Overview

The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a CEO-led organization, is a national, multi-year effort designed to help reduce obesity–especially childhood obesity–by 2015. It’s a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together more than 190 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods and insurance companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and professional sports organizations. The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation promotes ways to help people achieve a healthy weight through energy balance–calories in and calories out. It focuses on three critical areas–the marketplace, the workplace and schools.

Connecting with Consumers in the Marketplace: Participating companies are committed to enhancing existing efforts by changing their products, packaging and labeling to make it easier for consumers to manage their calorie intake while preserving or improving overall nutrition quality. Specific options companies may undertake include: product reformulation and innovation; offering smaller portions; redesigning packaging and labeling; placing calorie information on the front of products; providing consumers with information and educational materials; and in-store promotion of the initiative. 

Empowering Employees in the Workplace: Participating companies will undertake new or enhance existing programs to help employees achieve and maintain a healthy weight. This may include providing calorie information and healthier food and beverage options in cafeterias, vending machines and break rooms; enabling access to exercise at work through individual and group activities; offering weight management programs; and implementing tools to track progress, such as health risk appraisals.
 
Energy Balance 4 Kids (EB4K): The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation has also joined with partners to introduce the evidenced-based Energy Balance for Kids (EB4K) program, to conduct and evaluate a comprehensive two-year school-based energy balance program for students in grades 3-5. An enhanced version of the program, Energy Balance For Kids with Play, will be conducted in four schools in a selected community from September 2011 to May 2013. HWCF’s partners in this program are the American Dietetic Association Foundation, Playworks and the University of California Berkeley. The program will focus on nutrition education, helping students set relevant goals, increasing opportunities for physical activity (including during recess and in PE classes), creating an environment that promotes energy balance and actively seeking family and stakeholder involvement, with the support of a Registered Dietitian Nutrition coach and Playworks recess coach at each school.