Special thanks to the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and The Motherhood for partnering with me for today’s post. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.
Last week I spent an hour on a very informative conference call with some folks at the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) to talk about finding a balance between calorie intake and output through play and how DPS is helping to address this issue. DPS sells more than 50 brands of carbonated soft drinks, teas, juices, mixers and other premium beverages. Most of the sodas sold by this (and most every other soda company!) are largely off limits in my house, and are for special treats, only (like during our beach vacation), so I wasn’t exactly sure if I was the right audience since soda isn’t part of daily life for my family. But as it turns out, our conversation certainly didn’t focus on soda!
What I was very pleasantly surprised to learn is that there are some really great new developments in the DPS portfolio that indicate a true desire to meet the changing needs of the consumers. DPS is also spending quite a bit of effort (and money) to develop the “Let’s Play” program to showcase corporate social responsibility and to play a role in helping consumers who enjoy their products find a balance between the calories consumed through food & beverages and the calories you burn through physical activity (more on that, later!).
Over 50% of the innovation projects that are currently being developed at DPS focus on reducing calories and offering smaller sizes for portion control, as well as on improving nutrition provided. I was really excited to hear that, because this is an example of a company who is listening to it’s consumers!
Did you know that you can get an in-depth look at the nutrition content of DPS products at DPSProductFacts.com? This website was designed to ensure that every consumer can feel very educated about the choices they make for themselves and their families. Definitely give it a look. You can get allergen information, find out which products are school approved, and you may even discover some new products that might appeal to you (for example, I learned that there is a line of beverages available made with real sugar and Stevia, which is preferred by some over any type of artificial sweeteners).
DPS is also a proud supporter of local and national programs that encourage active lifestyles and fitness. I was very impressed to hear that DPS voluntarily took full-calorie beverages out of schools, which has reduced the calories in beverage shipments to schools by more than 90%. I certainly don’t want my kids ingesting full-calorie soft drinks during break time by the time they get to middle and high school and have access to vending machines, so I’m pleased to see that this company is already in line with that idea.
Let’s Play
During our chat, I also learned about the play deficet our children are currently experiencing, on the whole. Only 20% of children even live near a park, and thanks to budget cuts and schools, among other reasons, 2/3 of kids get less than an hour of play a day. Today’s children also tend to be more scheduled than we were as kids, and as a result have 12 fewer hours of free time per week, on average. The free time they do have is increasingly spent on devices such as iPads and smartphones. Here’s a startling statistic for you: kids 8-18 spend an average of 7.5 hours per day on media. These are the very people whose growing bodies so badly need to get moving!
DPS has created the Let’s Play Initiative to help provide kids and families with tools and ideas for making active play part of daily life. Since it’s launch in 2011, DPS has committed more than $28 million while partnering with KaBOOM! (a nonprofit that builds playgrounds) and Good Sports (a nonprofit that gets sports equipment into the hands of kids who might not otherwise be able to afford it). You can find an application on the website to apply for a Let’s Play grant if you know of or even live in a community that could use some assistance with getting a playground for local kids. DPS is actively seeking applicants, so please take a moment to apply or spread the word! 🙂
Additionally, you will find on the Let’s Play website a playground locator tool (an especially awesome resource if you are traveling and in an unfamiliar location!) and some original play ideas so that you can have a fun response to the “I’m bored!” cries you will surely hear this summer.
Let’s Play is such a great resources for all families, and the impact of the grants is tremendous: 2,188 playgrounds built or fixed up and new sports equipment issued to 803 organizations, with an overall impact on more than 7.5 million kids. Wow!
How to Get Involved
The best thing you can do to get involved is to, of course, get out with your family and play!
But beyond this step, it would be wonderful if you could think of a grantee that might be worthy of some help from the Let’s Play Initiative. The money is going to be given out to communities that need some assistance, so why shouldn’t it be your community?!
You can also follow the Let’s Play initiative on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to keep the fun activity ideas headed your way, and to hear all about the latest grant recipients.
I’d love to hear any strategies you use to keep your kids active!