First Lady Michelle
Obama
Remarks at
Food Icon Announcement
United States
Department of Agriculture
Washington,
D.C.
June 2, 2011
10:57 A.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA: Good morning, everyone. (Applause.) Thank
you. Thank
you so much. (Applause.) Thank you all so much.
(Applause.) Oh, now
I get embarrassed, so -- (applause) -- so please be seated. Thank
you
so much.
I
want to thank Secretary Vilsack for that wonderful introduction and for
not taking my remarks. (Laughter.) Well done. And I
also want to
thank our wonderful Surgeon General, Dr. Benjamin, as well. Both
of
these individuals are such exceptional leaders for this country and for
this issue, so I want to thank them both for everything they do
everyday, so let’s give them a round of applause, as well.
(Applause.)
And I am also excited that we have such a broad spectrum of people here
who have come together to put today’s launch of MyPlate
into action. We have representatives from all across the food
industry. We have health advocates, we have chefs, educators, we
even
have an Air Force general. So we’re covering every base.
And
this just goes to show that no matter whether we come from the public
or private sectors, no matter whether we’ve found ourselves on opposite
sides of issues in the past, no matter which box we check on our
ballots, all of us care about our nation’s health.
And
when we act together, when we focus on our common goals, and when we
seriously commit to finding a workable solution for all parties, then
we can find consensus. We can agree on something that makes sense
for
everyone. And most importantly, we can make a real difference for
people all across this country.
Now,
this day is exactly the kind of day that I was envisioning when we
started “Let’s Move” more than a year ago. We started “Let’s
Move”
because we wanted to make sure that all our kids have the opportunity
to grow up healthy. We wanted to end this country’s epidemic of
childhood obesity. And we wanted to make it easier for kids and
their
parents to make choices that will help them lead healthier lives.
In
fact, one of the main goals that came out of last year’s White House
Task Force on Childhood Obesity report was to simplify the way we
convey our nutritional information.
We
realized that we needed something that made sense not just in
classrooms or laboratories, but at dinner tables and school
cafeterias. We needed something useful, something simple.
And that’s why I like the MyPlate
approach so much, because when it comes to eating, what’s more useful
than a plate? What’s more simple than a plate? This is a
quick,
simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that
we’re eating.
And
as a mom, I can already tell you how much this is going to help parents
all across the country, because when a mom or dad comes home from a
long day of work, we’re already asked to be a chef, we’re already asked
to be a referee, cleaning crew, you name it, we’re on it. So the
last
thing we need to do is be the nutritionist in our family, as well.
Parents
don’t have the time to measure out exactly three ounces of chicken or
to look up how much rice or broccoli is in a serving. That has
confounded me as a parent for a very long time. I still don't
know how
much protein comes in X number of ounces. And we’re all bombarded
with
so many dietary messages that it’s hard to find time to sort through
all this information.
But we do have time to take a look at our kids’ plates. We do it
all the time. We usually are the ones fixing the plates.
And
as long as they’re eating proper portions, as long as half of their
meal is fruits and vegetables alongside their lean proteins, whole
grains and low-fat dairy, then we’re good. It’s as simple as
that.
That’s how easy this can be for parents.
And this isn’t just useful for parents. MyPlate
is a simple tool that's simple enough for children to understand, even
at the elementary school level. Kids can learn how to use this
tool
now and they can use it for the rest of their lives. Kids follow
directions pretty easily, so the MyPlate icon
is a wonderful kid-friendly tool. It’s an image that can be
reinforced
and practiced at breakfast, lunch, and at dinner, no matter how old we
are.
And
I’ve seen this work in my life already. Since I’ve seen the icon,
I
can’t help but look at my own plate a little differently to see whether
I have enough fruits and veggies. And trust me, we are
implementing
this in our household. We’ve had a conversation about sitting
down
with Malia and Sasha and helping them think about how to choose their
proportions, and this plate is a huge tool. So I find myself
doing a
quick checklist to make sure that I have a balanced meal.
And
in the months and years ahead, I know that millions of Americans are
going to be thinking of the same things at mealtime, as well, because
of MyPlate.
So
this is something that I am really excited about, because I’m confident
that families will find this useful and they’ll find it useful right
away. They can start using this today.
But
I also know that the new icon isn’t going to end our epidemic of
childhood obesity on its own. This is an important start, but
it’s not
the only thing that we need to be doing. It can’t ensure that our
communities have access to affordable fruits and vegetables.
That's
still work we need to do. It won’t spur kids to get up and get
active
for an hour a day. That is still work we need to do. And
it’s
certainly not going to take the responsibility off of us as parents to
make sure that we’re making the right choices for our families.
That's
still on us.
So
rest assured that “Let’s Move” is going to keep on working on all of
those areas. We want to see the same kind of progress that we’ve
seen
on this icon on all those other areas, and we’re going to build
momentum around MyPlate with a coordinated
long-term strategy that’s going to include working with community and
national partners and connecting with Americans through social media.
So
we’re going to be working to get the word out to continue to have
conversations about balanced meals and to make this seem fun and simple
and not complicated and overburdened.
But
I can’t emphasize enough that today is an enormous step in the right
direction. Today shows that we can accomplish big things when
everyone
works together to be part of the solution. And that's what’s
happened
in developing this new icon. It shows that all of us are willing
to
act on behalf of our nation’s health. And particularly we’re
willing
to step up when it comes to our kids. And it shows that we can do
something that makes a difference, something that people can use in
their everyday lives.
So
again, I am proud and excited about today, but I am also grateful and
thankful to everyone who has worked so hard to bring this success to us
today. It took a lot of people coming together, working, for
many,
many months on this effort, and I applaud you all on that hard
work.
And I look forward to working with all of you as we go forward because
there is still so much work to do.
And
I know that if we keep working together as we have, if we keep our kids
at the forefront of our minds, as we approach these issues, then I know
that we can give every single child in this country the healthy futures
that they deserve.
So thank you all again.
Congratulations. And let’s keep moving. Thank you so
much. (Applause.)
END 11:07 A.M. EDT