Local Groups and Companies Team Up for A Healthier Washington; Announcing the Launch of Healthier Vending Initiatives

News Advisory:

Children and adults in the Washington, D.C. area will now be able to choose trail mix over salty snacks and slightly-sweetened tea over sugary sodas. With more than 20 percent of Washingtonians obese according to the CDC, the time for these healthier choices in our community is now. In order to address the growing obesity epidemic in Washington, D.C., Hunger Solutions, The YMCA of Greater Washington, Honest Tea and SunDun Vending are teaming up to raise awareness about healthy choices and to launch the Healthier Choices vending initiatives in the Washington metro area.

Healthier options are lacking in the office, hospitals and schools. Children are taught healthy eating and nutritional lessons in their classrooms and then surrounded by unhealthy choices. Health advocates such as the World Health Organization recommend that individuals consume no more than 10 teaspoons of added sugar every day. The average person consumes three times that amount. One of the largest culprits in the diets of children and adults is soft drinks, the largest source of sugar in our diet, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The American public is inundated with messages about healthy eating and then can’t find convenient and nutritious food choices. Vending machines are often placed in settings where the buyer has no other choice. Now they will.

WHO: Leading D.C. area health and fitness advocates and the Healthier Choices Vending Initiatives team.

WHAT: The Launch of Healthier Choices Vending, unveiling of vending machines, a tasting of the healthy products and a demonstration of the amount of sugar in the American diet.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 24th at 10 a.m.

WHERE: The YMCA on 1711 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington D.C.

SPEAKERS: Kim Perry of DC Hunger Solutions a member of Action for Healthy Kids, a national coalition dedicated to improving the heath and educational performance of children through better nutrition and physical activity in schools.

-- Emory Linder president of SunDun Vending

-- Seth Goldman, president and TeaEOof Honest Tea, the best- selling brand of organic bottled tea based in Bethesda, MD

-- Janice Williams, vice president of Program development for the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington

Contact Information

Amy Stelzner

Media Contact

Healthier Choices Vending

Contact via E-mail