Kraft Foods plans to fight obesity in midst of lawsuits over weight

CHICAGO (AP) -- Kraft Foods, the company responsible for goodies like Oreos, Mallomars and Chips Ahoy cookies, says it will take a new role in the fight against obesity by changing some of its recipes and reducing portion sizes.
The nation's biggest food manufacturer also plans to quit marketing snacks via giveaways at school and encourage healthier lifestyles, particularly in youngsters.
"We're making these commitments first and foremost because we think it's the right thing to do," said Michael Mudd, a spokesman for the company, based in Northfield, Ill.
Kraft said Tuesday that a 10-member advisory team of nutrition, behavior, health and communications experts will review the nutritional value of its products and come up with a plan to attack obesity by the year's end.
But some observers see the move as Kraft covering itself from future lawsuits, especially at a time when consumer plaintiffs are shifting their attention from cigarettes to Big Macs and even Kraft's own Oreo cookies.
Mudd said the company is health-conscious. But if its policy staves off lawsuits, Kraft won't be complaining. "If it also discourages a plaintiff's attorney or unfair legislation, that's just fine with us," he said.
One part of the plan includes re-evaluating and capping how much food is in a single-portion package. Another part of Kraft's health agenda includes stopping in-school marketing like sponsored scoreboards, free samples, book covers and posters.