A new law may signal a change in the way the government handles the advertising and marketing of food to America’s youth. The Congressional omnibus appropriations bill signed into law by President Obama last week, includes a provision for setting standards on marketing foods to children 17 and under, according to Advertising Age.

The bill calls for the Federal Trade Commission to establish an Interagency Working Group—including the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Secretary of Agriculture—to recommend standards for the marketing of food targeted to children, and to determine which media the standards should apply to. The standards should take into account “calories, portion size, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, added sugars, and the presence of nutrients, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to the diets of such children,” as well as “evidence concerning the role of consumption of nutrients, ingredients, and foods in preventing or promoting the development of obesity among such children,” according to the omnibus bill * (see page 39).

The Advertising Age article focuses on the language that indicates future standards would include teenagers—a major development since current industry efforts to reduce advertising of unhealthy foods generally focus on children under age 12. But our interest is also piqued by the inclusion of the phrase “added sugars” as a criterion for the standards. As we’ve previously reported, food labels currently don’t differentiate between added sugars and natural sugars (such as those found in fruit and milk) making it more difficult for consumers to limit sugar consumption, which can be a major factor in obesity and other health problems. A government standard for added sugars would be a boon for health-conscious parents and other consumers.