Herdez Salsa seeks to promote Healthy Traditional Mexican Cuisine.

Herdez Salsa announced its presence at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Diabetes EXPO in Denver on March 1 and a partnership with the Latino Nutrition Coalition that seeks to raise awareness of the health benefits of traditional Mexican-American cuisine. This effort targets two important diet-related health issues facing the Mexican-American community: obesity and diabetes.

“Last summer we sought out to meet and met the ADA nutrition guidelines, which was part of the inspiration for this effort,” said Luis Marconi of Herdez Salsa. “By working with the ADA and Latino Nutrition Coalition to call attention to the health benefits of traditional Mexican cuisine we hope to make a big difference in the lives of millions of people.”

Part of the effort also includes the Herdez sponsorship of Camino Mágico, a comprehensive recipe book that targets the Latino community created by the Latino Nutrition Coalition. The impetus behind Camino Mágico is the serious health problems facing Latinos in the United States and in Latin America: overweight and obesity, plus the resulting diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses.

“With the percentage of Hispanics who are overweight or obese increasing with acculturation, one approach to reducing the prevalence of these conditions might be to encourage ‘traditional’ dietary practices,” said Kezia Frayjo, program manager at the Latino Nutrition Coalition. “We applaud Herdez for raising community awareness about these important health issues.”

“U.S. Hispanics are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanic white individuals to suffer from diabetes,” notes Browning Tinker of the American Diabetes Association. “Sharing this important information and providing resources for the community is important to our organization.”