Grocery Manufacturers Association: Every Day is Food Day for America's Food and Beverage Industry

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Food Day is a day to celebrate the hard work and innovative spirit of more than 15 million Americans who work to provide billions of consumers with safe, healthy, convenient and affordable food, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) said today.

"We are blessed with an abundance of safe, healthy, convenient and affordable food," said Pamela G. Bailey, GMA president and CEO.  "That didn't happen by accident.  It happened because of the hard work and ingenuity of the 15 million people throughout the value chain – our neighbors, our friends and our family members – who help feed 6 billion people around the world.  That is what Food Day is all about."

Innovation is a top priority for food and beverage companies.  Since 1961, food and beverage companies have helped cut the amount of money and time it takes to prepare family meals in half.  Americans now spend less than 6 percent on at-home food – down from nearly 14 percent in 1961.

America's food and beverage companies also have a strong and long-lasting commitment to health and wellness, and to providing consumers with the innovative healthy product choices, tools and information they need to eat a healthy diet.

"Obesity is a serious problem, and everyone – industry, government, parents, communities and healthcare providers – must do their part if we are going to meet First Lady Michelle Obama's goal of solving childhood obesity within a generation," said Bailey.  "To help consumers, we have changed our products, changed our marketing and have placed important nutrition information on the front of packages to help busy consumers make informed decisions when they shop."

The food and beverage industry is doing its part to make it easier for consumers to eat a healthy diet:

• Healthier Product Choices:  Since 2002, food and beverage companies have introduced more than 20,000 healthier product choices with fewer calories and reduced fat, sugar and sodium.

• Responsible Marketing:  Food and beverage companies have adopted strict nutrition criteria for the marketing of food and beverages, so that 100 percent of products seen on children's shows feature healthier product options.

• Improved Nutrition Information: Food and beverage companies initiated Facts Up Front, a landmark front-of-pack nutrition labeling system to help busy consumers – especially parents – make informed decisions when they shop.

Food and beverage companies have a culture of continuous improvement and innovation that ensures access to a plethora of safe and nutritious food choices.  At the same time, no one does more than America's food industry to alleviate hunger.  Each year, food manufacturers and retailers donate $1 billion to help feed the 49 million Americans who are food insecure.

"America's food and beverage companies are the foundation of our economy.  From farm to table, they support more than 15 million American jobs.  They provide consumers with safe, healthy, convenient and affordable food.  They help feed 300 million Americans and 6 billion people around the world.  They donate billions of dollars to alleviate hunger.  That is what Food Day is all about," concluded Bailey.

For more information, visit www.healthyaffordablefoods.org.

NOTE TO BROADCAST OUTLETS: GMA is providing broadcast outlets that plan to cover Food Day with a b-roll package that will be offered for download via satellite at 1:30 pm ET.  The video package also contains sound bites from Pamela Bailey and other industry stakeholders. See below for download instructions:

Monday, October 24, 2011

1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET  

Galaxy 19 

C-Band  

Transponder 8  

Downlink Freq: 3860 Horizontal

Based in Washington, D.C., the Grocery Manufacturers Association is the voice of more than 300 leading food, beverage and consumer product companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe.  

Founded in 1908, GMA is an active, vocal advocate for its member companies and a trusted source of information about the industry and the products consumers rely on and enjoy every day.  The association and its member companies are committed to meeting the needs of consumers through product innovation, responsible business practices and effective public policy solutions developed through a genuine partnership with policymakers and other stakeholders.  

In keeping with its founding principles, GMA helps its members produce safe products through a strong and ongoing commitment to scientific research, testing and evaluation and to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve a healthy diet and an active lifestyle.  The food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry in the United States generates sales of $2.1 trillion annually, employs 14 million workers and contributes $1 trillion in added value to the economy every year. For more information visit www.gmaonline.org.

SOURCE Grocery Manufacturers Association