This week, the Los Angeles Times reported some good news:

American families with kids bought 101 fewer calories per person per day in packaged foods in 2012 than they did in 2007, according to an analysis of a pledge by big food companies to reduce calories in the marketplace. It’s an “impressive” accomplishment but not sufficient to reverse childhood obesity, experts say.

The assessments, published Wednesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, follow on an earlier report on the work of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation — 16 big food companies that agreed to reduce by 1.5 trillion the total calories they sold by 2015.

That mark has been exceeded significantly: The companies — which together account for about a third of all the calories in the marketplace — reduced calories sold from 2007 through 2012 by an average of 78 per person, or 6.4 trillion total.

That’s an impressive accomplishment especially for an industry that so often is wrongly accused of causing the obesity crisis.

If you’re in the D.C. region and you're interested in learning more about this coalition of food manufacturers and the pledge to reduce calories in processed food, don't miss this panel discussion on Wednedsay hosted by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF). The panel will feature two amazing women–Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, President and CEO of The Robert Wood Jounson Foundation and Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. Each will discuss the commitment these companies have made and plans to continue healthy initiatives in the future. The panel will be moderated by another impressive women–Judy Woodruff of the PBS NewsHour.

It looks like an interesting event. To RSVP, go here.