Grocery Manufacturers Association Statement Regarding HBO “Weight of the Nation” Series

The “Weight of the Nation” series sheds additional light on the important issue of obesity. We look forward to working with HBO and its partners toward the common goal of eliminating obesity in the U.S. and around the world. Obesity is a serious problem and everyone – industry, government, parents, communities and healthcare providers – must do their part if we are going to meet First Lady Michelle Obama’s goal of solving childhood obesity within a generation. America’s food and beverage companies enthusiastically support Mrs. Obama’s goal and in recent years we have accelerated our efforts to provide consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Since 2002, we have introduced more than 20,000 new product choices with fewer calories, reduced fat, sodium and sugar, and more whole grains. Through the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, we have pledged to remove 1.5 trillion calories from the food supply by 2015. Working through the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), we have voluntarily adopted strict advertising criteria so that 100 percent of CFBAI members’ ads seen on children’s programming today promote healthier diet choices and better-for-you products. And in January 2011, we launched Facts Up Front, a voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labeling system designed to help busy consumers—especially parents—make more informed decisions when they shop. GMA member companies are also committed to providing children with healthier meals in schools, supporting USDA’s recently revised nutrition standards for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. America’s food and beverage companies have a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, and we will continue to leverage this capability to empower consumers to live healthy and active lifestyles. For more information, please visit the following links: Product reformulation efforts: www.gmaonline.org/issues-policy/health-nutrition/providing-innovative-and-healthy-choices/product-reformulation/ Calorie reduction pledge: www.healthyweightcommit.org/news/Reduce_Annual_Calories/ Facts Up Front labeling program: www.factsupfront.org Our commitment to responsible marketing: www.gmaonline.org/issues-policy/health-nutrition/responsible-marketing/

ALG condemns Rep. Hartzler for voting against workers’ rights to secret ballots in union elections

May 11, 2012, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson issued the following statement blasting Rep. Vicky Hartzler for voting against an amendment to HR 5326 that protects state laws guaranteeing secret ballots in union certification elections from being challenged by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): “Rep. Hartzler has to explain to her constituents why she thinks it’s okay for pushy union bosses to be looking over workers’ shoulders when they vote on union certification. The whole idea behind card check is to expedite unionization, and four states, Arizona, Utah, South Carolina, and South Dakota had the audacity to overwhelmingly pass state constitutional amendments that guarantee a secret ballot in union certification elections against such coercion. “Now, the NLRB has decided to sue two of them, Arizona and South Dakota. And under the amendment Rep. Hartzler voted against, the NLRB would have been prohibited from using any funds to litigate against any state on the question of secret ballot union elections, protecting employees from being bullied into joining unions. “Rep. Hartzler had an opportunity to stand with these states and worker rights against this assault by the NLRB to use the force of law to impose Big Labor’s agenda on businesses, workers, and states. In fact, Rep. Hartzler is not even a representative of either Arizona or South Dakota that is being sued, and thus had no reason to vote against this amendment, except to curry favor with local union bosses. Perhaps that is what really is at play here. If so, Rep. Hartzler has embarrassed herself and her constituents.” Attachments: “Secret ballot elections? Not if the NLRB has its way,” By Rick Manning, Director of Communications, Americans for Limited Government, Oct. 26, 2011 at http://netrightdaily.com/2011/10/secret-ballot-elections-not-if-the-nlrb-has-its-way/