Cross posted from the White House blog:

With the holiday season in full swing, many of us are thinking about the meals we’ll soon be sharing with family and friends.  Whether it’s turkey and egg nog, or latkes, or a New Year’s buffet, food is always a central and cherished part of the festivities. Of course, we all know that a necessary ingredient for any meal is food safety.

When the President came into office, he said that “protecting the safety of our food and drugs is one of the most fundamental responsibilities government has.” He pledged to strengthen our food safety laws and to enhance the government’s food safety performance. Read more »

Cross posted from the Let’s Move! blog:

Today I had the honor of joining some of our nation’s principal thought-leaders at the site of Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines an unprecedented private-public partnership committed to child health and wellness.  The co-signers included myself, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NDC CEO Thomas Gallagher and Gen YOUth Foundation CEO Alexis Glick.  During the event, I unveiled a new television public service announcement (PSA) featuring a local favorite, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, that encourages youth to participate in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program.  The PSA was developed by the Ad Council in collaboration with Let’s Move!, USDA, NFL, NFL Player Association, and National Dairy Council, and will be distributed to stations nationwide this week. Read more »

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (seated right) announced the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Monday, January 31 in Washington, DC. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the federal governments evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity.

Today I had the honor to join the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius to release the 2010 Dietary Guidelines – a science-based roadmap to give busy individuals, moms and dads the information to make thoughtful choices for themselves and their families. It was inspiring to see so many young people in the audience, followed by important health and nutrition questions from George Washington University students. Read more »

From left: Peter Rhee, USDA, grabs a few photographs as former Washington Redskins Running Back Brian Mitchell competes against brothers Frederick, Antonio and Joseph Blackwell (not shown) in the the computer game, “Smash Your Food.” “Smash Your Food” is the Third Place winning app in the The Apps for Healthy Kids games competition. Frederick won the game and a replica Pro Bowl helmet signed by Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns and Chris Hope of the Tennessee Titans.

Six months ago the Apps for Healthy Kids competition called upon Americans to design engaging online or mobile games and tools to educate people of all ages about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. As part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, this challenge brought together solvers from across the Nation. Read more »

As you may have seen, it’s been a busy week on the Rural Tour. Secretary Vilsack visited Wisconsin last Thursday, Virginia on Saturday, and yesterday met with three other members of the Obama cabinet in St. John’s Parish, Louisiana to discuss a broad range of issues facing rural America. Read more »

The Rural Tour is in full swing after eight successful events across America – and everyone is gearing up for a big weekend.

Secretary Vilsack is traveling today to La Crosse, Wisconsin alongside Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to discuss economic development for rural America. Read more »