In 2022, the Co-Chairs of CHL USA, PepsiCo and Walmart, are leading a pilot project to support customers and vulnerable communities across Chicago. Walmart is collaborating with ten manufactures including Bel Brands USA, Danone, General Mills, GSK Consumer Healthcare, ITO EN, Kenvue, McCormick, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company and Unilever who are participating in store demos, a fruit and vegetable incentive programme and community events in Chicago. This is to ensure accessibility and affordability of healthier options that nudge consumers to make healthier and more sustainable choices.
The first USA campaign was initially launched in September 2017 in Hagerstown, Maryland, to support community members in adopting healthier diets and lifestyles. Partnering with Healthy Washington County, our members – retailers and manufacturers –began to rollout the “One for Good” campaign in retail outlets and communities across Hagerstown. Participating companies included: Ahold Delhaize, Barilla, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, Kellogg Company, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Walmart. The campaign was re-launched in 2019.
In January 2019, the CHL USA team met in Hagerstown to solidify the activities each company and organisation planned execute over the next 6-12 months. During the two-day meeting, the retailer and manufacturer members of the CGF, together with community partners and other key stakeholders, shared their learnings from the initiative and looked forward to 2019 plans. Board members from Healthy Washington County also attended the meeting as they look to work with us on setting clear health priorities for the community in 2019. In fact, the CHL US team agreed to align with the objectives of Healthy Washington County to improve the health of the community. This approach was also supported by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
Today, community health remains at the heart of our initiative. Chicago was chosen as the launching pad for 2022 as, despite a diverse population, it has been recognised as one of the most segregated cities in the US. There are stark inequities in access to hospitals and life expectancy, depending on demographic factors like race and neighbourhood. This correlates strongly with health disparities across demographic groups. As consumer goods companies, our members seek to have a positive impact on these disparities through collaboration with each other and local community groups.