Report Release: Lower-Calorie Foods and Increased Sales

On October 2, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director of the Obesity Solutions Initiative, Hank Cardello, took part in a media briefing to review new research that reveals lower-calorie foods and beverages fueled growth at Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) companies. The distinguished panel discussed the results of the commitment by sixteen of the largest food and beverage companies to reduce calories in a pledge to the Partnership for a Healthier America, with independent evaluation from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: developing new lower-calorie products, making them more available, packaging smaller portion sizes, and changing product recipes. The success was not only measured in increased sales, but also in exceeding the goal of reducing 1.5 trillion calories from the marketplace by 400 percent.

A study by Hudson Institute, which was released at this panel, details how companies met consumer demand for lower-calorie foods by measuring over 52,000 foods and beverages on shelves in more than 40,000 retail and grocery stores across the country, comparing sales, distribution, and promotional support of lower-calorie foods to higher calorie products.