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First Lady Michelle Obama has, for the first time, teamed up with a single company, Wal-Mart, to roll out a new initiative yesterday that is intended to provide healthy and affordable food.
Wal-Mart is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, and, though it’s known more for its retail, is actually now the country's largest grocer.
Some may find it ironic that the first lady teamed up with Wal-Mart, considering that during the 2008 campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama criticized Wal-Mart for not paying its employees a "living wage." “I won’t shop there,” he said, per the Chicago Tribune.
Michelle Obama, however was on the board of a Wal-Mart vendor, TreeHouse Foods, reported Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times. She resigned from the board just eight days after Barack Obama said he wouldn’t shop there.
Through the initiative, Wal-Mart pledged to reduce sodium, a catalyst to high blood pressure, by 25 percent and added sugars, one of the leading causes of diabetes and subsequently a growing health problem in the Unites States, by 10 percent over a five-year period. Over this period it will also work on development for front-of package seals to make healthier food easily identifiable, address food dessert issues, and increase support for nutrition programs.
On the longevity of the time frame and slow introduction of the changes, Andrea Thomas, senior vice president of sustainability at Wal-Mart, said the company wanted to make sure taste wasn’t adversely. Wal-Mart is also vowing price cuts on fruits and vegetables.
Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs Leslie Dach said the company has "not looked at this from an economic perspective" during a question-and-answer session following the launch yesterday. CEO and President Bill Simon noted, "Wal-Mart prices are on average between 10-15% lower than other stores."
Of what the White House has called "the first collaboration of this magnitude" the initiative directly correlates with the first lady's “Let's Move!” campaign to fight childhood obesity, one which she has vigorously been pushing resulting in both successes with the passing of the School Nutrition Act Reauthorization and the Health and Hunger Free Kids Act and also criticism -- most notably from Sarah Palin who argued the campaign reflects the "government thinking that they need to take over and make decisions for us."
"To say I'm excited is an understatement," Michelle Obama said yesterday, after revealing her initial fears when creating “Let's Move!” about whether or not the program could actually make a difference in fighting childhood obesity.
"It's not about government telling people what to do," Obama added. "It's about each of us in our own families, in our own communities, standing up and demanding more for our kids. And it's companies like Wal-Mart answering that call."
In concluding her remarks, the first lady called for other companies to follow Wal-Mart's example and help American families keep their children healthy.
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I find that I often have to choose between saving money and eating healthy. It seems that for some kinds of food you have to pay a lot more for a version without a ridiculous amount of salt and/or sugar. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a trend towards healthier choices that don't come with a huge price tag.
I agree, Charles.
Charles and Jody, Iowa
would mama grizzly agree with you......for her, it's govt. telling her what to eat.
The proverbial "mamma grizzly" needs to study her own metaphor. Grizzlies are omnivores, and very healthy eaters. Lots of berries, roots, and veggies.
Ms. Palin needs to talk less and read more.
You know, come to think of it, this may be very appropriate. The First Lady looks a lot like a typical Wall Mart shopper.
That was tacky. But it is not a surprise from you.
You need to listen to Bill Cunningham over in Cincinnatti OH, WLW. HE says fat people are fat becuse they are lazy and don't work. Never mind that if all you can afford to eat are starches like beans and macaroni, instead of lean meat and fresh veggies, you are GOING to be out of shape and in poor health.
It's the old 'let 'em eat cake' republican "this is what Jesus would have us to do" mantra.
This Bill Cunningham fellow sounds like an extremist and a jerk. I don't agree with you though. Starches are always going to be the cheapest food unless the government completely intervenes with price controls. It ultimately is peoples individual responsibility to manage their calorie intake. My problem is with the added salts and sugars in foods with no alternative but to pay a lot more for the same food with less salt and sugar. Just a little government pressure could go a long way towards eliminating that problem.
Great job First Lady Obama! Wal-Mart gets a part of all paycheck, social security checks, disability checks, etc... Start there and we all will save some money and be healthy. What a great idea.
And while were there, we can buy more of the great "made in china" goodies.
If Walmart lowers the price of fruit and vegetables, and reduces salt and sugar in their processed foods, the impact on lower- income Americans health will be huge. Talk about lowering the costs of healtcare! I think this is the most important development I've heard all year.
how can anyone follow the advise of ole michelle about food and eating healthy when she has a rump as fat as a 57 buick, walmart should be embarrassed to be tied to this horrid cow
..........he said, exhibiting as much class as a '57 Edsel.
