First Lady Michelle Obama will announce Thursday her new partnership with fast food chain, Subway, to create a menu promoting nutritional meals for kids.
According to the Associated Press, the popular sandwich chain will spend $41 million over three years on a project that will encourage kids to eat healthier. The new menu will also follow the federal standards for school lunches; eat more fruits and vegetables, the Hill reported.
The announcement is scheduled to be made at a shop near the White House, a White House official said. The three-year commitment is in support of the first lady's "Let's Move" campaign.
The AP reported that Subway will offer apples as a side and low-fat sandwiches; along with low-fat or nonfat plain milk or water as a default beverage. Things that will not get the first lady's approval include six-inch chicken and bacon ranch melt with cheese, which contains 28 grams of fat.
Many of the chain's sandwiches are certified by the American Heart Association. Jared Fogle, former "face of Subway" reportedly lost about 250 pounds eating the product alone. Last year, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) found that out of 50 chain restaurants Surveyed, Subway was the only one eatery that met all the USDA's nutrition requirements.
"It's a natural extension of what we do," Subway's chief marketing officer, Tony Pace, told the AP in reference to the new partnership with the first lady.
Obama's campaign strives to tackle childhood obesity rates from several angles. In September, she encouraged food companies to rethink the way they marketed some of their unhealthy products to children. Obama asked them to replace many of their unhealthy items with a variety of nutritious options.
