I guess my question will all of that is where do kids learn to turn to food for comfort? We're not born eating to comfort anything but our physical hunger.
I see an awful lot of parents comforting their kids with food. Things like, "Oh, honey...you skinned your knee. Here...have a cookie and you'll fee better." or "Gosh, it's a shame that you bombed that test that you studied so hard for. Let's go out for pizza and ice cream and you'll feel better. ". Kids are even given that message through the media: "Drink this sugary soda or eat this sugar-packed cereal and you'll feel great and have tons of energy".
I also see sugary treats used an awful lot as rewards for good behavior. My kids' school does this and it drives me nutty. Every Friday afternoon, the kids who have behaved well during the week (not gone past a certain color with turning cards) get to go to a "success is sweet" party where they watch a movie and get to eat junk food like cookies, chips and candy.
I agree that we need to work more on helping our kids identify and work through emotions without eating and I'm sure there's a lot of parents who could and should spend more time with their kids, but it's an uphill battle with all the messages they are getting from everywhere else.