Locally-based Sunny Delight part of First Lady's anti-childhood obesity campaign

Blue Ash-based Sunny Delight Beverage Company is among the nationally-known beverage brands joining in First Lady Michelle Obama's fight against childhood obesity.

As part of the American Beverage Association's voluntary new "Clear on Calories" initiative, Sunny Delight will work with the Food and Drug Administration to implement the initiative that will up the visibility of calorie and other nutritional drink information. The drink makers also are working on lowering calories and upping nutritional value in some products. Other companies participating in the effort are Coca Cola, Snapple Group, PespiCo, and Nestlé Waters North America.

Sunny Delight Beverage Company had been reducing calories in its beverages since 2007, said company spokesperson Sydney McHugh.

"The company has reduced calories and sugars in its flagship flavors on SunnyD by 25 percent and has implemented other significant calorie reductions on both Elations, a beverage supplement for joint pain, and Veryfine juice brands," McHugh said.

The First Lady's Let's Move initiative aims to drastically lower childhood obesity rates within a generation through a host of moves. Currently, one-third of U.S. children are overweight or obese.
Among the planned changes:

This new initiative will display calories more prominently on:

• Product labels: Total calorie counts will be displayed on the front of labels for the entire container, up to and including 20-ounce products. A 12-ounce serving size will be used in displaying calories for multi-serve beverage packages (such as 2-liter bottles).

• Vending Machines: Total calorie counts for the entire container will be displayed on the beverage selection buttons of vending machines controlled by the companies.

• Fountain Machines: Calorie counts will be shown prominently on fountain beverage machines controlled by the companies.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Sunny Delight Beverage Company spokesperson Sydney McHugh