WASHINGTON - On Wednesday, First Lady Michelle Obama announced nationwide commitments from major food retailers to fill the gaps in so-called "food deserts" by opening or expanding more stores.

Walmart said it would open between 275 and 300 stores serving the Department of Agriculture designated food-desert areas between now and 2016. SuperValu said it would open 250 stores over the next five years in similar areas. Walgreen said it plans to add fresh-food options at 1,000 locations in food-deserts areas over the next five years.

The initiative is part of the First Lady??s Let??s Move! initiative that seeks to eliminate childhood obesity. In the announcement, the First Lady said:

"We can talk all we want about calorie counts and recipes and how to serve balanced meals. But if parents can??t buy the food they need to prepare those meals, if their only options for groceries are in the corner gas station or the local minimart, then all that is just talk."