via MrsO.com - Feb 1, 2012

“The First Lady appeared at a Let’s Move event in Inglewood, California today to celebrate the future site of a Northgate Gonzalez Market.

“First Lady Speaks at Northgate Gonzalez Site” [Supermarket News]”

First Lady Michelle Obama: “Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice”

As part of the Let’s Move! initiative, this morning First Lady Michelle 0bama joined Partnership for a Healthier America, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and other family chains owned by Darden Restaurants to announce a commitment from Darden to reduce calories and sodium in their meals and to provide healthier options in their kids’ menus.

In America today, one of every two dollars spent on food is spent in restaurants, and over one-third of calories consumed in America are eaten at restaurants, so providing nutritious choices in restaurants goes a long way in keeping families healthy.

Here’s the breakdown of kids’ menu changes starting now and to be fully implemented by July 2012:

• Guarantee a fruit or vegetable will be the default side for every kids’ menu item at those restaurants offering a default side on the children’s menu:  Bahama Breeze, LongHorn Steakhouse and Red Lobster.
• 1% milk will be the default beverage, provided automatically if no alternate beverage is requested.  Milk will be prominently promoted on the menu and made available with free refills. 
• Food illustrations on the menu will promote the healthy choices for meals and drinks.
• Healthier menu options will be more prominently displayed when possible.
• Carbonated beverages will not be displayed on children’s menus.
• Improve the nutritional content of one or more children’s menu items to provide equal or less than 600 calories, 30% of total calories from fat, 10% of total calories from saturated fat and 600 mg of sodium.