Outside the Box

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This lively, cross-cultural exploration examines how packaged and fast foods are marketed to children and how these trends are reshaping our eating habits and family lives. After moving to Rome, Canadian journalist Jeannie Marshall initially embraced Italy's rich culinary traditions. However, upon the birth of her son, she noticed a troubling shift: Italian children began consuming sugary cereals and processed snacks, mirroring trends seen in North America. Busy parents opted for supermarkets over local markets and introduced their toddlers to fast food, allowing brands to influence the youngest consumers. Marshall embarked on a quest to understand the global rise of "kid food" and our growing appetite for nutritionally deficient packaged products. She questions how a robust food culture like Italy's can deteriorate within a generation and why we continue to fill our children's lunch boxes with questionable ingredients despite knowing better. Through conversations with food advocates, chefs, nutritionists, and parents, as well as insights from major food corporations like PepsiCo and Nestlé, Marshall delves into the issues surrounding children's nutrition and offers a straightforward approach to returning to real food.