Kristy Yamaguchi & Safeway Partner for Kids Health
Program Supports National Initiatives to Raise A Healthier Generation
PLEASANTON, Calif.– Safeway is partnering with Olympic figuring skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi to re-launch the highly successful Lunchbox Winners" produce program on January 5th in nearly 1,500 stores across the nation. The goal of the program is to offer parents an easy solution for school lunches and snack ideas that are healthy for kids and easy for parents. The inspiration for the program came from Safeway's desire to support Fruits & Veggies – More Matters® and First Lady Michelle Obamas's Let's Move! Americans Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids programs to help raise a generation of active, healthy children.
The Lunchbox Winners featured athlete for January is Olympic champion figure skater and Dancing with the Stars" winner, Kristi Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi shares her favorite Winning Wrap" recipe to inspire kids to realize their dreams and to eat healthy. Just as in the first two months of this program with Soccer champ Brandi Chastain and Olympic Medal Gymnast Dominique Dawes, she and future athletes may make personal appearances in Safeway stores to interact directly with and inspire their young fans.
We are committed to helping our customers by offering programs that engage the whole family to make better-for-you choices and encourage a healthy, active lifestyle," said Steve Burnham, Safeway Vice President/General Manager Corporate Produce. The Lunchbox Winners program gives our customers great ideas that encourage their children to eat well and stay active. It is also why we will continue to support Fruits and Veggies–More Matters public health initiative to motivate people to eat more fruits and vegetables and the First Lady's Let's Move! Campaign."
Throughout the school year, Lunchbox Winners features a different professional athlete who encourages children to eat well and stay active. In February the program will feature Olympic snowboard cross gold medalist, Seth Wescott. The successful program will run through the school year, ending in May 2011. Shoppers will find new booklets in the store each month with simple snack and lunchbox recipes. All featured products for these easy to prepare recipes will be displayed and available for purchase in the produce department.
We are thrilled to be a part of the Lunchbox Winners campaign," said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., President and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. The campaign is a great example of how retailers can take an active role to ensure kids have healthier lunchbox and snack options every day."
The program also includes an interactive website, www.LunchboxWinners.com, for both parents and kids. The website will feature additional recipes and information from featured athletes, including an Ask the Athlete a Question" section. The site also links to additional resources for parents including www.LetsMove.gov and www.FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org. The initiative will be promoted by in-store radio and point of sale materials. Lunchbox Winners was created exclusively for Safeway by Consumer Effects International, a consumer marketing agency based in Roseville, California.
ABOUT SAFEWAY www.Safeway.com
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,687 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $41.1 billion in 2010. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.
