Foods company to help fight obesity

In response to rising obesity rates around the world, Kraft Foods Inc. said today it will initiate a new series of steps to further strengthen the alignment of its products and marketing practices with societal needs.

“The rise in obesity is a complex public health challenge of global proportions,” said Betsy D. Holden, Co-CEO of Kraft Foods. “Just as obesity has many causes, it can be solved only if all sectors of society do their part to help. Kraft is committed to product choices and marketing practices that will help encourage healthy lifestyles and make it easier to eat and live better.”

The commitments Kraft is making, which are global in scope and supplement a variety of actions the company is already taking, will focus in four key areas: product nutrition, marketing practices, consumer information and public advocacy and dialogue. Some are fully developed and nearing implementation, while other steps will require further development, including continued input from experts and interest groups outside the company.

To aid in this process, Kraft is forming a global council of advisors to help it structure its ongoing response to obesity and develop policies, standards, measures and timetables for implementation.

“What people eat is ultimately a matter of personal choice, but we can help make it an educated choice,” said Roger K. Deromedi, Co-CEO of Kraft Foods. “And helping them get more active is every bit as important as helping them eat better. By providing people with products and information they can use to improve their eating and activity behaviors, we can do our part to help arrest the rise in obesity.”

Kraft is currently in the process of forming its expert advisory council, which will bring together leading voices from key disciplines important to the company's response to changing patterns in diet, activity and weight. These will include experts in obesity, nutrition, physical activity, public health, human behavior, nutrient fortification and lifestyle education and intervention programs. Kraft expects to complete the formation of the council shortly.

Among the first priorities of the council will be an overall assessment of Kraft's current and planned responses to the growth of obesity. In addition, the council will be asked to help develop detailed standards and measures for implementing several of the specific commitments the company has made.