23 Feb 2010 --- Tate & Lyle, a world-leading manufacturer of renewable food ingredients, announces its support of the White House’s “Let’s Move” initiative to combat childhood obesity.

As stated by First Lady Michelle Obama, childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last 30 years and American children are facing shorter life spans than their parents. Americans spend $150 billion on obesity-related illnesses each year.

 “We applaud the First Lady and her ‘Let’s Move’ initiative to address childhood obesity in this country as it’s a guiding force for everyone in the food industry – ingredient suppliers, food manufacturers, consumer advocates, health care experts, community leaders and government – to unite with parents to reverse this obesity trend,” says Matt Wineinger, President, Tate & Lyle Americas.

“Tate & Lyle is in a position to help advance the White House’s ‘Let’s Move’ initiative. Not only do we hold strong partnerships with the leading food and beverage manufacturers in the United States, we also have expertise in food science, healthy food formulation and production, and human clinical research,” says Karl Kramer, President, SPLENDA Sucralose. “Additionally, Tate & Lyle has deep insights about parents and their comfort levels with ingredients, such as SPLENDA Sucralose and PROMITOR Dietary Fiber, in children’s products. These are all imperative to partnering with food and beverage manufacturers to help the First Lady advance her initiatives while continuing to do what’s right for consumers.”

Reducing Calories with Sweeteners

For years, Tate & Lyle has been committed to helping manufacturers develop foods and beverages with a science-based approach. The company’s portfolio of sweeteners, including SPLENDA Sucralose, a leading zero-calorie sweetener, and KRYSTAR Crystalline Fructose, a sweetener that achieves the same sweetness as sucrose by using less, have been successfully used in better-for-you products that deliver reduced calories and healthier profiles.

Launched several years ago, the company’s “Sweetener Optimization” process allows manufacturers to reduce calories by up to 30 percent with no detectable difference in taste. Manufacturers then have the option of promoting this benefit on the front label of their products. Sweetener Optimization can be achieved by custom blending ingredients to reduce calories, without altering the familiar, comforting taste children, and their parents, desire.

As an example, school districts seeking to reduce calories in a popular item like chocolate milk drinks can achieve numerous benefits by implementing Sweetener Optimization as a solution while staying within their shrinking budgets. The process also can be used to reduce calories in flavored waters and fruit juice drinks made for children.

“Energy in and energy out are the keys to fighting childhood obesity,” says Tami Ross, RD, LD, CDE, nationally recognized speaker and author of Cooking Up Fun for Kids With Diabetes, published by the American Diabetes Association. “Consuming a balanced diet of whole grains, fiber, lean protein, sweeteners in moderation and regular exercise will help children stay within a healthy weight range."