Mrs. Obama used to be on the Board of Directors of a large food company...First Lady Michelle Obama will be among former colleagues next week, when she speaks about Let's Move! at the Grocery Manufacturers Association 2010 Science Forum. GMA is a major lobbying entity, and has hundreds of the leading food, beverage and consumer product companies under its vast umbrella. Mrs. Obama will focus on "the pressing need to pursue comprehensive solutions to combat childhood obesity" and call upon food manufacturers to join these efforts by "providing healthier food options and better information about healthy food choices," according to the East Wing. Translation: Improve labeling, and reduce fat, salt, and sugar content in foods....
Healthier options from major food companies is critical to the success of Let's Move!, because no matter how many people garden, and no matter how many people buy food from their local farmers markets, there will still be a huge part of the population that eats corporate-created food. And the First Lady knows exactly what she's talking about when it comes to commodity foods, because she used to be on the Board of Directors of TreeHouse Foods, Inc., which is a spin-off of the major food conglomerate Dean Foods. Mrs. Obama served with the private-label product company for about two years, before resigning in May of 2007, citing then-Senator Obama's presidential campaign time demands as the reason for her departure. TreeHouse is one of the major product suppliers for Wal Mart, among its many other clients. And you thought she just liked edible gardens, didn't you? No, the First Lady is perhaps foodier than most people imagine.
GMA members produce foods that are used in the national school lunch program, as well as all the things you'll find at the local supermarket. Or the non-local supermarket, if you happen to live in a food desert. Among GMA's membership: Archer Daniels Midland, ConAgra, Campbell Soup Company, Cargill, Hershey, General Mills, PesiCo, Nestle USA, Diamond Foods, Dean Foods, Sara Lee, and Welch Foods. The GMA has already pledged support for Let's Move! [PDF]
Earlier this month, GMA's Vice President of Federal Affairs Scott Faber testified before the House Agricultural Appropriations Committee on the Child Nutrition Act reuathorization. He cited the fact that member companies have already trimmed the fat, salt, and trans fat, calorie, sugar content of 10,000 products.
Mrs. Obama will deliver her remarks on Tuesday, March 16. The meeting will be in a Washington, DC, hotel.
*Photo by Obama Foodorama
