This Major Franchise Just Announced a 3-Year Project With the White HouseAs part of her 'Let's Move' initiative, Michelle Obama gets Subway to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables.

ByCatherine Clifford•Jan 23, 2014

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Michelle Obama and her beautiful biceps captured the attention of the fashion industry easily, but for the First Lady to get thefranchise industryto warm up to theWhite Houseis a surprising hat trick.

As part of herLet's Movecampaign to improve the health of children in the U.S, Michelle Obama announced a three-year commitment from Subway to encourage kids to eat healthy. In addition to adding apples as an option for a side and making low-fat milk or water the default beverage for kids meals,Subwayhas agreed to launch its largest targeted marketing campaign aimed at getting kids to make healthy eating decisions.

"I'm excited about these initiatives not just as a First Lady, but also as a mom," Michelle Obama said in the statement from the White House. "Subway's kids' menu makes life easier for parents, because they know that no matter what their kids order, it's going to be a healthy choice."

The goal of the Let's Move White House initiative is to end childhood obesity within a single generation. There are more than 40,000 Subway franchisees around the world and in recent years, the franchise industry has fought with efforts out of Washington D.C. to raise the minimum wage.

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.