6.4 Trillion Calories Cut From Major Food Products

Throughout the last year, many major food companies vowed to cut calories in their products. New findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine show that they've kept their promise.

"The 16 companies collectively met their pledge and exceeded their pledge," said study author Shu Wen Ng, an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in a news release.

The companies were able to take out 6.4 trillion calories from their products. They acted together through the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, pledging to remove 1 trillion calories from the market between 2007 and 2012 and 1.5 trillion by 2015.

This translated to about 78 fewer calories per person daily.

This "suggests that companies made easier changes first and that reductions might be more difficult in the future," said study author Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina, in a news release. "That raises a major public health concern."

According to Health Day, the 16 businesses represent about one-third of all calories in the U.S. food supply. The calorie count spotlight makes up about one-third of adults in the United States who are obese, which increases their risk for other serious health conditions, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. 

Furthermore, researchers found that families with children bought 101 fewer calories from packaged goods per person per day in 2012 than in 2007.

These came from the following organizations, such as companies like Bumble Bee Foods, Campbell Soup Co., ConAgra Foods, General Mills Inc., Kellogg Co., Kraft Foods Inc., Mars Inc., McCormick & Co., Nestle USA, PepsiCo Inc., Post Foods/Ralston Foods, Hillshire Brands, Coca-Cola Co., Hershey Co., the J.M. Smucker Co. and Unilever, according to Health Day.

However, researchers reiterate that diets are, indeed, a lot more than calories, alone.