Wal-Mart says it will offer products that are healthier

 Walmart President and CEO Bill Simon and Michelle Obama

Wal-Mart has announced it will reformulate thousands of products to make them healthier and they want their suppliers to do the same.

Michelle Obama accompanied Wal-Mart executives Thursday as they announced the new direction in Washington.

Wal-Mart also plans to reduce sodium and added sugars in some items, build stores in poor areas that don't already have grocery stores, reduce prices on produce and develop a logo for healthier items.

"No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford," said president and CEO of Wal-Mart's U.S. division.

Mrs. Obama said the announcement has "the potential to transform the marketplace and help Americans put healthier foods on their tables every single day."

"We are really gaining some momentum on this issue, we're beginning to see things move," she said.

Wal-Mart plans to reduce sodium by a quarter and cut added sugars in some of its private label products by 2015, that's 4 years from now.

They also have plans to remove remaining industrially produced trans fats.

Wal-Mart will focus on products like lunch meats, fruit juices and salad dressings, items that contain high levels of sugar or sodium that consumers don't know they're ingesting.

During the press conference Wednesday, Andrea Thomas, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of sustainability acknowledged those industry efforts but said,"Our goal is not to supplant these efforts, but to encourage their widespread adoption. We see our role as a convener and a catalyst. "

Honestly, we just want Wal-Mart to sell food and forget about being a convener or a catalyst.

Food makers say they want to reduce sodium a little at a time, so it will be more acceptable  to its customers. 

Most say they are waiting to see if the Food and Drug Administration decides to make reduction the law of the land. (so, yes, we agree with many of our readers, it's political)

Looking at the photo above, we just noticed something,  Walmart President and CEO Bill Simon looks like he just ate something that didn't agree with him.