President Bill Clinton may have 65 candles on his cake today, but he most decidedly is not transitioning toward retirement.
Since leaving the White House, he has used his foundation to champion causes at home and abroad, including efforts to reduce childhood obesity through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation—a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation.
Just last year President Clinton announced at a news conference that America’s leading beverage companies had successfully delivered on their promise to change the school beverage mix. With our School Beverage Guidelines, developed with the Alliance, we removed full-calorie soft drinks from schools across the country and replaced them with lower-calorie, smaller-portion beverages. These national guidelines have slashed beverage calories shipped to schools by a dramatic 88 percent since 2004, and are part of a broader effort to teach America’s schoolchildren about the importance of a balanced diet and exercise.
We thank President Clinton for his commitment to reducing childhood obesity and support for the School Beverage Guidelines – and, of course, wish him the happiest of birthdays.