Former First Lady Michelle Obama announced Wednesday that she has co-founded the food and beverage company PLEZi, which aims to provide healthy options for children.
Obama stated that she would be working behind the scenes to guide PLEZi’s mission, which is an extension of the Let’s Move! campaign she launched as the first lady to combat childhood obesity.
“I’ve learned that if you want to change the game on this issue, you can’t just work from the outside.” “You have to get inside — you have to find ways to change the food and beverage industry itself,” Obama said at The Wall Street Journal Future of Everything Festival during the company announcement.
“I’m excited to announce the national launch of a company that will not only provide better products but will also kick off a race to the top that will transform the entire food industry.”
PLEZi’s first product is a drink for kids ages 6 to 12 that has 75% less sugar than leading fruit juices, according to Obama’s company website. Water and milk, according to the former first lady, are still the best drink options for children aged 5 and under.
“But once children reach school age, we all know that drinking only water and milk isn’t an option,” she wrote. “That’s why we created PLEZi as your worry-free alternative — it has less sugar, less sweetness, and more nutrients like fiber and potassium than many other drinks.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average daily intake of added sugars for Americans aged 2 to 19 years old in 2017-2018 was 17 teaspoons. According to a 2021 survey, more than half of children in most states consumed a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once in the week preceding the survey.
“Limiting or reducing foods and beverages higher in added sugars, including sugar-sweetened beverages, is important because added sugars are associated with an increased risk of obesity, dental caries, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated in a February report.
PLEZi drinks are currently available in four flavors at Target and Spouts locations across the country. They’re also available at Walmart online. In the future, the company intends to expand into additional drinks and snacks.
As a public benefit corporation, PLEZi Nutrition has stated that it will invest 10% of its profits in the movement to promote children’s health. Obama also announced that the company will donate $1 million to FoodCorps, a non-profit that works to improve children’s nutrition.
