Nickelodeon to remove characters from junk food

Dora the Explorer is about to lose one of her media gigs as her name and likeness will be removed from all junk food packages as of January 2009. The same fate is in store for Sponge Bob and any other character Nickelodeon licenses for use on unhealthy foods and beverages. It'll be only "better for you" products the leading kids' entertainment brand will soon endorse.

Viacom, the media conglomerate that houses Nickelodeon, was threatened last year with a lawsuit by parents and consumer groups for marketing junk food to children. Along with cereal company Kellogg, the firm was accused of directly harming kids' health because the majority of food products they market to children are high in sugar, saturated fat, or salt. They also have almost no nutritional content. Still, no one forces us to buy these products. Why can't parents just pass on the items they don't want their kids to consume?

Anyway. One year from now, Nickelodeon spokespeople say we should be seeing Dora and Sponge Bob on packs of peaches, plums, and nectarines -- and not cereals, ice cream, and candy.

Wait, there's one loophole: Although the company is committed to implementing dietary criteria for the licensing of its products, their characters still may be used on a limited number of occasional treats designed for celebration purposes, including birthdays and holidays.

Tell me what you think. Will this change do some good or will the holiday exclusion be enough to still "harm" our children? There is a holiday during almost every month, after all.