Healthy Bites program to launch in Pontiac

Oakland County Health Division, in partnership with the Healthy Pontiac, We Can! coalition and Lafayette Market, is launching Healthy Bites, an in-store guide to healthy eating this Friday, County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announced today. The program provides colorful signs with easy-to-use nutrition information that helps customers identify healthier options when shopping for food or ordering from café menus.

Lafayette Market will be the site of two kick-off events on Friday, July 25 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and Friday, Aug. 15 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

“Healthy Bites is a great example of a local business collaborating with public health to improve the quality of life for Pontiac residents,” Patterson said.

The Health Division, Oakland University, Lafayette Market and Healthy Pontiac, We Can! together assessed the nutritional food options being sold at Lafayette Market and the visibility and convenience of these items to customers. New displays and signs were created to showcase the healthiest items available in the Pontiac store and café.

Similar efforts in Philadelphia and Baltimore have shown such changes can increase sales of healthy products. Data collected by The Food Trust, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit dedicated to ensuring access to healthy affordable food, indicates store owners have reported profits on those items and expanded their supply.

“This program is an exciting partnership that helps us continue on our mission to provide healthy, affordable and delicious food to the community we serve,” said Audra Westberg, director of communications for Lafayette Market.

The market is located at 154 N. Saginaw St. in Pontiac. For more information about Healthy Bites, call 248-858-8810, visit www.healthypontiac.org, or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healthypontiac.mi.

About Healthy Pontiac, We Can!
OCHD, under the leadership of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, organized the Healthy Pontiac, We Can coalition in 2011 to help the Pontiac community eat healthy, get active, and live tobacco free. It is a diverse coalition which includes leaders in primary and preventive health care, mental health, human service agencies, education, the religious community, governmental agencies, and local residents.

About Sarah Hovis

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