FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GMA to be Honored by American Dietetic Association Foundation for Commitment to Healthy Lifestyles
Contact:
Scott Openshaw, Director, Communications, 202-295-3957
Brian Kennedy, Director, Communications, 202-639-5994
October 27, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) tonight will receive the American Dietetic Association Foundation 2008 Corporate Award for its contribution and commitment to support the mission and vision of the Foundation and for its role in promoting healthy lifestyles for school-aged children and their families. GMA Senior Vice President and Chief Government Affairs Officer Mary Sophos will receive the award on behalf of GMA as part of ADA 'S Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Chicago, October 25-28.
In 2007 GMA and the food and beverage industry, through the American Council on Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN) in partnership with PE4Life and the American Dietetic Association Foundation (ADAF), launched the Healthy Schools Partnership (HSP) pilot program in four Kansas City-area schools. More than 1,000 students in fifth through ninth grades took part in the 12-week pilot during fall 2007.
“GMA and its member companies are committed to helping Americans live healthy lifestyles. This is a top priority for the food and beverage industry,” said Ms. Sophos. “We are so pleased to partner with ADAF and PE4Life to bring nutrition and physical education together in a new and innovative way to teach kids the importance of energy balance. We look forward to working with our partners and other stakeholders to grow and expand the Healthy School Partnership. A healthy diet combined with regular physical activity is the key to healthful living.”
The HSP’s innovative approach to addressing the childhood obesity epidemic is based on the already existing success of PE4Life’s proven model of getting kids active now and adding a new nutrition component developed by ACFN and the ADAF. To deliver the program’s educational components, seven Registered Dietitian nutrition coaches worked side by side with the schools’ physical education teachers. The content of the pilot's nutrition curriculum is focused on teaching the importance of calories and energy balance through interactive physical education classes and weekly nutrition topics.
For more information on ACFN and the Healthy Schools Partnership visit www.acfn.org.
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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.
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