How to cash in on the new dietary guidelines

For food service operators, there has never been a better time to promote the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Consumer interest in health and nutrition is at an all-time high, and yet information-overloaded consumers report they are still confused about what to eat for their better health. The Institute of Medicine's recently-released Preventing Childhood Obesity Report makes it clear that nothing short of a revolution in thinking about nutrition and exercise will impact the obesity epidemic. While the new dietary guidelines don't govern the private sector, they do tend to have a profound impact on the marketplace. The food service industry can use some of the heat it is receiving from finger-pointing about America's weight problem to cook up new products and services. The industry will then be positioned as part of the solution rather than the problem.