While recent First Ladies have taken on causes such as illiteracy, drug abuse, mental illness and even highway beautification, Michelle Obama last week announced a sweeping initiative to eliminate childhood obesity.
The Let's Move initiative includes four major
goals: providing parents with the information and support they need to
help their children eat properly, ensuring that schools offer more healthful
food, helping children get regular physical activity and ensuring that
healthful food is available in all areas and neighborhoods.
Among the changes discussed:
- Last week, beverage companies said they would post calorie counts on the front of their containers by the end of 2012;
- The Obama administration will ask Congress for an additional $10 billion to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act, with the aim of offering healthier school breakfast, lunch and snack items and serving one million more children;
- School cafeteria suppliers pledged to double the amount of produce they serve in schools over the next decade and reduce sugar, fat and salt in their offerings;
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture also is considering restricting the sale of certain sugary drinks and salty snacks in school vending machines;
- The White House plans to spend $400 million to bring grocery stores to underserved areas and help convenience stores carry healthier food. It plans $5 million to help fund farmers' markets;
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture will revamp its food pyramid and offer more dietary tools on its web site.
At last week's annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association, Ms. Obama praised programs already underway in many states. "There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this problem," she said. She also said that while the nation needs a comprehensive approach to fighting childhood obesity, "that doesn't necessarily mean an expensive approach."
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, American Beverage Association and The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association all praised the effort while touting their own efforts.
"Childhood obesity is a serious health crisis that can't be solved without strong leadership from the White House," said Scott Faber, GMA's vice president for federal affairs.
One different tactic from past pushes is that the initiative is designed to shift the conversation away from achieving a particular weight or dress size and instead emphasize the benefits of good nutrition and physical activity. Messages about avoiding unhealthy food tend to turn off Americans.
"This isn't just about inches and pounds, and it's not about how our kids look," Mrs. Obama said at Tuesday's press conference announcing the initiative. "It's about how our kids feel, and it's about how they feel about themselves."
The other difference is the clout of a first lady. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa has seen many of his proposals fail over the last 15 years, including a 1996 push to remove vending machines from schools and a move two years ago to ban soft drinks from schools. "When she does these kinds of things, it gets a lot more attention than if I do it," Sen. Harkin told The Wall Street Journal.
Discussion Questions: What's your initial take on the "Let's Move" initiative? Which efforts do you believe should be stressed? How much will having the First Lady's backing help the anti-obesity effort?
- Let's Move
- First Lady Aims to Fight Fat - The Wall Street Journal
- U.S. launches program to end "food deserts" - Reuters
- Michelle Obama asks governors to address childhood obesity - The Washington Post
- Grocery Manufacturers Association Statement by President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey Regarding First Lady Michelle Obama's Childhood Obesity Initiative - The Grocery Manufacturers Association
- Beverage Industry Will Make Calories More Clear and Useable For Consumers - American Beverage Association
- SGMA Applauds First Lady's Effort to Curb Childhood Obesity - Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association