You must have her confused with someone else, Michelle Obama is stunning! But hey, if you hate a woman, just call her fat, that's the easy way out of having to form a real opinion, eh?
I think if I had children today I would invest in a pedometer for each. I would set X amount of miles and in order to use the other electronics in their life that goal would have to be met. Who knows they might actually enjoy talking to one of their friends on a walk instead of texting them across the room.
During the past two years plus, Michelle has been ripping the shorts off of Walmart for its preceived excesses on pay, non-unionization, and other issues. Now she wants Walmart to work with her to improve food sales to the public?
Is this another Obama ploy to change his spots, an attempt to change the image of the administration?
After seeing Michelle from behind, she needs to get on board with the program she is attempting to sell.
Mrs. Michelle Obama, How about having 50 million of people on welfare and food stamp use 1/3 of their money to buy real food, such as vegetable and fruit, instead of on junk food?
To Al Nave and safecracker spend time offering solutions and thanking those that do. Thank you First Lady Obama and Walmart for putting the health of kids first. BTW we all benefit.
No benefit I can see from the First Lady and her programs. Government doesn't need to get into the food business as they have the car, financial services, roadbuilding, and others.
Her idea on healthy is a political concept. Until the Dude-in-Chief (phrase coined by the TV comic) puts people back to work, where will people find the funds to buy into her program?
lets see, the state dinner with the dictator of china had steak, apple pie, and ice cream, these are not healthy foods, are they? Its the same old thing, do as I say, not as I do. Or am I wrong in this assesment.
You are wrong.
Thank you.
ozric,
Steak actually isn't bad for you if cooked enough and trimmed. Apple pie is borderline junk food. And ice cream?? Well, maybe just a taste wouldn't hurt. What were the side dishes?? We, the unemployed Americans who can just afford beans everyday, are salivating just imagining all those tasty foods being fed to that little fat Chinaman.
How about require or having 50 millions people who are on welfare or foodstamp program to spend 1/3 of the expend on fruit and vegetable, instead of on junk food?
Interesting. You have the choices already, you can buy canned foods in salt free and reduced sodium and also sugar free products. The prices are the same in many cases.
You will have to look long and hard to find products with trans fats. So far I have found none.
Who really cares? Trans-fat, salt free canned goods, reduced sodium, global warming, climate change.....life is too short and science too wrong.
If you want healthy choices, you should have them. If I desire NON-HEALTHYchoices, why can I not also have my choices?
Safecracker,
You just shut the hell up about personal choices. The liberals will decide what's best for you and you just better like it.
yep, I am afraid you are corrent the left wacko-nuts will dictate to the majority even though they are the minority. Personal choice is still for me.....until I see the Queen change her habits, I'll continue along with mine. And when the King stops smoking, oh, that's HIS personal choice!
I am comforted to see the President, First Lady, and grocer of the country working together to ensure the health of the country, and to cooperate with a genuine desire for mutual betterment. I noticed that the participants of the processes mentioned all seemed to be interested in bettering the lives and augmenting the victuals of as many people as they could.
In response to the readers who seem to be trying to allude to larger issues, I must respond that for myself, I can't think of anything more vital than food. Without it, there is no time to worry about other concerns.
walmart has horrible produce imo. otherwise, howtoeathealthey.info has some great healthy living tips
Many of our kids are overweight and many will have diabetes later in life and other obesity issues. It is a good idea to have a national discussion on eating healthy. It does not have to be your choice or mine but I do think it would be good for or kids to grow up as healthy as possible. Just saying.
True Jennifer, but if these kids would get off of their butts, walk, exercise, keep off of the computer and quit text messing so much, they may find the obesity issue may reduce along with their wasteline.
Safecracker -
If kids could think like aduults and their parents were qualified to parent, then maybe they would decide to not listen to the candy, cookie, junk food and soft drink commercials put in front of them day after day. They would decide to eat healthy and grow up strong and healthy. It does not hurt anyone to have a frank discussion about childhood obesity. If anything, you can disagree with what is said but it should make you think about what your kids are eating. You can turn this into political individual rights thing but I think of it as a public service thing myself. Mrs. Obama was involved so that makes it evil. The right is amazing.
i never really liked walmart produce. there are countless websites like howtoeathealthey.info with good health food tips.
There is no link between salt and high blood pressure.
That is just another gub'mint myth. Read what Dr Joel Wallach says about salt.
www . kingmaker . net/eknowtrients-s.htm