The Incredible Journey
from Hen to Home
(Gr. 4-6):
"A cross-curricular teaching unit"

* Poster/game board
* Bookmarks/puzzles
* 24 pg teachers' resource guide
and activity masters

Highly commercial and incomplete with strong bias toward eggs. Eggs are characterized as "incredible and mighty" and are focus of lessons in the five food groups, food safety, and label-reading. Kids read labels to see who can find most eggs. Puts a positive spin on cholesterol content of eggs and fails to discuss the health problems linked with cholesterol. Egg pictures, words, and jokes cover poster/game board.

Prego Thickness Experiment
(Presumably MS):
"To help your students become aware of the many situations in which scientific thinking plays a part."

* Poster with experiment and
4 pg TG on back
* Pamphlet
* Campbell products nutrition guide

Commercial and biased. Kids are asked to prove Campbell's claim that its sauce is thicker than that of its competitor, Ragu. Purports to use scientific method in testing but doesn't discuss variables or blind testing. These materials are an excuse for Campbell's to show through a test it sets up that its product is thicker (not necessarily better) and to promote its product under the guise of educating kids.

Sharks Learning Activity Kit
(Ages 7-12)
Presumably to teach "the story of sharks."

* Informational sheets about sharks
* 5 reproducible activity masters
* Letter to teacher
* Answer keys

Very commercial and incomplete. A thinly - veiled effort to promote Chef Boyardee's "fun-shaped pasta." Information on sharks is encyclopedic yet incomplete. Sponsor's logo
on all components.

Bound into What's New in Economics (S/O94)

Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta: The Unsung Heroes
(Presumably MS/HS):
To understand the importance of grains in a balanced diet

* Poster
* Reproducible activity sheet with TG note and answer key in magazine

Very commercial and incomplete. Superficially covers the food group. Activity sheet gives a recipe for muffins and calls for Clabber Girl baking powder. Poster contains an ad for Clabber Girl as the best baking powder you
can use.

Delicious Decisions
(Gr. K-6):
To integrate nutrition into language arts, math, music, social studies and science.

* Poster
* 150 4-color food photos
* 48 pg TG which includes 13 reproducible activity masters and letter to parents
* Evaluation sheet

Low commercialism but with some bias toward milk products and some oversimplifications and omissions (problems with sodium and fat are omitted). Doesn't push milk products but food-choice examples are mostly milk products. Sponsor's name appears only on credit lines.

Del Monte Foods, Inc.
Developed by Scholastic Inc.

Be A Smart Shopper
(HS):
"To help students acquire `consumer know-how' and become supermarket smart."

Poster kit with
* 6 pg TG
* 5 student reproducibles
* Parent take-home letter

Low commercial and objective but incomplete and boosterish for processed foods. Doesn't explore shopping for or cooking with fresh foods, preserving your own foods, or the differences in nutrition and cost between fresh and canned foods. Sponsor's product appears
on poster, but with label and logo hidden.

with the Society for Nutrition Education
Developed by Interactive Design & Development, Inc.
Designed to support the national 5 A Day for Better Health Program sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the Produce for Better Health Foundation

5 A Day Adventures
(Presumably MS):
"To teach and motivate children to learn about fruits and vegetables and the benefits of eating five or more servings a day."

* Letter to teacher
* CD-ROM with 6 interactive modules for the students and a teacher support module which includes activity lessons, lyrics to the "5 A Day Top Tunes," a student certificate and logo, and activity masters -- all of which can be printed out
A booklet in the CD package explains how to use the disk.

Not commercial. Basically complete and objective although sponsor doesn't introduce issue of processed vs. fresh foods. No corporate or product logos on student handouts and no Dole brand names are shown in the interactive modules.

with National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics

Encounter Math (Count on Domino's)
(Gr. K-7):
"To help develop your students' mathematical, problem-solving and critical thinking skills."

