Some of the nation’s largest food and beverage manufacturers announced today that, as part of the growing national anti-obesity campaign championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, they will trim 1.5 trillion calories from their products by 2015.
Members of the Health Weight Commitment Foundation, which was formed last October, include PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Campbell’s, General Mills and other food and beverage giants, as well as supermarket chains and other retailers. Manufacturers say that they will reduce calorie content by reformulating recipes when possible, cutting back on portion sizes and introducing more low-calorie food options.
This latest initiative is part of a collaboration between the First Lady and Partnership for a Healthier America, and is just one of a series of voluntary public health actions being taken by industry. (Several food and beverage manufacturers have already signed on to voluntarily cut salt content as part of the National Salt Reduction Initiative, while beverage giants said they would pull their high sugar products out of schools and replace them with water and low-calorie drinks.)
