Chile Takes on Iconic Characters in War on Obesity

The government of Chile is taking the country’s rising obesity crisis seriously by clamping down on the production, sales, and marketing of what it considers to be foods that are contributing to weight gain amongst its citizens.

As part of a series of measures, the government is banning use of cartoon characters and toys to promote sales of candies, cereals, and snack foods.

Tony the Tiger was one of the first in its line of sight, along with Chester Cheetah from Cheetos. And now the government is requiring black warning labels on all products that are high in calories, sugar, and salt.

I get it, but I will say that I'm a longtime fan of Tony having worked with him for several years back in the day. To my eye, this is the most aggressive effort I’ve seen from a government panel.

Will we see this spread to other countries? What’s your experience? JIM