For Immediate Release From The Associated Press!
Michelle Obama announced Wednesday that she has co-founded a new company to make and sell healthier food and drinks for kids, products that she says will be less detrimental to their long-term health because of their lower sugar and higher nutrient content.
The former first lady's work with PLEZi Nutrition is an extension of her efforts to improve child nutrition when she was in the White House.
“I’ve learned that on this issue, if you want to change the game, you can’t just work from the outside,” she said during a keynote address in New York at a conference on the future sponsored by The Wall Street Journal. “You’ve got to get inside. You've got to find ways to change the food and beverage industry itself.”
“So today, I’m proud to announce the national launch of a company designed not just to provide better products, but to jumpstart what I hope will be a race to the top that will transform the entire food industry,” she said.
Mrs. Obama said she is a co-founder and strategic partner of PLEZi Nutrition. She will work behind the scenes on its educational and philanthropic efforts, according to aides, who stressed that she will not be a spokesperson or public face of the company. It was unclear whether she put any money down to help launch PLEZi Nutrition or whether she will draw a salary.
As first lady, Mrs. Obama sought through a White House initiative called “Let's Move” to improve the health of U.S. children by encouraging them to engage in physical activity and eat healthier food. She worked to improve federal nutrition standards for school lunches and extracted commitments from food companies and restaurant chains to cut calories, salt, sugar and trans fats in their meals.
But she said Wednesday that kids still are not getting the recommended levels of nutrients and are eating and drinking too much added sugar, an average of 53 pounds per year. Sugary drinks are youngsters' main source of added sugar, she said, adding that nearly two-thirds of them have such a drink every day.
PLEZi Nutrition, based in the District of Columbia, is a public benefit corporation, meaning that the for-profit company was created specifically for the public's benefit and will balance its profit needs with its mission to help improve child nutrition.
Mrs. Obama also announced that the company is donating $1 million to an initiative by FoodCorps, a nonprofit organization that is working to help all 50 million students in the U.S. receive education about nutrition and free school meals by 2030. PLEZi Nutrition will also contribute 10 percent of its profits to the broader movement to improve child nutrition.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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When my girls were younger, no choice felt more important than the quality of the food and drinks I gave them. I constantly found myself wishing there were more healthy options available for moms like me. That’s a big part of the reason why I worked so hard as First Lady to help kids and families eat better and lead healthier lives.
We made some incredible progress during those years, but today, our kids continue to face a generational health crisis. There’s a lot of work left to do.
I’ve learned that if you want to change the game on this issue, you can do a lot from the outside. But to achieve the kind of long-term change our kids deserve, you’ve also got to change the food and beverage industry itself. You’ve got to get inside.
That’s exactly what I’m doing.
I’m proud to announce the national launch of a new company called PLEZi Nutrition—and I’m thrilled to be serving as a Co-Founder and Strategic Partner. Our goal isn’t just to provide healthy drinks and snacks for kids, but to jumpstart a race to the top that will transform the entire food industry. We want to be a partner that parents can count on, lead with our values, and drive the kind of change I’ve always hoped to see.
Our first product is a drink called PLEZi for kids ages 6-12. We chose to start with a kids’ drink because, on average, kids are consuming 53 pounds of added sugar per year. And sugar-sweetened beverages are the leading source of that added sugar.
Make no mistake, water and milk are the best options for your kids. And kids shouldn’t be regularly drinking anything other than water or milk until they’re at least five years old. But once kids become school-aged, drinking only water and milk isn’t a reality. Nearly two-thirds of young people are consuming sugary drinks on any given day.
We simply need a better option for kids and parents. That’s why PLEZi has less sugar, less sweetness, and more nutrients like fiber and potassium than you’ll find in many drinks out there. And the best part? It tastes delicious. But this is about far more than a kids drink. It’s about building a healthier generation of children. If you’re interested in learning more, check out plezi.com.
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Posted By: agnes levine
Thursday, May 4th 2023 at 9:34AM
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