Dannon And Del Monte Commit To Michelle Obama's Initiative For A Healthier America

By Karla Paris

Two food industry giants in the U.S. announced on March 14 they have joined the First Lady’s Partnership for a Healthier America.

In an effort to make healthier choices more accessible and affordable for busy parents and families Dannon is stepping up to the plate. Dannon pledges to do the following by 2016 through a combination of introducing new innovations and reformulating existing products:

• Focus on nutrient density by 10 percent of its entire product portfolio. Nutrients like Vitamin D will be added, while total sugar and fat within its products will be decreased
• Reduce its products’ total sugar content to 23 grams or less (per 6 ounce serving) in 100 percent of products for children and 70 percent of the company’s overall products
• Reduce the amount of fat in its product line up, so that 75 percent of products will be low-fat or fat-free
• Invest $3 million in nutrition education and research focused on healthy eating habits

Dannon established its goals by tying itself to the latest nutrition science and authoritative guidance from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which recommends that Americans consume more nutrient dense foods, such as yogurt.

For Del Monte, its commitments were already in motion through its Fruits & Veggies–More Matters health initiative focused on helping Americans increase fruit & vegetable consumption for better health. Del Monte is making the following commitments through a combination of packaging changes, consumer education, and product enhancements:

• Increase its Nutrition Rich Food Index weighted average score by 15 percent across its entire  portfolio of products by July 2019
• Pledge $5 million in 2014, $6 million in 2015, and $7 million in 2016 to create and execute programs that promote healthier eating. Tactics will include distributing coupons for foods that meet certain healthy guidelines and including nutrition information on its website
• By October 2016, at least 90 percent of canned fruit products that demonstrate the saved caloric content when the packing medium, oftentimes syrup, is drained
• Reformulate packaging so that 80 percent of new labels with recipes on the packaging will meet healthier recipe guidelines
• Donate in each calendar year of 2014, 2015, and 2016 a minimum of 2.5 million pounds of fruit and vegetable products to support anti-hunger efforts across the U.S.

Food manufacturers and distributors realize that the trend of consumers searching for healthier food alternatives is not going away, in fact, it’s growing.  Natural foods stores did $15.9 billion in business in the United States last year, up 7.3 percent from the year before which indicates that the moves Dannon, DelMonte, and other food processors make today will boost corporate sales tomorrow and beyond.