Poor nutrition and lack of physical activity among children have been hot-button issues long before First Lady Michelle Obama raised the flag of concern six years ago. However, the First Lady's efforts www.letsmove.gov and those of the GenYouth Foundation are making inroads at improving America's looming health crisis.
"Public-private partnerships are imperative to solve food issues," Alexis Glick, CEO of the GenYouth Foundation, told those attending the International Dairy Foods Association's Dairy Forum in late January.
"A recent report indicates a 40 percent reduction in childhood obesity in children ages 2 to 5," stated Lawrence Soler, president and CEO of the Partnership for a Healthier America, noting efforts on childhood obesity might be paying off.
"Let's not be proud of a "D" when we've been getting "F's," Glick responded, explaining that the reduction in obesity is a sign we've made progress. However, there is definitely a long way to go, noted the former Fox television anchor.
Obesity is definitely an issue, so is hunger. "Half of the world is underweight, half of the world is overweight," said Pauline Harper, advisory director, EEN and EPODE International Network.
"Only 33 calories per day are the difference between winning and losing the childhood obesity battle," added Soler when commenting on the current statistics about overconsuming calories.
Dairy products are part of the solution to a healthy diet. "Children ages 0 to 12 start out eating dairy, drop off dramatically, and come back to the category when they start having children," stated Dannon's Philippe Caradec, V.P. of corporate affairs.
"Americans are only eating half of their needed dairy," said Caradec when using the current USDA guidelines as a measuring stick. "If Americans added one yogurt per day to their diet, people would meet 85 percent of their dairy needs," said the representative of the leading yogurt manufacturer.
While a great deal of inroads have been made on the topic, Glick questioned part of the current approach to fighting childhood obesity, "What about the kid being a stakeholder in the food conversation?"
I think that is a darn good question. After all, if kids aren't going to eat the food . . . which has been the case in school lunchrooms across America . . . what good does a balanced diet on paper do for anyone?
(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2015
February 9, 2015
