WASHINGTON — The climate for healthy eating initiatives will be discussed at the annual meeting of the American Bakers Association by Ira C. Magaziner, a board member of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Mr. Magaziner will speak April 6 at the morning business session of the convention, which will be held April 5-8 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, Amelia Island, Fla.
Mr. Magaziner was a senior adviser in the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1998 and been associated with former president Clinton ever since. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a joint effort of the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to focus on "preventing childhood obesity and creating healthier lifestyles for all children."
In addition, Mr. Magaziner is chairman of the Clinton Climate Initiative and the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS initiative.
Earlier, Mr. Magaziner was known as a corporate strategist having built two successful corporate strategy consulting firms and helping large corporations develop business strategies.
Robb MacKie, A.B.A. president and chief executive officer, said he was impressed by a presentation by Mr. Magaziner at an American Beverage Association event in which Mr. Magaziner gave an impassioned appeal for proactive private-public solutions.
"We will be able to discuss the importance of proactively addressing health issues as they relate to our industry," Mr. MacKie said. "With Congress poised to concentrate on children’s nutrition issues, bakers have a tremendous opportunity to help address the obesity situation."
Kenneth (Chip) Klosterman, A.B.A. chairman and president of Klosterman Baking Co., Cincinnati, said bakers should be particularly interested in Mr. Magaziner’s thoughts about how healthy eating initiatives related to grain-based foods.
"In the current financial and political atmosphere, it is imperative for those of us in the wholesale baking industry to gather information and knowledge from a wide variety of sources to help us navigate through these turbulent times," Mr. Klosterman said.