Pivonka in the news

Tihs story from the State Journal Register in Springfield, Ill., quotes extensively from Elizabeth Pivonka of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, and is another example of the great public relations value that the Fruits and Veggies - More Matters is able to extract from their modest funds. From the story:

It boils down to this: Try to make fruits and vegetables half of all the foods you consume.

As the national public-health initiative Fruits & Veggies — More Matters celebrates its first birthday in March, the public/private coalition that sponsors it continues to urge Americans to eat more produce.
“Over 90 percent of the population isn’t eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables,” said Elizabeth Pivonka, president and CEO of the Wilmington, Del.-based Produce for Better Health Foundation, sponsor of the program along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Fruits and vegetables are important for disease prevention and maintaining healthy weight. If you’re eating fruits and vegetables, it automatically displaces some of the less-healthy foods.”

TK: I have argued for a mandatory industry assessment for generic promotion of fruits and vegetables, and perhaps the best argument for that position is the extreme value that PBH is able to derive from voluntary industry contributions. In a way, however, the built-in PR advantages of fruits and vegetables - as compared with pork rinds, for example - have probably contributed to the reluctance of the industry to make serious investments in a generic promotion message.