Leveraging Corporate Influence to Reduce Overweight and Obesity

PHILADELPHIA, PA – June 6, 2005:- A full room of attendees to the United States Public Health Professionals Conference today heard Keith McGuinness, President and CEO of CalorieKing Wellness Solutions, strongly recommend that they stop fighting food manufacturers, fast food restaurants and the diet industry, recognizing that it's the food industry’s business to sell us the latest tasty food product…and that they are very good at it. Instead, health professionals should focus on the demand side of obesity by educating parents about calories.

Keith McGuinness forcefully stated: "We believe that the American trend toward obesity is sustained by our culture and that, working together, focused on fundamentals, it can be reversed in a generation. We can begin by educating the next generation of parents right now, children in our public and private schools."

CalorieKing® is a familiar brand among U.S. dietitians and consumers. Since its 1988 U.S. introduction, more than 10 million of The Doctor's Pocket Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter, an annually updated, pocket-size book that lists calorie, fat and carb contents of more than 11,000 food products, including food served at 200 fast-food restaurants, have been sold. More than a million people per month visit www.CalorieKing.com.

CalorieKing addresses the needs of families and individuals dealing with the effects of overweight and obesity. CalorieKing's products are designed to help individuals by providing tools that also meet the needs of their family, their school, their employer, and their health care providers.

"We need to pitch a simple message, consistently, to the next generation: Learn about calories and you will make smarter choices about food and physical activity. Your new choices will be good for you. Food manufacturers, restaurants and the diet industry will reflect the message we consumers send them with healthier products," said McGuinness.

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