* 5 reproducible activity masters
* Poster
* Stickers
* Take-home brochure
* Booklet of student-created math activities
* 6 pg TG
* Evaluation sheet
Has a contest component.

Highly commercial--an obvious attempt to build brand-name recognition. Activities involve pizza, labeled as Domino's, and playing dominos. The company's logo is on all materials and its name is mentioned often in the materials.

Bread Box
(Primary):
"To discover how bread is made."

* Poster
* 8 reproducible activity masters including one with bread recipes
* 12 pg TG
* 14 pg cafeteria guide for cafeteria managers
* Reproducible certificate
* Order card

Commercial and incomplete with
a bias toward yeast and bread. Although the sponsor's logo appears only on credit lines, the materials promote bread and bread-making and focus on the role of yeast in the process. Gives only superficial nutrition information.

Build On Good Nutrition
(MS/HS):
To help students "understand how to build a healthful diet using the Food Guide Pyramid."

* Poster
* 1 reproducible activity master
* 6 pg TG

Highly commercial, biased, and incomplete. Promotes cereal over other breakfast choices. Poster pictures Kellogg's cereals (Kellogg's Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies) and sports a big Kellogg's logo and slogan, "The Best To You Each Morning...from Kellogg's." Slogan and logo also appear on student activity sheet.

Developed by American Health Association

Eat To The Beat
(Gr. 3-6):
To help kids learn "how to choose healthful foods."

* 9 reproducible activity masters
* Activity booklet
* 8 pg TG
* Evaluation form

Highly commercial, incomplete, and biased toward cereals. Label reading lesson ignores sugars and graphic has "sucrose and other sugars" line cut out. Lists Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats under snack foods to choose "more often" and gives recipe for making them. Kellogg's logo on cover of student pages.

with American Academy of Pediatrics

Kids Get Going with Breakfast
(Gr. 3-4):
"To provide children with a fun and interesting way to learn about good breakfast eating habits."

* Poster
* 10 pg TG with reproducible activity masters
* Booklet for parents

Highly commercial and incomplete with strong bias toward cereals. Teaches that low-fat content is the sole criterion for choosing a breakfast. Pushes cereals as the low-fat breakfast of choice ("...cereals [even the sweet ones] are low in fat. Go ahead and enjoy them!"). Omits discussion of calories, carbohydrates, or sugar content. Shows Kellogg's Rice Krispies prominently in poster and on activity sheets.

Developed by Scholastic Inc.

100% Smart Energy To Go
(Gr. 1-3, 4-6):
To help "students make the connection between food and fitness."

* Poster
* Activity booklets
* Color brochure
* "Story of chocolate" brochure
* 8 pg TG with reproducible activity and informational masters

Incomplete, biased, and commercial. Doesn't make clear that candy should be eaten only occasionally. Lists candy as one of the foods that can be relied on for energy. Links "100% Smart Energy To Go" title with Team SNICKERS, thereby suggesting that eating SNICKERS is a good way to get quick energy that will keep you "kicking all day long." Team SNICKERS logo on all materials.

with Society for Nutrition Education
Linked to sponsor's public service TV spots on nutrition

What's On Your Plate?
(Gr. K-5):
"To extend the educational value of the Saturday morning clay-animated series [of public service announcements].

* Video of PSA's
* Poster with TG on back
* 6 pg activity handout for kids

Low-commercialism, but incomplete and somewhat biased. No McDonald's foods (or even types of foods) are shown. However, in discussion of food choices, warns kids away from sweets and high-fat foods, but doesn't list hamburgers and fries as high-fat foods. McDonald's name and logo on all components.

Developed by Scholastic Inc.

Snacking Advantage
(MS/HS):
"To learn the skills to turn nutrition know-how into smart snacking choices."

Poster kit with
* 2 pg TG
* 4 reproducible activity masters
Supplement to Scholastic magazines

Low-commercialism but incomplete and somewhat biased. Doesn't push or picture any Nabisco products, but in discussing which foods have saturated fats, fails to mention that many cookies and baked products do. Company logo placed discreetly on activity sheets and poster.

