Families
We recognize that families have a powerful impact on the health and wellness of children. In working to reduce childhood obesity, HWCF is looking for realistic ways to help families and children understand the importance of energy balance in an active, healthy lifestyle. We are working with our manufacturing companies to provide more options to parents and are using our Together Counts™ campaign to reach all consumers, parents and children alike, with our message of moderation and the value of family meals and physical activity.
Providing More Options to Consumers
With our food and beverage manufacturing members’ commitment to reduce 1.5 trillion calories in the marketplace by 2015, we provide families with more options. As an interim goal, HWCF members have pledged to reduce calories by 1 trillion by the end of 2012 [These calorie reductions are in comparison with what was available in the marketplace in 2007.] HWCF will report on their progress to the Partnership for a Healthier America, whose honorary chair is First Lady Michelle Obama. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation serves as the independent outside evaluator for this effort.
The manufacturing member companies of the HWCF are pursuing their calorie-reduction goals by developing and introducing lower-calorie options, changing recipes where possible to lower the calorie content of current products, and reducing portion sizes of existing single-serve products. They will continue to meet consumer needs for taste, convenience and value.
Together Counts Campaign:
Drawing on the collective reach of our members, our Together Counts™ social media platform encourages families to make a pledge to engage in more family meals and physical activity. This viral campaign is gaining a foothold in the culture as more families learn about it through our members’ communications channels.
Dynamic Online Community
The strength of the Together Counts™ program is its multi-layered approach. The logo is featured on the social media and consumer-facing platforms of many of America’s leading brands, and the programming is integrated into their web strategies. By interacting with our widgets and communicating on Twitter, Facebook and our blog, the Together Counts™ program has emerged as a dynamic online community.
Growing Public Presence
This dynamic online community has fostered a growing public presence by leveraging our blog and Facebook, and by hosting a series of Twitter parties that have included more than 1,300 unique participants and garnered over 15.3 million impressions. In 2011, HWCF also participated in lifestyle blogger conferences and other thought leadership events (reaching approximately 117,000 attendees), thus spreading the message of energy balance to key influencers.
