Former First Lady Michelle Obama is launching a healthy food and beverage company that seeks to “transform” the food industry.
“I’m proud to announce the national launch of a company designed not just to provide better products, but to jumpstart a race to the top that will transform the entire food industry,” Obama stated at the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything festival May 3, according to CNN. The company, PLEZi Nutrition, was co-founded by Obama and will seek to tackle the problem of childhood obesity by providing healthier options for parents when it comes to food choices, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“If you want to change the game, you can’t just work from the outside. You’ve got to get inside,” Obama stated, according to the outlet. “You’ve got to find ways to change the food-and-beverage industry itself.”
Former first lady Michelle Obama discusses the launch of her new company, PLEZi Nutrition, at the #WSJFuture of Everything Festival pic.twitter.com/fqf0BV8q7I
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) May 4, 2023
During her tenure as First Lady, Obama made a similar effort to transform kids’ nutrition by implementing a school lunch program, that for many, left much to be desired. A January 2014 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that student participation in the school lunch program following Obama’s nutritional guidelines fell by 1.2 million nationwide. School officials cited in the report also noted an increase in plate waste, with many offered foods being tossed rather than consumed by the students. (RELATED: The School Lunches Michelle Obama’s Kids Eat Vs. INSECT-FILLED CRAP In Pennsylvania)
PLEZi Nutrition’s first product, a fruit juice designed for kids, will contain 75% less sugar than leading fruit juices and is already available at some retailers, CNN reported. In the coming years, the company plans to offer other snacks and beverages “focused on lowering sugar content and lowering sweetness to help adjust kids’ palates to crave less sweetness,” CNN reported.