Jamba Juice Company, a leading healthy, active lifestyle company, took an unprecedented step in the fight against obesity, announcing today the formation of the Jamba Healthy Living Council, established with the goal to provide consumers with useful, practical information to help them live a healthier lifestyle.
The Jamba Healthy Living Council advisory team is comprised of nationally renowned nutrition and dietary experts who will work with Jamba to create healthy living education materials, online content for Jamba’s website, develop school nutrition outreach initiatives, advise management on nutrition trends, and provide input on new menu concepts and healthy choice options as Jamba continues to evolve its product line.
Council members include diet and nutrition experts, Elizabeth Ward, RD, MS; Kathleen Zelman, RD, MPH, LD; and Tara Gidus, RD, current Jamba spokesperson and author of the popular Diet Diva blog.
Jamba’s focus on better-for-you offerings comes at a time when the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reports 89 percent of consumers believe better diet and nutrition is now important to them. Yet only 49 percent believe they are doing enough to achieve their healthy lifestyle goals.
The Company intends to become a daily destination for healthier nutrition as well as a source of guidance and advice on healthy living.
“Our goal is to be renowned as the convenient ‘healthier’ alternative,” says Julie Washington, chief brand officer, Jamba Juice Company. “The voices of respected nutrition and dietary experts will facilitate us taking the next step as we continue to evolve our product offerings and help consumers take control of their health and wellness needs.”
According to the International Food Information Council’s recent national survey, 72 percent of Americans are changing the types of food and beverages they consume to help them get healthier. “We’ve come to a place where many people now believe that better diet and nutrition is essential,” says Elizabeth Ward, founding member of Jamba’s new Healthy Living Council.
“But saying versus doing are different challenges and Jamba has always focused on providing an array of healthier choices that give consumers a convenient, great-tasting way to get fruit, vegetable, dairy, and other added nutrients.”
“We hope to create useful, practical content that helps consumers make better decisions on their nutrition and fitness concerns,” Washington says. “We’re also moving on a parallel path to provide new beverage solutions and healthy eating education to help schools and parents address the childhood obesity crisis.”
Jamba Juice also announced its leading and most popular menu items are getting a dietary makeover–another in the series of strategic actions Jamba has taken to transform itself into a highly recognized and relevant healthy lifestyle company.
Starting May 22, Jamba will offer Make It Light versions of its top 10 Classic smoothie beverages. The drinks will contain one-third fewer calories, sugar, and carbohydrates than the original recipes, which will still be available.
The Make It Light products join five other new, healthy choice options that offer benefits ranging from multiple servings of fruit and vegetables, to meal replacement smoothies with added vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. Jamba’s better-for-you menu options are intended to address different health and wellness needs from weight management to digestive health:
- Make It Light Classic smoothies – reduced sugar, calories and carbohydrates
- Fit ‘n Fruitful smoothies – vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber in a meal replacement beverage
- Probiotic Fruit and Yogurt smoothies – support digestive health
- Fruit & Vegetable Smoothies – at least three full servings of fruits and vegetables
- All Fruit Smoothies – simple nutrition from smoothies made with fruit plus juice and fewer than 250 calories in a 16-ounce size
- Fresh Squeezed Juices and Juice Blends – a better-for-you option to start the day.
The full line of Classic smoothies with the Make It Light option include: Strawberries Wild, Mango-A-Go-Go, Banana Berry, Caribbean Passion, Orange-A-Peel, Peach Pleasure, Aloha Pineapple, Strawberry Surf Rider, Pomegranate Pick-Me-Up, and Razzmatazz. The lighter smoothies are made with whole fruit and provide one to two servings of fruit in every 16-ounce size.
