Walmart May Actually Shrink American Waistlines - IF All Goes Well

Despite my antipathy towards Walmart as a company, I must give them credit where credit is due. The company now has a five year plan to make its food products generally healthier. This plan includes reducing sodium content in some foods while ridding trans-fat from packaged food items, among other things.  I personally have my doubts about this truly having any real effect. Their pledge on making healthy food cheaper sounds like an empty promise to me. But an expert disagrees with me, so maybe my bias is just speaking out here. An economics professor at UNC has proven through research that the introduction of a Walmart into a community results in the average BMI of the population increasing, while at the same time expanding the average waistline. He does believe the trend could work in the opposite direction if Walmart introduces its plan. Only time will tell if this plan is followed through and actually shrinks American waistlines. But, as for me,  I'm not holding my breath.

--Eric 

A Link to the story is below.

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/20/walmart-pledges-to-make-food-healthier-more-affordable/