SAN DIEGO, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- New York Times best selling author Dr. Roy Vartabedian has agreed today to endorse the New Kids Healthy Vending program being launched on May 5, 2008 by YoNaturals Inc. "The timing of this announcement couldn't be more critical," said Dr. Roy "As childhood obesity is exploding and parents, educators and especially children need to be educated on what's good for them." The Kids Healthy Vending program is designed to appeal to children and 'tweens' and will soon begin servicing elementary and middle schools across the U.S. The program will feature specially selected all natural and organic products intended for children.
"Dr. Roy has been invaluable in helping us select the products that have scored the highest NutriPoints on his new NutriHeros and NutriGrades colorful nutritional charts designed especially for children," said Mark Trotter, CEO of YoNaturals. The NutriGrade is a letter grade -- like a grade for a test or a class -- for each food, so most of the foods on the NutriHeroes side receive an A or A+, while those on the back NutriZeroes side receive a C, D, or F. It's a great way to educate and motivate kids to see the relative nutritional value of foods and make better choices for their diet.
While dedicated to improving the snacking habits of all people, the direction of YoNaturals most recent campaign was stirred by the fact that today's youth are, overall, the unhealthiest in U.S. history. More than 12.5 million children are currently overweight, and nearly 13 million more are at high risk of becoming overweight. It is obvious that a healthy vending program geared toward children is a step in the right direction. Mark Trotter, CEO of YoNaturals, adds that, "This nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity and early-onset-diabetes has attracted attention from parents, lawmakers, and school officials who have become increasingly concerned about the diet of America's school children."
Kids Healthy Vending was inspired by a successful 2007 vending campaign in middle and high schools. Mark Trotter explains that, "Last year's program encouraged us to expand upon it in 2008 as a pilot initiative which has now become the cornerstone for Kids Healthy Vending." Trotter adds that, "Another far-reaching effort that we are committed to exceeding with Kids Healthy Vending involves California Senate Bill 19 (SB19), which sets the nutritional standards for food sold in elementary schools. Today the standards set in that policy are used as models for many school districts and states across the U.S. when considering their own reform."
While it is still in the beginning stages of the program's rollout, YoNaturals is already seeing positive feedback from people involved. Kathleen Porterfield, Principal of Encinitas Country Day School, explains that, "Our middle school students are thrilled to have YoNaturals machines on campus, and our parents can share in their happiness because it's healthy!"
Lisa Hawk, of the Preuss School UCSD, adds that, "We love YoNaturals vending options, the food is not only tasty, but so healthy, and students swarm the machines during lunch and after school."
"The national launch of Kids Healthy Vending is slated for May 5th, a time when many schools districts across the U.S. begin making decisions for the following year. Trotter explains that, "We are looking for both public and private schools that want to adapt to our Kids Healthy Vending program and also have programs in place allowing the schools themselves to purchase our machines, order our products on line and receive one hundred percent of the profits themselves."
With support through the program's website, http://www.kidshealthyvending.com, YoNaturals hopes to educate children, parents, and decision-makers on the value of healthy snacking. They emphasize the importance in taking action now, and provide steps to begin making a positive change for today's youth
About Dr. Roy Vartabedian. Dr. Roy is a specialist in Chronic Disease Prevention and holds a Doctor of Public Health degree from Loma Linda University, and Master of Public Health degrees in Health Education and Nutrition. He has worked in the field of health promotion and disease prevention for over 25 years, with patients, managing programs, consulting, and speaking throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. His landmark publication, Nutripoints, a New York Times Best-Seller, has been used in a total of 13 countries in 10 languages worldwide.
About YoNaturals & Kids Healthy Vending: YoNaturals Inc is the nationwide leader in healthy vending and offers programs for schools, offices, hospitals, health clubs and many other types of locations throughout the U.S. Please visit http://www.yonaturals.com and http://www.kidshealthyvending.com or contact [email protected] for more information.
SOURCE YoNaturals
