Campbell’s plan to tackle childhood obesity in Camden, NJ
The company has said it will invest $10m over ten years with a three-pronged focus: providing increased access to affordable, healthy food; expanding availability of and participation in physical activity and physical education; and increasing nutrition and health education, with the stated aim of reducing the incidence of childhood obesity among the area’s 23,000 children by 50 percent.
Campbell’s move is part of a collaborative effort that also includes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Food Trust, New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Camden, the Camden Children's Garden and the Y, United Way, Cooper University Hospital, Rutgers University, the Food Bank of South Jersey, and others.
Obesity rates are particularly high among Camden children, at nearly 40 percent of three to 19-year-olds, according to NHANES data.
Campbell's president and CEO Douglas Conant said, "Obesity is a national crisis, but it is even more acute in Camden. We absolutely believe this important effort can nourish the lives of thousands of Camden children, both physically and emotionally, and help prepare them for a productive future."
Campbell's chief operating officer Denise Morrison said: "We plan to concentrate our efforts on these sites in Camden and gradually expand to other locations until we have a city-wide program in place.”
Campbell’s is the longest-standing corporate resident in Camden, the company said, and this latest campaign is part of its corporate social responsibility strategy.
President and CEO of YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties and co-director of the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Camden Tim Kerrihard said: "Campbell brings tremendous resources and credibility to this endeavor. Our work on the Partnership for Healthy Kids will make tremendous strides in eliminating obesity and hunger in Camden thanks to Campbell's investment."
