At the tail end of last week, Sip & Savor blogged about a beverage tax proposed by California state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, as an alleged means to help reduce obesity in the state. This week, another of California's elected officials is placing the issue of obesity under the microscope - but in a manner that brings people together to work towards real, rather than simplistic solutions.

Today, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will host the 2010 Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity: Action for Healthy Living. According to a news release, the Summit will "bring together diverse stakeholders to discuss the best policy and practices to promote healthy living and yield immediate results to improve the health and physical fitness of Californians while combating the state's obesity crisis." Alongside the Governor will be President Bill Clinton, his co-lead in the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an organization our industry teamed with back in 2006 to develop national School Beverage Guidelines as part of a broader effort to teach America's schoolchildren about the importance of living a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

We commend the Governor for continuing discussion on the very important topic of obesity, and also for applauding First Lady Michelle Obama for her nationwide campaign to end childhood obesity in a generation. These are initiatives our industry supports. We care about America's children; after all, we’re parents and grandparents, too. That is why we have stepped up to be part of the solution to childhood obesity through our School Beverage Guidelines, as well as our latest industry initiative on calorie labeling.

We're looking forward to what the stakeholders in today's Summit bring forth as solutions for the obesity challenge in California. If the Governor seeks to work toward comprehensive solutions that will have a meaningful and lasting impact, we'd welcome a seat at the table.