First Lady to Meet With Food Marketing Industry

WASHINGTONOn the heels of the First Lady joining the Partnership for a Healthier Americas launch of a new Drink Up" campaign to promote water as the healthiest beverage choice, the White House, led by Michelle Obama and the White House Domestic Policy Council, will host a meeting about marketing food to children on Sept. 18.

Mrs. Obama will speak to key stakeholders engaged on the issue of food marketing to children, including food and media industry executives, advocates, parent leaders, government agency representatives and researchers. The goal is to create a constructive dialogue and collaborative process for developing solutions that support families in making healthier choices, including promoting healthy products to kids and decreasing the marketing of unhealthy products.

Lets Move!, the First Ladys initiative to eradicate childhood obesity in the U.S., launched in February 2010. The campaign works to make the healthy choice the easy choice for American families by encouraging physical activity and affordable, healthy food in schools.

Last year, the First Lady joined The Walt Disney Company in their announcement that by 2015 they would require all food and beverage products advertised, sponsored or promoted via Disney-owned platforms to meet nutritional guidelines in order to promote fruit and vegetables, as well as limit calories, sugar, sodium and saturated fat.