TEMPLE, Texas -- McLane Co. Inc. has signed on as a partner of the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), an organization that works to make healthy choices easier for families.
As part of McLane’s commitment, the grocery and foodservice supply-chain-services leader will enhance its healthier-for-you offerings and support PHA’s goal of solving the childhood obesity crisis within a generation.
In addition, McLane has launched a custom supply-chain solution that enables the company to deliver fresh produce to its grocery retail customers nationwide.
McLane is the first grocery and chain restaurant distributor to make a commitment to PHA. About a half-dozen convenience store operators—including Kwik Trip, Sheetz, Twice Daily, U-Gas and Vintners, as well as just-announced enmarket—have joined PHA in its efforts to make the healthy choice the easy choice for all Americans.
A provider of grocery and foodservice supply-chain solutions for convenience stores, drug stores, mass-market retailers and chain restaurants, McLane has committed to launch healthier private-label products to provide affordable, nutritious options for hundreds of thousands of shoppers.
“We’re honored to come on board as the first grocery and chain restaurant supply-chain distributor to support PHA’s efforts,” said Tony Frankenberger, president of McLane Grocery Distribution. “It is now more important than ever for the food, retail and distribution industries to work together to help solve the childhood obesity problem, and to offer consumers fresh and healthier products to make better food choices on a daily basis.”
In addition to providing healthier options for customers across the country, McLane will support its employees in leading healthy lifestyles. The company will offer a free FitBit program to encourage their teammates to make healthier choices and track their progress. McLane will also implement a healthier-food catering guide for corporate meetings and events to ensure team members have options that include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and more.
McLane will also partner with PHA’s signature initiatives—Drink Up and FNV—by offering marketing materials to its retail partners. McLane and PHA will encourage customers to drink water more often and increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.
“Consumers are shopping more and more at convenience stores throughout the week, and their demand for healthier options—regardless of where they shop—is not slowing down,” said PHA CEO Lawrence A. Soler. “We are proud that companies like McLane are stepping in and joining the ranks to provide thousands of Americans access to nutritious foods. This is a tremendous opportunity to reach customers where they are: in convenience stores, drug stores, mass retailers and restaurants.”
McLane announced the partnership at PHA’s annual Building a Healthier Future Summit in Washington, this week. It brings together leaders from across sectors to develop tangible, actionable solutions to help solve the childhood obesity crisis.
In 2010, PHA was created with but independent from first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization led by health and childhood obesity experts. It brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. It also ensures that “commitments made are commitments kept” by working with unbiased third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress partners are making.
Temple, Texas-based McLane is a $48 billion supply-chain-services leader, providing grocery and foodservice supply-chain solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants, drug stores and chain restaurants throughout the United States. Through McLane Grocery, McLane Foodservice and Meadowbrook Meat, it operates 80 distribution centers across the United States. The company buys, sells and delivers more than 50,000 consumer products to nearly 90,000 U.S. locations. McLane also provides alcohol-beverage distribution through Empire Distributors. McLane is a wholly owned unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Omaha.
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