CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 28: Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks during a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on September 28, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois.
Michelle Obama announced the launch of a new firm she co-founded to produce and market healthier food and beverages for children. These are products she claims would have less of an impact on their health in the long run due to their reduced sugar and better nutritional value.
The former first lady's work with PLEZi Nutrition is a continuation of her advocacy for better child nutrition during her time in the White House.
Presenting as the keynote speaker at a conference on the future sponsored by The Wall Street Journal in New York on Wednesday, May 3, she remarked, "I'm proud to announce the national launch of a company designed not just to provide better products, but to jumpstart what I hope will be a race to the top that will transform the entire food industry."
As Co-Founder and Strategic Partner of PLEZi Nutrition
Obama has publicly stated her involvement with PLEZi Nutrition as a co-founder and strategic partner.
In a report by NBC News, she will not be a public face or spokeswoman for the organization. Still, she will instead work behind the scenes on its educational and humanitarian endeavors, according to her staff.
Whether she would get a salary or invest her own money towards the initial establishment of PLEZi Nutrition was not specified.
PLEZi Nutrition, headquartered in the District of Columbia, is a public benefit corporation. This means that the for-profit firm was founded for the public good and will strike a fair balance between meeting its financial obligations and fulfilling its objective to enhance childhood nutrition.
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Strive Towards Healthier Food and Lifestyles
As first lady, Obama launched a program in the White House called "Let's Move" to promote better lifestyles among American children. She fought for stricter federal nutrition requirements for school lunches and succeeded in getting promises from fast food chains and other restaurants to reduce the amount of salt, sugar, and trans fats they use in their cooking.
On Wednesday, she stated that despite efforts to improve dietary habits, American children continue to consume excessive amounts of added sugar-an estimated 53 pounds annually. She also noted that over two-thirds of kids now eat a sugary drink every day, making them the primary source of added sugar in their diets.
According to CNN, the primary product of the business is a kid-friendly fruit juice called PLEZi, and it has 75% less sugar than the top 100% fruit juices on the market.
Obama revealed that the new firm will also be contributing $1 million to FoodCorps, a charity with a goal of ensuring that all 50 million US kids have access to healthy eating programs and free school meals by the year 2030. About 10% of PLEZi Nutrition's earnings will be donated to initiatives aimed at enhancing children's diets.
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