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A COALITION of more than 40 beverage and food manufacturers, retailers and trade organizations has launched the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a multiyear, national effort to help reduce obesity -- especially childhood obesity -- by 2015, according to an announcement.
The foundation intends to promote the concept of "energy balance" -- i.e., balancing the calories consumed as part of a healthful diet with the calories expended in physical activity -- "to people in the places where they spend much of their time: to consumers in the marketplace, to employees in the workplace and to children in schools," the announcement said.
The members of the foundation recognize that, by working together, "we can make a real difference on the obesity issue in our country," said foundation chair David Mackay, chief executive officer and president of Kellogg Co. "We are united in ... a collaborative and focused effort to help children and adults achieve better energy balance between calories in and calories out."
Foundation members already have committed $20 million to the organization to increase awareness of the importance of balancing diet and physical activity, particularly among children 6-11 years old and their parents and caregivers, the announcement said. This will include a national public education initiative.
The foundation will focus on:
* Connecting with consumers in the marketplace. Participating companies are committed to changing their products, packaging and labeling to make it easier for consumers to manage calorie intake while maintaining or strengthening nutrition quality.
Specific options companies may undertake include product innovation and reformulation, redesigned labels and packages, placing calorie information on the front of packages, downsizing portions and providing education and in-store information materials.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will commission an independent, objective evaluation of the marketplace program that will be made public, the foundation said.
* Connecting with employees in the workplace. Participating companies are committed to developing or improving existing programs to help employees achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Specific options companies may undertake include providing calorie information and more healthful beverage and food options in cafeterias, break rooms and vending machines; providing access to exercise at work through both group and individual activities; providing weight management programs, and providing tools to track progress such as health-risk appraisals.
The National Business Group on Health will commission an evaluation of the workplace initiative, and best practices will be reported to employers so they can be replicated.
* Connecting with children in schools. The foundation will expand the "Healthy Schools Partnership" to additional schools.
Healthy Schools was developed by the American Council for Fitness & Nutrition Foundation, American Dietetic Association Foundation and PE4life and was successfully piloted at a school in Kansas City, Mo. It integrates nutrition and physical education through a school-based curriculum to help children develop lifelong, positive habits for health.
It is being evaluated by the University of California Center for Weight & Health in Berkley, Cal.
The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation "has the potential to make a difference" by decreasing excess calorie intake, and its members "are uniquely positioned" to create more affordable and healthful food and beverage options, especially for children and families, noted Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, CEO and president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
"By developing commonsense solutions that society can embrace with certainty, we believe we can help make that difference in the fight against obesity," said Ric Jurgens, vice chair of the foundation and chair, CEO and president of Hy-Vee Inc.
Additional information about the foundation and its membership is available at www.healthyweightcommit.org. | 
