Dannon, Del Monte and Kwik Trip Join Partnership for a Healthier America to Offer Healthier Choices

On Day Two of PHA's annual Summit, three groups announce new commitments aimed at ending the childhood obesity epidemic

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Mar 14, 2014, 06:00 ET

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, during the second day of the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA)'s Building a Healthier Future Summit, Dannon, Del Monte and Kwik Trip announced new commitments to make healthier choices more accessible and affordable for busy parents and families. PHA, which is hosting the summit, works with the private sector and PHA honorary chair First Lady Michelle Obama to solve the nation's childhood obesity crisis.

"Innovation has always proven critical when exploring solutions to our nation's health, and the commitments made by Dannon, Del Monte and Kwik Trip are examples of how the private sector can transform and innovate to address the needs of society," said Larry Soler, President and CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America. "Each year we are getting closer to our goal to build a healthier nation and solve the childhood obesity crisis. And that is because of the leadership from organizations such as Dannon, Del Monte and Kwik Trip, as well as Sodexo, Nutri Ventures, Knowledge Universe, FirstBIKE, UnityPoint Health-Trinity, Eskenazi Health, Meridian and St. Luke's Hospital, which announced their commitments yesterday."

Dannon, the nation's leading producer of yogurt, committed to improving nutrient density and reducing sugar and fat in its yogurt products. Dannon will also invest in education and research focused on healthy eating habits.

Del Monte Foods, Inc., one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded food products for the U.S. retail market, committed to improving the nutrient density of what it sells through marketing and new product innovation. It also is donating more fruit and vegetable products to anti-hunger efforts.

Kwik Trip, a family-owned business that runs more than 400 convenience stores and other outlets in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, committed to improving healthier food access and implementing a new EATSmart program and other policies that promote healthy habits among consumers. Kwik Trip will also start a Healthy Concessions Program that allows organizations to purchase healthier items at discounted prices to use in their fundraising efforts.

For more information about specific commitment elements, visit ahealthieramerica.org

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation's youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation's most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.

SOURCE Partnership for a Healthier America