Michelle Obama revealed on Wednesday that she is collaborating with a new business that will produce and market healthier foods and beverages for kids. She claims that these products will be less harmful to the long-term health of the children because they contain less sugar and more nutrients.
Working with PLEZi Nutrition is an extension of the former first lady’s initiatives to enhance child nutrition while she was in office.
She delivered the keynote address in New York at a conference on the future organized by The Wall Street Journal. “I’ve learned that on this issue, if you want to change the game, you can’t just work from the outside,” she said. We need you to enter. You must come up with strategies to alter the diet and
“So today, 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,” she said.
Mrs. Obama is a co-founder and strategic partner of PLEZi Nutrition. She will work behind the scenes on its educational and philanthropic efforts, according to aides, who stressed that she will not be a spokesperson or public face of the company. It was unclear whether she put any money down to help launch the company or whether she will draw a salary.
As first lady, Mrs. Obama sought through a White House initiative called “Let’s Move” to improve the health of U.S. children by encouraging them to engage in physical activity and eat healthier food. She worked to improve federal nutrition standards for school lunches and extracted commitments from food companies and restaurant chains to cut calories, salt, sugar and trans fats in their meals.
