Opinion
A common criticism of dietary advice to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables is that it’s more expensive — too expensive for low-income families with multiple mouths to feed.
Thanks to a decision by the nation’s largest retailer — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. — to begin labeling healthy food this spring, millions of families will find it easier and more affordable to improve their diets and health.
Wal-Mart’s Great For You icon will be found on more than 50 fresh produce products in its Marketside line.
The economic downturn of the past three years has consumers looking to squeeze the most from every penny, and Wal-Mart’s move will help economically insecure households that all too often have diets as impoverished as their finances.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, low-income children and adolescents are the most likely to be obese, and the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased at all income and education levels.
Compounding the problem, obese children frequently become obese adults.
Seriously overweight children face an increased incidence of cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as abnormal glucose tolerance or diabetes — and psychosocial problems as well.
Of course fresh fruits and vegetables still face tough competition from other grocery departments for consumers’ food dollars.
But Wal-Mart’s move — along with USDA’s new dietary guidelines and the school salad bar program — is one more welcome push for increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and better health for Americans.
Did The Packer get it right? Leave a comment and tell us your opinion.
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Comments (2)
Leave a commentR. Beckman
Report AbuseWhy the big fuss? Walmart's labeling some produce as "great for you"? What a waste. Of course produce is good for you. If they wanted to do some good, they'd _stop_ carrying things like tobacco or start putting warning signs up for products which are truly unhealthy... Or even highlighting other food items that folks may not know are obviously good for them.
But spending god-knows-how-much to label 50 items in thousands of stores as "great for you," a fact which the vast majority of their shoppers should already know in the first place?
Meanwhile, hours are cut, positions are eliminated...
Save money, live better.
Faith P
Report AbuseThe only question I have is who is going to determine what is "healthy." Some say "real" (unprocessed, organic, etc) foods, some say low-fat, some say low-carb, some say vegan/vegetarian is the only way to go. How is Wal-Mart going to decide?