A Bermudian man was singled out for praise by First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House press conference.

Mrs Obama thanked Mel Ming, president and CEO of the Sesame Workshop — the organisation behind Sesame Street — for waiving licensing fees for Sesame Street characters to help promote fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy eating campaign.

“I want to take a moment to express my appreciation to Mel Ming and everyone from Sesame Workshop for everything they are doing for our children,” said Mrs Obama.

The campaign encourages children to eat healthier food choices.

Under the arrangement Sesame Workshop is waiving the licensing fee for its characters for two years, allowing produce companies across America to use them in promoting fruit and vegetables.

Mr Ming joined Sesame Workshop in 2000 as chief operating officer. In 2011 he was appointed president and CEO of the non-profit educational organisation. According to his biography on the charity’s website he works to boost Sesame Street’s global presence, as well as initiatives that address a wide range of issues for children and families including literacy, health, and military deployment.

Sesame Workshop’s mission is “to create innovative, engaging content that maximises the educational power of media to help children reach their highest potential”.

Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, Mr Ming was the chief financial officer of the Museum of Television and Radio in New York, chief operating officer at WQED Pittsburgh, and chief financial officer and chief administrative officer at Thirteen/WNET New York.

He also served as vice president, finance and administration at National Public Radio and worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers early in his career. Mr Ming was unavailable for comment.