What's Buzzin'
(Ages 9-12):
To help students "gain an appreciation for the need to cooperate" and "learn the roles
of honeybees."

* Poster
* 7 reproducible activity masters
* Honey recipes
* 4 pg TG
* News releases
* Order forms
* Clip and border art
(Video also available for $15.)

Highly commercial with strong bias toward honey. Basically an "all-the-reasons-why-you-should-love-honey" kit. The honey logo appears prominently on all materials. The poster's only message: "Honey, I love you." Kit is trying to get kids to eat honey.

Digging for Data
(Gr. 6)
"To help you teach science according to the Science-Technology-Society standards and philosophy and to demonstrate
the methods of scientific inquiry
to your students."

* Video
* 6 reproducible activity masters
* 3 reference sheets
* 6 pg TG
* Post-test
* Evaluation form

Commercial with strong bias toward food technology and meat; incomplete, inaccurate, and bizarre. Program focuses on the benefits of processed foods without any discussion of negative concerns and concludes that advances in the field of food technology have made people taller. Asks "Why were the settlers shorter than Early Archaic Native American people?" and then manipulates data to suggest that the answer is they didn't eat enough meat. Genetics as a factor in determining height given only a mention. Vegetarianism as a dietary option ignored. Suggests being short is bad and thus has an implied bias against short people. Only one African-American child shown, and he promotes the "wild" idea that digging up bones is bad to a team of archaeologists.

Munchsters Talk About Food
(Preschool):
To provide "opportunities for developing the language skills
of young children as well as introducing them to new foods
and the importance of developing good eating habits."

* 5 posters with activity suggestions on back
* 2 reproducible activity masters (for teacher or parent to complete with child)
* Poster for parents
* 5 reproducible information sheets for parents
* Reproducible letter to parents
* Oversized folder with teaching guide on inside covers
* Materials evaluation form

Highly commercial with a strong bias toward meat and dairy products. Posters picture meat dishes more prominently than other foods, so the visual message is "eat meat."

Nutrition, Food, and Culture
(MS):
To help students in the middle grades "understand the principles of nutrition, using the diets and food habits of people around the world as examples."

* 10 oversized study prints with TG
* 13 reproducible activity masters
* Oversized folder with teaching guide on inside covers
* 10 reproducible reference sheets (w/recipes)
* Materials evaluation form
* Nutrition pyramid poster

Highly commercial and incomplete with some inaccuracies and strong bias toward beef and U.S. ranchers. Lessons on nutrition don't cover health problems associated with fat or cholesterol. Lessons on other cultures (Japan, Korea, Nepal, Kenya, Mexico, etc.) overemphasize the importance of meat (cattle, hogs, even yaks) in each country's diet.

Developed by Lifetime Learning Systems

Count Your Chips
(Gr. 2-4):
"To . . .strengthen skills in computation, problem solving, conducting research, and creative writing."

* Poster (calendar)
* 6 pg TG with reproducible activity masters response card

Commercial, inaccurate, and incomplete with bias toward potato chips. Marketed as math materials, these are really ads for potato chips. The poster celebrates snack food month and encourages consumption of chips and other high-fat snacks. Gives no nutritional information or warnings that potato chips are high-fat snacks to be eaten in moderation. Materials do not carry any specific brand names or trademarks.

Reviewed by National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)

Sugar Science:
Photosynthesis to Food
(Upper Elem. through MS):
Designed to help students "explore photosynthesis, the way plants make food, respiration, the way plants use food, the food chain, the way grass becomes a steak..."

Binder with
* 3 pg TG
* 12 reproducible activity masters
* Software

Low commercialism, but with a bias showing how important sugar is. No sponsor's ads or logos (not even a mention) in materials. While all the activities are legitimate educationally, there's no reason particularly to be teaching the importance of sugar in this way unless you happen to be a sugar manufacturer.