Old Orchard Brands & Spartan Stores Team Up To Fight Diabetes and Obesity

    SPARTA, Mich., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- November is National Diabetes
 Awareness Month and Old Orchard Brands, one of the fastest-growing fruit
 juice brands in the country, today announced an in-store program with
 Spartan Stores to highlight the need for effective prevention, detection
 and treatment of diabetes.
     The program features a free diabetes risk assessment performed by a
 registered nurse practitioner, as well as educational brochures offering
 tips for healthier living. In addition, all Family Fare Supermarkets,
 Glen's Markets, and Pharm drug stores will feature Old Orchard's Healthy
 Balance fruit juice -- the healthy alternative to high-sugar fruit juices.
 The month- long effort will kick off Nov. 1st.
     The Centers for Disease Control has singled out obesity and obesity-
 related diabetes as the top health epidemics facing the country, and
 contributors to rising health care costs. One of the leading triggers of
 Type 2 diabetes is obesity. Similarly, one of the challenges facing
 individuals with Type 1 diabetes is the need to carefully balance food
 intake to regulate blood sugar levels.
     "As a strategic partner with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
 (JDRF), Old Orchard understands the scope of this disease and the positive
 impact education and healthy lifestyles can play in prevention and
 treatment," said Mark Saur, founder and CEO of Old Orchard Brands. "We are
 proud to partner with Spartan Stores during National Diabetes Awareness
 Month to help educate consumers about healthy food choices."
     Old Orchard Brands Healthy Balance juice is a low-sugar,
 low-carbohydrate, low-calorie alternative to traditional fruit juice
 cocktails. It was developed for people with restricted diets, those looking
 to cut calories from their diet, and parents looking to reduce their
 children's sugar intake. Each Healthy Balance fruit juice cocktail contains
 75% less sugar, carbohydrates and calories compared to other juice products
 of the same variety. Four of the best-selling varieties are available at
 all Spartan Stores & Pharm drug stores.
     "Spartan Stores is dedicated to improving the health of our community,
 and to providing educational services on nutrition that advocate an active
 and healthy lifestyle," said Jeanne Norcross, vice president of corporate
 affairs for Spartan Stores. "Spartan Stores welcomes the Old Orchard
 Healthy Balance brand into our pharmacies with a fully integrated,
 community-based program that will help bring greater awareness to this
 disease."
     As a corporate sponsor of the JDRF, Old Orchard Brands will contribute
 more than $650,000 during the next four years to help find a cure for Type
 1 diabetes. In addition, Old Orchard will donate a portion of Healthy
 Balance brand juice sales towards funding a cure.
     A full list of times and locations for the diabetes risk assessments
 can be found at http://www.oldorchard.com and at
 http://www.spartanstores.com .
     About Old Orchard Brands
     Sparta, Mich.-based Old Orchard Brands is one of the fastest-growing
 fruit juice brands in the United States. Established in 1985, the privately
 held company offers consumers 30 frozen concentrate flavors and 58 bottled
 varieties in a range of 100 percent fruit juices and blends, premium juice
 and juice blends, fruit juice cocktails and low-sugar fruit juice
 cocktails.
     Old Orchard Brands has partnered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research
 Foundation (JDRF) to have its low-sugar Healthy Balance fruit juice
 cocktail become the "official juice" of the JDRF. A portion of all proceeds
 from Healthy Balance sales will go towards funding diabetes research. For
 more about Old Orchard, visit http://www.oldorchardjuice.com .
     About Spartan Stores
     Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Spartan Stores, Inc., (SPTN) is the
 nation's tenth largest grocery distributor with warehouse facilities in
 Grand Rapids and Plymouth, Michigan. The Company distributes more than
 40,000 private- label and national brand products to more than 350
 independent grocery stores in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Spartan Stores
 also owns and operates 68 retail supermarkets and 19 deep-discount food and
 drug stores in Michigan and Ohio, including D&W Fresh Markets, Family Fare
 Supermarkets, Glen's Markets, and The Pharm.
 
 

SOURCE Old Orchard Brands