INDUSTRY EFFORTS

The food and beverage industry plays an essential role in the battle against obesity. Industry demonstrates this commitment in two distinct ways: through collective action and in the efforts of individual food and beverage companies.

Collective Industry Efforts
The food and beverage industry knows it can make a significant contribution to the health of Americans by intensifying industry efforts to provide a wide range of nutritious product choices and by marketing those choices in responsible ways. Specifically, the industry is working to promote improved understanding of nutrition by:

• Communicating clearly in labeling, packaging and advertising to enable consumers to make informed choices that best meet their lifestyle needs and physical activity levels;
  
  
• Working with partners, including retailers and government and health professionals, to disseminate healthy-lifestyle messages through a variety of communication channels, such as nutrition labeling, in-store communications, customer care lines and Web site information;
  
  
• Encouraging and supporting voluntary nationwide self-regulatory mechanisms to promote responsible advertising and marketing; and
  
  
• Supporting efforts to increase physical activity and enhance nutrition education through partnerships with public health, healthcare, educational and government authorities.

Individual Company Efforts
Individual companies are also taking action to address consumer health and wellness needs through products, policies and programs. Around the country, companies are:

• Removing trans fat from products;
  
  
• Offering new choices for smaller product servings;
  
  
• Reformulating products to reduce calories, fats and sugars, to lower cholesterol and to add vitamins; and
  
  
• Promoting nutrition education and physical activity programs, with an emphasis on schools and local communities.

Following are just a few examples of the hundreds of individual food and beverage company efforts.

Cadbury Schweppes
Campbell Soup
Cargill
Coca-Cola
General Mills
Kraft
Nestle
Pepsi

Cadbury Schweppes promotes health and wellness through new product development and by supporting community programs that encourage physical activity. In 2003, Cadbury Schweppes developed and launched a series of specially fortified 100 percent fruit juice products for the New York City school system. Through its Snapple brand, the company has guaranteed $17 million in financial support to the Public School Athletic League in New York City.

Campbell Soup’s Pepperidge Farm division is transitioning its entire cracker product line to become free of trans fatty acids. The process, which will involve reformulation of nearly 165 individual products, marks the first line of zero-trans fat crackers from a major brand. The transition will be complete by September 2004.

Cargill is using its scientific knowledge and technological expertise to promote human health and well-being. Cargill Health and Food Technologies has developed CoroWise™, an ingredient to be used in food and beverages that inhibits the absorption of cholesterol. Cargill provides consumer education resources about cholesterol and health at the company’s Web site.

Coca-Cola addresses consumer health and wellness in many ways, most notably in the development of the Model Guidelines for School Beverage Partnerships. In November 2003, Coca-Cola released these guidelines to help school decision-makers respond to concerns about commercialism and nutrition while maintaining their ability to raise critical resources for schools. One sample product is Swerve. Available in schools in 2003, Coca-Cola introduced Swerve, a new beverage made with non-fat milk. Swerve provides 30 percent of the Reference Daily Intake of calcium and vitamins D, A and C, with only 150 calories per can.

The General Mills Foundation, in partnership with the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, has created the Champions Youth Nutrition Fitness Program. Each year, this program offers $10,000 grants to 50 different community-based groups around the country that have innovative programs to help youth develop and maintain a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle.

Kraft is eliminating trans fat where possible, making small but meaningful modifications in the amount of calories, fat and sugars in new and existing products. Kraft is also looking at the best way to inform consumers about how many servings and total calories are contained in two to three-serving snack and beverage packages. The company has also eliminated all in-school marketing and set criteria for products sold in school vending, and has developed and is following voluntary guidelines to assure that all marketing programs depict appropriate portion sizes, eating and activity behaviors.

Nestlé launched an initiative in 2003 to introduce Nestlé Nesquik milk ,a 100 percent milk product, to schools as a healthy beverage alternative. When it comes to communicating with children, Nestlé follows its own internal guidelines, complies with external guidelines established by the Children’s Advertising Review Unit, a self-regulatory organization that defines guidelines for advertising to children under 12 years of age, and strictly abides by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a law regulating collection of information from children.

PepsiCo has eliminated trans fats from the entire line of Frito-Lay snacks, eliminating 50 million pounds of trans fats from the American diet, well in advance of the FDA mandate. It has announced its commitment that 50 percent of new products will be comprised of essentially healthy ingredients or offer improved health benefits. Additionally, in partnership with American School Food Service Administrators, PepsiCo has developed the “Health is Power” initiative that provides products, program information and personal wellness tools that enable food service administrators to lead by example and bring wellness solutions to schools.