(Washington, D.C.) The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) today issued the following statement from Richard G. Wolford, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Del Monte Foods Company, and Chairman of the GMA Board of Directors:

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.

In recent years, our companies have reduced calories, sugar, fat and sodium in more than 10,000 products. They have also enhanced the nutritional profile of many products with the addition of whole grains, fiber or other nutrients and created the informative and convenient 100-calorie pack.

Food and beverage companies have changed the way they advertise and market their products - children under 12 now see significantly fewer food, beverage and restaurant ads on television. And at the same time, they are seeing more ads for soup, juice, fruit and vegetables.

Last October, our industry helped launch the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF), an unprecedented collection of food manufacturers, retailers, foundations and non-governmental organizations whose goal is to reverse obesity, especially childhood obesity, by 2015.

And, we are committed to working with the FDA and USDA to ensure that industry makes the best use of the front of the product label to provide clear and useful science and fact-based nutrition information to parents and other consumers.

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.

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NEWS RELEASE
• 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