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By Pamela G. Bailey
As a mother of five, I know how hard it is to ensure kids are leading a healthy lifestyle. Working parents have less time to prepare meals. Schools are reducing PE. The Internet and other distractions limit active playtime. More spread out communities mean more driving and less walking and biking.
All this contributes to the childhood obesity epidemic. It will take robust solutions to address the crisis. That's why it's so encouraging that first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative focuses on positive steps we all can take, rather than assigning blame. We recognize our role in fighting obesity. In the past few years, we've changed more than 10,000 recipes to reduce calories, fat, sugar and salt and increase whole grains, fiber and other nutrients. In recent weeks, we've seen announcements of sweeping reductions in salt and sugar and other healthy improvements. These measures will make a difference because they give parents choices that fit their lives — foods that are healthy, as well as convenient, tasty and affordable. These recipe changes aren't the result of a government mandate. They are the result of hundreds of millions of dollars in R&D and market research. It is about businesses responding to consumers' changing preferences. A similar responsiveness is leading to marketing changes. Today, the majority of advertising during children's programming showcases active lifestyles and healthy choices such as 100% fruit juices. Labels are improving to provide consumers with clear and useful nutrition information. And we are working with Congress and the White House to strengthen a law that would set science-based nutrition standards for foods in schools. America's food companies will keep making our products healthier, our marketing more responsible and our labeling more informative. And in partnership with government and with consumers, we are committed to winning the battle over the childhood obesity crisis in our lifetimes. Pamela G. Bailey is president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
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