When we think about kids, food and nutrition, one topic comes to mind lately: childhood obesity. According to the CDC, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled over the past three decades, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. It’s a serious problem that calls for serious efforts from our government, food companies, corporations and ourselves to solve.

Today the Mushroom Council is proud to announce that we’ve joined with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) as a key sponsor of the inaugural “Building a Healthier Future” Summit and true partner in PHA’s mission to end childhood obesity.

We are involved for one simple reason – we believe mushrooms can be part of the solution to improve the health of children and families across the country. Our mushroom growers are proud to help families put healthy foods on their tables, offering low-calorie, nutrient-rich produce that can easily be added to their favorite meals. One easy example: replace some of the higher-calorie items in a recipe with finely diced mushrooms to help cut calories in dishes like burgers, tacos, spaghetti or sloppy Joes.

Highlighting all of the reasons and ways our loyal fans have come to love mushrooms, we’re bringing mushrooms’ outstanding nutritional benefits and meaty, satisfying texture straight to Washington for the inaugural summit, November 29-30. We’ll be dishing up some of our favorite mushroom recipes for more than 600 like-minded attendees. Guests of the event represent foundations, advocacy groups and businesses committed to finding solutions to childhood obesity from every angle, as part of the larger hope to end this crisis within a generation. Stay tuned to the Channel for more updates from the event!