First lady faces the makers of junk food
Source: Agencies |
March 17, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
UNITED States first lady Michelle Obama has been talked to schools and nutrition groups across the country in her effort to reduce childhood obesity. Yesterday she was due to face the food companies that make snacks and junk food.
Not that the companies mind. The Grocery Manufacturers Association - which counts Kraft and Coca Cola among its members - has invited her to speak at its science forum.
Embracing her campaign for healthier kids, launched earlier this year, could have advantages. The industry is positioned to take some blows in the coming year, including a child nutrition bill about to go to Congress that could eliminate junk food in schools.
The Food and Drug Administration is also beginning to crack down on misleading labeling on food packages, saying some items labeled "healthy" are not, and the Senate last year mulled a tax on soda and other sweetened drinks to help pay for overhauling health care.
Obama has not previously taken her anti-obesity campaign directly to the large food companies. She said recently, however, that she would like to see more customer-friendly food labels "so parents won't have to spend hours squinting at words that they can't pronounce to figure out whether the foods that they're buying are healthy or not."
She has also said she will push companies that supply foods to schools to improve nutritional quality. Her campaign is largely focused on school lunches and vending machines, along with making healthy food more available and encouraging children to take more exercise.
Not that the companies mind. The Grocery Manufacturers Association - which counts Kraft and Coca Cola among its members - has invited her to speak at its science forum.
Embracing her campaign for healthier kids, launched earlier this year, could have advantages. The industry is positioned to take some blows in the coming year, including a child nutrition bill about to go to Congress that could eliminate junk food in schools.
The Food and Drug Administration is also beginning to crack down on misleading labeling on food packages, saying some items labeled "healthy" are not, and the Senate last year mulled a tax on soda and other sweetened drinks to help pay for overhauling health care.
Obama has not previously taken her anti-obesity campaign directly to the large food companies. She said recently, however, that she would like to see more customer-friendly food labels "so parents won't have to spend hours squinting at words that they can't pronounce to figure out whether the foods that they're buying are healthy or not."
She has also said she will push companies that supply foods to schools to improve nutritional quality. Her campaign is largely focused on school lunches and vending machines, along with making healthy food more available and encouraging children to take more exercise.
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