MEDIA INFORMATION
PRODUCERS OF SESAME STREET TEAM UP WITH
HEALTH & NUTRITION EXPERTS FROM AUSTRALIA
(Melbourne, AUSTRALIA, May 14, 2009) In response to the growing concern amongst consumers about
junk food marketing to children, Sesame Workshop, the producers behind Sesame Street, has retained
two health and nutrition advisors for its Healthy Habits for Life (HHFL) program, created to address the
crisis of childhood obesity.
Julie Bines, MBBS, FRACP, MD., and Kay Laraine Gibbons, BAppSci (Diet), APD, both from Melbourne’s
Royal Children’s Hospital and the University of Melbourne, will now work with the nonprofit
organization to ensure that food products under the HHFL umbrella meets strict nutritional guidelines
set out by the Australian Food Standards Australia New Zealand, before hitting the shelves.
Professor Bines and Ms Gibbons will analyze the ingredients and nutritional information for potential
food products that may be licensed through the Sesame Street brand, and determine whether or not
particular foods meet the organization’s nutrition criteria. Their feedback and guidance will help
ensure that the Sesame Street brand and characters are utilized only to promote nutritious foods to
Australian children and families. They will also assist Sesame Workshop to help children develop
healthy eating habits.
“The HHFL program was introduced to help young children and their caregivers establish an early
foundation of healthy habits that can last a lifetime,” says Dr. Charlotte Cole, Vice President of
Education and Research, Sesame Workshop. “Using beloved characters from Sesame Street is a great
way for children to learn about these healthy habits, however we also have a responsibility to ensure
that products carrying the HHFL branding is, in fact, nutritious and healthy.”
“We are proud to work with two such prestigious advisors, who have dedicated their careers to
improving children’s health, and positively shaping the lives of Australia’s young children. Together we
can harness the power and reach of Sesame Street to make overall health and well-being a crucial part
of the development of young children,” she adds.
-more-
Through television, outreach and licensed products, Healthy Habits for Life sets the benchmark in
educational content that will guide pre-schoolers and their caregivers through lessons about healthy
eating, physical activity, hygiene, and proper rest.
Professor Bines is Head of Clinical Nutrition, Paediatric Gastroenterologist, at the Royal Children’s
Hospital and is the Victor and Loti Smorgon Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne.
Ms Kay Gibbons, an Accredited Practising Dietician, serves as Manager of Nutrition and Food Services
at the Royal Children’s Hospital. She is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer for the School of Medicine at
Monash University, and a Fellow of the Dietitians Association of Australia. She has a particular interest
in issues involving eating and behaviour, including childhood obesity and eating disorders, and the role
of children’s early learning about eating. Ms Gibbons has presented at numerous children’s health
conferences and serves as an advisory to many children’s health organizations.
In Australia, the HHFL program continues to expand across food and grocery categories.
About Healthy Habits for Life
Healthy Habits for Life is Sesame Workshop’s multi-year, content-driven initiative to help young children and
their caregivers establish an early foundation of healthy habits that can last a lifetime. We will harness the
power and reach of Sesame Street to make overall health and well-being crucial to the development of young
children in much the same way it has done with learning to read and write.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that changed television forever with the legendary
Sesame Street.
As the single largest informal educator of young children, local Sesame Street programs
produced in countries as diverse as South Africa, Bangladesh and India are making a difference in over 120
nations. Using proprietary research to create engaging and enriching content, Sesame Workshop produces
programs such as Dragon Tales and Pinky Dinky Doo. In addition, multimedia needs-driven initiatives provide
families tools for addressing such issues as children’s health, military deployment and emergency preparedness.
As a nonprofit, product proceeds and philanthropic donations support Sesame Workshop’s educational research
-ends-
For further information, or high res images, please contact:
Tamara Jenkins
Esencia Communications
Phone: (03) 9822 7557
tamara@esenciacommunications.com.au
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