FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Grocery Manufacturers Association Testifies before Congress in Hearing on “Innovations in Addressing Childhood Obesity”
Contact:
Scott Openshaw, Director, Communications, 202-295-3957
Brian Kennedy, Director, Communications, 202-639-5994
December 16, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Senior Vice President and Chief Government Affairs Officer Mary Sophos today testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health regarding the food and beverage industry’s commitment to do its part to help reduce obesity in America – especially childhood obesity:
“GMA and its members are committed to doing our part to help win the critical battle against childhood obesity. Our industry will continue to support and encourage partnerships including those with the public sector, the private sector, parents and others. In particular, government and industry must do more to create and encourage healthier choices and physical activity -- at school, at home, and in our communities.
“The food and beverage industry already has taken significant steps to create and encourage healthier choices. In recent years, we have changed our packaging to promote portion control and we have reformulated more than 10,000 products to reduce or remove saturated fats, trans fats, calories, sugar and sodium. Changes in advertising practices have resulted in a significant shift in the product mix of advertising viewed by children and companies continue to compete by focusing on consumers’ desires for healthy products and a healthy lifestyle.
“Three years ago, GMA and its member companies helped create the Healthy Schools Partnership (HSP), a truly innovative partnership of the American Dietetic Association Foundation, PE4life and the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition. The HSP integrates a nutrition curriculum into the PE4life physical education classroom - training Registered Dietitian’s to be Nutrition Coaches to “coach” and motivate students along side the PE4life teachers – and giving students real life examples of how to get to energy balance.
“This fall, over 40 food and beverage manufacturers, retailers and NGOs announced a $20 million, multi-year initiative - the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation - designed to help reduce obesity, particularly childhood obesity, by 2015. The HWCF promotes ways to help people achieve a healthy weight through energy balance and focuses on three critical areas: the marketplace, the workplace and schools, as well as undertaking a public education campaign aimed at 6-11 year olds and their parents.
“These are just a few of the efforts our industry is undertaking with the many stakeholders who will be critical to achieving the goal of reversing the trends in childhood obesity. But for us to have meaningful, long term impact, it is critical that Congress and the states do more to increase investments in physical education, nutrition education, and workplace wellness.
“We look forward to working with Congress to put into place the policies and resources that will help combat our nation’s obesity epidemic.”
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Based in Washington, D.C., the Grocery Manufacturers Association is the voice of more than 300 leading food, beverage and consumer product companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe. Founded in 1908, GMA is an active, vocal advocate for its member companies and a trusted source of information about the industry and the products consumers rely on and enjoy every day. The association and its member companies are committed to meeting the needs of consumers through product innovation, responsible business practices and effective public policy solutions developed through a genuine partnership with policymakers and other stakeholders. In keeping with its founding principles, GMA helps its members produce safe products through a strong and ongoing commitment to scientific research, testing and evaluation and to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. The food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry in the United States generates sales of $2.1 trillion annually, employs 14 million workers and contributes $1 trillion in added value to the economy every year.
Related GMA Documents dealing with - OBESITY ISSUE
NEWS RELEASE
- August 30, 2010 Food and Beverage Companies Have Introduced More than 20,000
Healthier Product Choices Since 2002
- May 17, 2010 GMA Statement Regarding HWCF Pledge to Reduce 1.5 Trillion Calories by 2015
- May 11, 2010 GMA Statement Regarding Recommendations from President's Childhood Obesity Task Force
- May 5, 2010 GMA Applauds Rep. Ron Kind's Comprehensive Anti-Obesity Legislation
- March 16, 2010 First Lady Michelle Obama Addresses Grocery Manufacturers Association Science Forum - GMA Strongly Supports First Lady’s Goal of Solving Childhood Obesity within a Generation
- March 9, 2010 GMA: More Than Two-Thirds of the Advertisements Seen by Children and Teens Today Promote More Nutritious Foods and Healthy Lifestyles
- March 4, 2010 GMA Statement at House Agriculture Appropriations Hearing on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act
- January 27, 2010 GMA Response to President Obama's State of the Union Address
- January 20, 2010 GMA Statement on First Lady Michelle Obama's Childhood Obesity Initiative
- December 16, 2009 Grocery Manufacturers Association Testifies before Congress in Hearing on “Innovations in Addressing Childhood Obesity”
- October 5, 2009 Retailers, NGOs and Food and Beverage Industry Launch National Initiative to Help Reduce Obesity
- September 17, 2009 GMA Applauds HHS Secretary Sebelius and HHS for New Community Prevention and Wellness Program
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