The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is First Museum in the World to Offer "Kids LiveWell" Options

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- An unwavering commitment to offering healthy menu options led to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis and Sodexo offering Kids LiveWell(SM)-designated items at all museum dining locations. The award-winning Kids LiveWell program is a first-of-its-kind nationwide initiative led by the National Restaurant Association in collaboration with Healthy Dining to highlight innovative solutions that provide better-for-you menu items. 

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In committing to the Kids LiveWell program, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis and the museum's dining solutions provider, Sodexo, pledge their commitment to providing youth-oriented menu options such as grilled chicken dippers with graham crackers, fresh sliced apples and low fat milk, whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce, and cheese pizza with fruit cup and 100 percent fruit juice. All of the Kids LiveWell choices align with the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines, as well as other leading public health organizations' dietary recommendations.

"Our mission to provide extraordinary learning experiences extends throughout the museum, including the food choices served to children and families," said Brian Statz, Vice President of Operations and General Counsel for The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. "Through hard work with Sodexo and our collaboration with the National Restaurant Association to bring this program to the museum, we are proud to lead the way as the first museum to join Kids LiveWell. This designation is a wonderful extension of our educational mission by helping families identify healthful menu options and further educate children about good nutritional habits."

The menu items designated as Kids LiveWell options are reviewed and approved by Healthy Dining's team of registered dietitians ensuring the museum has a wide variety of items that parents can feel good about – and that kids will love!

"A year after the program's launch, Kids LiveWell continues to build momentum and expand into new venues," said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. "We are so pleased to welcome The Children's Museum of Indianapolis as our very first museum to join Kids LiveWell, and we commend the museum's strong commitment to children's nutrition and the education of families."

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis' mission to offer extraordinary family learning opportunities for museum visitors includes providing information on family health initiatives throughout the museum. Opened in 2007, the Health House exhibit provides families a hands-on experience to learn about healthy food choices, the importance of active play, and other healthy choices they can make. Additionally, PlayFit active play events, sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, are provided quarterly for visiting families to participate in fun and engaging activities and learn more about ways their family can extend their learning at home and throughout the community.

Kids LiveWell aligns with the commitments in Sodexo's Better Tomorrow Plan, the company's journey to sustainability, which includes providing varied and balanced food options; the company also supports important programs such as the Marine Corps Marathon Healthy Kids Fun Run and Healthy School Award program, as well as a successful corporate partnership with the First Lady's Let's Move! campaign to end childhood obesity.

The National Restaurant Association launched the Kids LiveWell program in collaboration with Healthy Dining to help parents and children select healthful menu options when dining out. Participating restaurants promote the items, which also can be found on HealthyDiningFinder.com and via the new Kids LiveWell mobile app, a free resource for on-the-go parents.

The National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 970,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. To learn more, visit Restaurant.org/KidsLiveWell.

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary family learning experiences that have the power to transform the lives of children and families across the arts, sciences and humanities. For more information about The Children's Museum, visit www.childrensmuseum.org, follow us on Twitter @TCMIndy, Facebook.com/childrensmuseum and YouTube.com/IndyTCM.

About Sodexo in North America
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), leading Quality of Daily Life Solutions company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On-site Service Solutions in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Motivation Solutions such as Esteem Pass. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $17 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.

Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Daily Life Solutions
Quality of Life plays an important role in the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations. Based on this conviction, Sodexo acts as a partner for companies and institutions that place a premium on performance and employee well-being, as it has since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo's 413,000 employees in 80 countries design, manage and deliver an unrivaled array of Quality of Life Services. Sodexo has created a new form of service business that contributes to the fulfillment of its employees and the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates.

SOURCE Sodexo, Inc.