WASHINGTON—Speaking to more than 300 food, beverage and consumer products manufacturers at the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) March 16, First lady Michelle Obama asked them to “step it up” and move faster to create and market healthier foods that have less fat, salt and sugar and more nutrients to children, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I'm here today to urge all of you to move faster and to go farther, because the truth is we don't have a moment to waste—because a baby born today could be less than a decade away from showing the first signs of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, if he or she is obese as a child,” she said. “We need you not just to tweak around the edges, but to entirely rethink the products that you're offering, the information that you provide about these products, and how you market those products to our children.”
Richard G. Wolford, chairman, president and CEO of Del Monte Foods Company, and chairman of the GMA Board of Directors issued a statement saying: “GMA and its member companies share First Lady Michelle Obama’s goal to solve the problem of childhood obesity. And we agree on how to get there. Our industry is an enthusiastic supporter of Mrs. Obama’s ‘Let’s Move!’ initiative and its goal of solving childhood obesity within a generation. GMA’s member companies are committed to providing parents and children with healthy choices, promoting healthy eating habits, enhancing nutrition knowledge, and supporting new opportunities for physical activity at school, in the work place and in our neighborhoods. Everyone has a role to play, including government, if we are going to meet the First Lady’s goal of ending childhood obesity within a generation. We look forward to continuing our work with the First Lady, the Obama Administration and Congress to help all Americans build and maintain a healthy diet.”
Click here to read his entire statement.