Getting ready

Yes, the United/FMI convention draws near. Many of us here at The Packer editorial - Lance Jungmeyer, Greg Johnson, myself, Angie Hanson, Johanna Barnes, Doug Ohlemeier, Dan Galbraith - will be getting on a flight tomorrow to head to the Windy City.

I hesitate to count the number of industry conventions I have attended. I scarcely believe I could accurately put a number on the California Avocado Commission bags I have collected, the number of badges I have donned, the booths I've visited, the chocolate covered strawberries I have eaten.

When we come to your booth, we are looking for the latest news from your company - we don't want to keep you from your customers. The Web allows interactive feedback, so if you have a thought or comment about the show or a news idea from the show, email Lance or Greg, or you can post a comment in the tips box on the Fresh Talk blog. You can also access the Fresh Produce discussion group and start discussion threads there.

PBH Exec committee speaks

To put closure on the earlier controversy about the strategic alliance between the Produce for Better Health Foundation and Imagination Farms, Elizabeth sent this out on May 1.

To: PBH Board of Trustees

Based on my message to you last week regarding PBH & Imagination Farms (below), I indicated I would share the PBH executive committee’s policy decision that will provide guidance for future PBH “cross-branding” possibilities. The policy that was approved is:

Approved by PBH Executive Committee – May 1, 2007

“PBH will continue to aggressively encourage industry members and others to use the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters brand logo and messages in their marketing efforts following PBH approval (as agreed upon in the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters brand licensing agreement.)

PBH will not use brand images (e.g. logos, characters) of other food or marketing entities exclusively aligned with individual food companies in PBH materials (e.g. printed materials, websites, etc) if use of the brand precludes any PBH licensee in good standing from benefiting through the marketing of said brand. Use of said brand in PBH materials to show that the company has provided a contribution to support PBH activities (e.g. in-kind, cash, sponsorship, or advertisement) is acceptable. When the situation is not clear-cut or obvious, it will be brought to the executive committee for review. When confidentiality is a high priority, PBH officers may review the situation first to determine if it should be brought to the full executive committee.”

We believe this guidance prevents an unfair competitive advantage to some at the expense of others, while still allowing for collaborations that benefit our collective effort to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Elizabeth


Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D.
President & CEO
Produce for Better Health Foundation
5341 Limestone Road
Wilmington, DE 19808


TK: Elizabeth said this policy is how PBH has traditionally handled issues that come up, by leaning on the executive committee to provide guidance. Hopefully the new policy won't have a chilling effect on partnerships that could lend consumer appeal and momentum to the More Matters message.

Facebook banned by Ontario government

Doug Powell of KSU passes along this line to a Toronto Star report that the Ontario government has banned the use of Facebook, which is social network site with 21 million users.

The Ontario government is the latest to question employees' need to log into Facebook at work, putting the site behind a firewall that denies them access.
While the government's motives for doing so are unclear, it appears one of the issues is ensuring people aren't wasting time at work.

TK: I have a facebook account that my college-aged son helped me set up, but I've been on the site perhaps five times in six months.

Continuing from the story...

"Facebook is predominately a social network, we understand that; it has its value. I just don't really see how it adds value to the work you do in the workplace," Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty told Toronto Star reporter Kerry Gillespie yesterday.
The site is one of several that have been "rendered inaccessible" to government employees following a routine review, McGuinty explained.
Facebook.com said yesterday it's puzzled by the government's decision to block access to its site.
"We're in contact with provincial officials and hope to resolve this quickly," the company said in a statement.

Facebook indirectly encourages people to chat about work by inviting them to disclose their place of employment and then automatically linking them with registered co-workers, Lublin also wrote. Employers, too, can cross the line. There have been reports in the U.S. of recruiters using Facebook to look into job candidates' personal lives before making a job offer

TK: Facebook officials call their site an "incredibly useful and efficient" way for people to share information with friends and co-workers. More like a guilty pleasure, especially on company time. I've floated the idea the produce industry could use an online social network site, but finding more time to surf the Web probably won't be easy for produce professionals already checking Fresh Talk a couple of times a day. [: