That's what I'm talking about - Blue Cross on board to boost f/v consumption

The Produce for Better Health Foundation has long considered insurance companies and the medical community as potentially strong allies in the quest to improve fruit and vegetable consumption. Here is a news release describing just such an effort in Minnesota, though you will note its mantra is "Every helping helps" rather than "More matters." From the release:


Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) is launching a statewide healthy eating campaign to improve Minnesotans' health and double the percentage of people who eat five or more fruits and vegetable servings each day. Currently more than 80 percent of Minnesotans fail to get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables putting them at risk for serious health problems including heart disease, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.

Research shows that eating more fruits and vegetables has multiple health benefits -- it protects against heart disease and cancer, helps control diabetes and weight, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduces the likelihood of heart attack or stroke.

"Our campaign is designed to bring attention to the benefits of healthy eating and make it easier to eat the way we know we should," said Dr. Marc Manley, vice president and medical director for population health at Blue Cross. "This is crucial work because approximately two-thirds of adult Minnesotans are overweight or obese, and changing our eating habits is a significant step we can take to improve health and lower health care costs."

The benefits of this healthy eating work will translate into healthier Minnesotans and will help save health care dollars for everyone. According to a report on obesity issued by Blue Cross and the Minnesota Department of Health earlier this year, if trends continue unchecked, obesity will add nearly $1 billion to Minnesota's total health care costs by 2010, and $3.7 billion by 2020. More importantly, thousands of lives will be lost or negatively impacted by devastating diseases like heart disease and cancer. "Obesity is a multi-billion dollar problem for Minnesota -- every step we take to reduce those costs and improve health means saving lives and money," said Manley. "In fact, a recent Trust for America's Health report showed that investing in community prevention can return nearly $6 for every $1 spent."

The healthy eating work will feature a comprehensive approach to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. An important part of this new work is a media campaign called "Every Helping Helps" which promotes the life-saving properties of fruits and vegetables.

"The theme "Every Helping Helps" reflects research that shows increasing fruits and vegetables consumption, even a little bit, can have big health payoffs," noted Manley. The campaign debuts on Monday, November 10 on TV, billboards, and mass transit, and will expand to grocery stores beginning in December.

Blue Cross is also undertaking projects in worksites and across communities to improve access and availability to healthy foods. Worksite projects focus on improving company policies, like cafeteria and vending machine offerings, so it's easier for employees to select healthy options. Other work will soon begin as Blue Cross is awarding eight "Healthy Eating Minnesota" contracts to communities to support a wide range of healthy eating strategies. For example, the Dakota County Public Health Department will work with Blue Cross to assess and improve healthy food policies in five schools districts reaching approximately 31,000 staff and students. "We think Blue Cross is on the right track by addressing healthy eating as a way to prevent diseases like heart disease and cancer. We're very excited to work with several school districts and other partners in our county to strengthen policies and make changes that will help people eat more fruits and vegetables," said Mary Montagne, Public Health Supervisor, Dakota County Public Health Department.

"Minnesotans know they should be eating their fruits and vegetables, but knowing and doing are two different things," said Mary Story, PhD, RD, professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. "Blue Cross' comprehensive approach is smart and their Every Helping Helps campaign will help connect the dots between what we eat and serious health problems."