell that food to consumers so that the company makes a profit. That's one of the main reasons why companies process foods in the first place. When a food manufacturer takes a relatively cheap raw ingredient, like corn for example, and then strips that food of most of its nutrients, the food is going to last longer because pests like mold, for example, are less attracted to foods that are low in nutrients. The food manufacturers then add lots of things that either enhance the food's flavor or help make it last longer. Things like corn syrup, salt, flavoring, stabilizers, and other preservatives. Then some more things are added to enhance the food's texture and appearance, things like fats and coloring agents for example. And finally, synthetic nutrients are added back to the food so that the manufacturers can actually claim that the food is healthy for us. By disguising the starting material in many different ways, the same base ingredient, corn for example, can be made to look like many different products and we, the consumers, feel that we have a lot of choice when we go shopping for food. Now because so many companies are competing for our food dollars, the marketing of these different variations has become extremely sophisticated. Billions of dollars are spent every year marketing processed food to us and to our children. And in the U.S. there are no rules about which foods can be marketed to which age groups. Also, the more time our children spend in front of a screen, the more likely they are to be exposed to this kind of food marketing. So what can we do? Let's launch a counter marketing campaign. We, the parents of the world, have a special kind of consumer access because the consumers are our children. As they're growing up, we get to see them on a regular basis. So even though our campaign may be less flashy or less colorful than the ads they see in the world around them, our campaign can be pretty powerful too. For example, if they see us loving our fruits and vegetables, we are advertising those foods to our children. If we choose less processed foods most of the time and if we go out of our way to find foods that are grown or raised closer to home, these actions will likely have an effect on their future choices. If you have a farmer's market nearby, take your children there. If you have space in your garden or even on your windowsill, plant something that you can later eat with your children. And then talk with them. Explain to them in whatever language is appropriate to their age that ads can sometimes make things seem better than they really are and that often ads can make us want things that we don't need and that aren't even good for us. Show them examples. Keep it fun and light-hearted, of course, and try to limit their exposure to screen-based ads for processed foods. But most importantly, let them know that they have a choice and that they can use that choice wisely to keep themselves healthy and happy.