USANA Works with Dr. Oz and HealthCorps to Fight Childhood Obesity

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2012 -- Nutritional company USANA Health Sciences today announced they are teaming up with Dr. Mehmet Oz and Lisa Oz' nonprofit organization, HealthCorps, to help empower young people to live healthier lives. USANA has committed to further HealthCorps' goals of combating childhood obesity and educating children about nutrition and fitness.

"One of the reasons we chose to donate to HealthCorps is because we share such similar values," said Dave Wentz, USANA's chief executive officer. "Our common mission is to create a healthier world for future generations, while helping people make better decisions today. It's impressive to see how HealthCorps is impacting people's lives."

USANA will be lending a helping hand to an organization committed to dealing with one of the most pressing health issues in the United States.

"Consider that approximately 12.5 million American children and adolescents, ages 2 to 19 years, are obese," Dr. Oz said. "In New York State alone, obesity among children and adolescents has tripled over the last three decades. This is among the many issues that HealthCorps is committed to address, and with USANA's generosity, we are able to do much more with our programs."

The two organizations will kick off their collaboration this afternoon at a "Teen Battle Chef" cooking competition at Columbia University. High school students from the tri-state area will each prepare a healthy dish to present to a panel of judges that includes celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, Dr. Oz, Lisa Oz, Dave Wentz, and USANA Founder Dr. Myron Wentz. Each teen will receive Circulon® cookware and tickets to the Health and Happiness Summit, a wellness event hosted by Dr. Oz on Feb. 25 at Radio City Music Hall.

"Teen Battle Chef is one of HealthCorps' many educational programs," Lisa Oz said. "The purpose is to teach kids about healthy eating in a fun way, and we are fortunate to have USANA's support."

Erica Irvin, vice president of Students for Food Policy and Obesity Prevention at Columbia University, said the campus was honored to host the event. "Organizations like HealthCorps are doing work that have long-term ripple effect," she said. "Kids benefiting from HealthCorps programs today may teach other kids about health, be a strong example to their peers and even go on to affect public policy and change in the future. That's what this is about."