WASHINGTON (AP) — Hyatt Corp. will soon improve the nutritional quality of the children's meals served at its hotels and resorts as part of its work with a national health group.
The Partnership for a Healthier America, which works with companies and others to help end childhood obesity, announced the change Tuesday.
Beginning next year, Hyatt will offer fruits or vegetables as the default side item for its children's meals and free refills on nonfat or low-fat milk at sites in the U.S. and Canada. Its children's meals will be updated to meet federal nutrition standards and the company said it will ensure that food illustrations on all menus depict healthier options.
The company is also making improvements to its full-service restaurant menus and catering options for guests of all ages, with a significant emphasis on reducing calories, sugar and sodium content.
"Hyatt sets a new standard for leadership in the hospitality industry," Lawrence A. Soler, CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America said in a statement. "In the last decade, Americans have spent about half of their families' total food budgets, and consumed nearly a third of all their calories, away from home. Making healthier options available, wherever families are eating, is critical in the fight against childhood obesity."
The Partnership for a Healthier America was created in 2010 in conjunction with, but independent from, Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign, an effort which encourages activity and healthier living for America's youth. Michelle Obama serves as an honorary chairwoman for the nonprofit organization.
Hyatt Hotels, headquartered in Chicago, operates 478 properties in 45 countries.
