First Lady Michelle Obama visits Chicago Walgreens to Promote Access to Healthy, Affordable Food in Fight to End Childhood Obesity

DEERFIELD, Ill., October 25, 2011 - First Lady Michelle Obama today toured a Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) store on Chicago’s South Side to see first-hand the company’s efforts to fight the childhood obesity epidemic and provide better food options and accessible health care to under-served communities. The event was part of a mayoral summit hosted by the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Mrs. Obama visited the Walgreens store that earlier this year expanded its food offering to include produce and other basic grocery staples. Prior to the store’s expansion, there wasn’t a convenient location in the community to access these types of healthy food options. The store is one of a dozen Walgreens locations in Chicago neighborhoods identified as food deserts that act as food oasis stores. These stores increased their food selection by up to 60 percent by offering a larger assortment of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and other healthy meal components to help address the need for greater access to affordable, nutritious food.

As part of her Let’s Move! initiative, Mrs. Obama has focused on the issue of access to healthy, affordable food as a key pillar of her fight to end childhood obesity within a generation.

“We can talk all we want about making healthy choices about the food we serve our kids, but if parents don't have anywhere to buy those foods, then that's all it is a – it's just talk,” said Mrs. Obama. “Imagine what we could achieve if mayors across the country started taking on this issue. Think about all the jobs we could create, all the neighborhoods we could begin to transform and what it means when our children finally get the nutrition they need to grow up healthy. I am confident that – one neighborhood, one community, one city at a time – we can ensure that all our kids have the happy, healthy futures they deserve.”

In July, Walgreens President and CEO Greg Wasson joined Mrs. Obama at the White House to announce Walgreens commitment to convert or open at least 1,000 food oasis stores across the country over the next five years, helping to serve approximately 9.5 million people in communities that currently lack access to healthy and affordable foods including fruits and vegetables. “With more than 45 percent of our stores located in or around areas that don’t have access to fresh food, Walgreens is uniquely positioned to bring more food options to Americans and also provide needed pharmacy, health and wellness services directly in those communities,” said Wasson.

Studies have shown that limited access to healthy food choices can lead to poor diets, higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases. The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report to the President identified access to healthy, affordable food as key to solving childhood obesity.

Walgreens also announced at the event an agreement with a local network of urban farmers located in Chicago to source fresh produce for Walgreens 12 food oasis stores in the city. Walgreens also will work with the network to create awareness about the use of local urban farmers through in-store advertising.

“We’re excited to work with this network to offer our customers high-quality produce from urban farmers in Chicago communities like Roseland and Washington Park,” said Wasson. “We are all working toward a common goal of getting fresh, affordable foods in the hands of people who need it most.”

“It is unacceptable that nearly 450,000 Chicagoans do not have access to healthy, fresh foods for their family, and I committed to eliminating food deserts in our city,” said Mayor Emanuel today while at the Walgreens on Chicago’s South Side. “I am grateful to First Lady Michelle Obama, grocery executives and mayors who joined us today for their commitment to working together to ensure that residents have access to the foods they need to make healthy choices for themselves and their families. Stores like this one are a win-win-win – a win for the local economy, a win for local job creation and a win for community members who now have access to a full selection of groceries and fresh food.”

In June, Walgreens announced plans to expand its food oasis stores in Chicago to nearly 50 over the next two years. Combined with the company’s plans to open at least five additional stores in Chicago over the next two years, invest in remodeling many of its existing stores in the city and expand its downtown office space, Walgreens plans to provide an estimated 600 new jobs in Chicago over the next two years.

Walgreens also is uniquely positioned among retailers to combine pharmacy, health and wellness services with its food oasis offering in under-served communities. Walgreens offers these residents high-quality, affordable and accessible traditional pharmacy services along with immunization services. In some under-served communities, Walgreens also offers Take Care Clinics, which are professional walk-in health care centers located at Walgreens drugstores. Take Care Clinics give patients the option to access a variety of health care services at their convenience with no appointment necessary.

“Walgreens is committed to the health of the communities we serve, and that means improving access to not only medication and health care, but to healthy food as well,” said Wasson. “Walgreens is in a great position to be a true community resource as a retail health and daily living destination. In communities like this, we are the health care hub with access to prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, expanded health care services such as medication counseling, clinic services and health testing, and daily living needs that include healthy food choices.”

Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,779 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multi-channel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.