Fruits & Veggies More Matters - Topping 1,000

I think the Produce for Better Health Foundation's Fruits & Veggies More Matters campaign is a remarkable PR generating machine. It seems that not a day goes by that I don't see a story - captured by Google news alerts scanning for f/v news - about the benefits of eating a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables or some other facet of the More Matters campaign. Kudos to the staff at PBH whose work is sometimes taken for granted by produce traders distracted by less happy news.

This morning I saw another example of the steady drumbeat of coverage PBH generates, published on Market Watch online. A sampling:


WILMINGTON, Del., July 14, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Logo Helps Moms Make Healthy, Informed Purchases
WILMINGTON, Del., July 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Moms shopping for healthy options can now find the Fruits & Veggies--More Matters(R) logo on over 1,000 different food labels in stores nationwide. To carry the Fruits & Veggies--More Matters logo, food products must meet strict nutrition guidelines for total fat, saturated fat, trans-fat, added sugar, fiber, and sodium content. Consumers can look for the logo when shopping as a designation that a product is nutritious and to remind them to eat more fruits and vegetables for better health. Healthful habits, like eating fruits and vegetables, may help lower the risk of obesity and other related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
Retailers, growers, packers and manufacturers across the country support the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption by including the Fruits & Veggies--More Matters logo prominently on both nationally marketed, brand name products, like those from Green Giant, Sunkist, Welch's, and others, as well as on the private label products of several grocery chains. A&P is the latest grocery retailer to have some of their private label frozen and canned fruits and vegetables approved to include the Fruits & Veggies--More Matters logo on their packaging. Other retailers featuring the logo on a number of select items from their private label line include: Bi-Lo, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Safeway, Schnuck's, SuperValu, Ukrop's, Wal-Mart, and Weis.
"When you see the Fruits & Veggies--More Matters logo on a package of frozen, canned, 100 percent juice, dried, or fresh-cut fruit or vegetables, you know we've already done the label reading for you. It makes purchasing decisions easier," said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president and CEO of PBH, the nonprofit entity who, together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is behind the Fruits & Veggies--More Matters health initiative.

Cookie Monster on 'Colbert Report'

A recent segment of Comedy Central news-ertainer Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report saw the host take Cookie Monster to task for pushing balanced diets and fruits' and vegetables' role in them in lieu of his traditional, one-plank "COOKIES!" position.

Colbert assails the muppet's mission creep, at one point calling fruit "un-American" and saying he eats fruit only in "loop or pebble form."



Maybe Produce for Better Health president and CEO Elizabeth Pivonka should have her people call Colbert's people.

New PBH files in discussion group

Thanks to Elizabeth Pivonka of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, I posted a couple of important pdf files to the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group. One of the files is a 62-page pdf in the style of a powerpoint presentation giving the broad orientation to the campaign and why it is well positioned to make an impact. From the summary pages, it speak of the stars aligning for dietary change. They are:

•Strong Link: Fruits/Vegetables/Health
•Aging Population
•Obesity Epidemic
•Rising Health Care Costs
•Nat’l Nutrition Policy Supports F/V’s
•International Flavors
•Fruits & Veggies—More Matters®
•Industry/Public Health Alliance


TK: Another presentation from PBH that I have uploaded is a 25-page 2008 presentation on the brand launch and positioning of Fruits and veggies- More Matters. Thanks to Elizabeth for making these presentations available to the industry.

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.

HFO

Elizabeth Pivonka of the Produce for Better Health Foundation said she enjoyed the WIC reception at USDA's headquarters today. She observed USDA nutrition program staffers were very pleased about being able to be a part of the change in WIC food packages. Of course, a big part of the change was adding fruit and vegetable vouchers, but dairy, eggs and juice had their WIC food package allocations dialed down to reflect dietary guidelines. Given the politics of food - the strength of the dairy lobby, for example - it wasn't easy for the USDA to make those changes.

An inside joke at the agency, Pivonka related, was a reference to a now-retired nutrition staffer. The lady joked - after a hard-fought battle to modestly change the WIC food packages in 1980 - that hell would freeze before such an effort could succeed again. In that spirit, someone at USDA recently created some buttons with the letters "HFO."

Nice touch.

Time for a fresh produce checkoff

We haven't had a plethora of votes on the Fruits and Veggies - More Matters blog question this week, (where's the passion, people?) but early returns suggest that the launch of the More Matters campaign met expectations of Fresh Talk readers. Please vote on the poll question soon, as it will close in a couple of days.

Regarding the More Matters campaign, I believe it has created a brand message that is sustainable. That is, there is no danger the government will come out with dietary guidelines recommending reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables.
The message itself communicates that eating more fresh produce is always a good idea, just like one should always "drink more water." It's a message that doesn't carry a lot of latent appeal by itself. However, The umbrella message of "More Matters" will be supported by other promotion themes such as" healthy" as soon as next year, according to PBH president Elizabeth Pivonka. Perhaps "tasty" will also get a turn? Importantly, the Foundation is committed to tracking the public awareness of the brand message in future consumer surveys.

I found an interesting article about generic promotion on the Web. The influence of generic promotion on brand preference by Amitav Chakravarti and Chris Janiszewski provided context to the issue.

Some background grafs on generic promotion:

"In 1937, Congress enacted the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act. The goal of the legislation was to establish marketing rules for farm commodities and to encourage the marketing of these commodities via industry committees. Producers of commodities were required to remit a small percentage of their proceeds to commodity boards that pooled the resources and used them to promote consumption. As of 1990, 30 commodity boards had been established by Acts of Congress.
During the 1990s, rulings by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California weakened legislation that forced producers to make mandatory contributions for generic advertising. In December 1993, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) almond marketing order and, in June 1995, the USDA nectarine and peach marketing order were found unconstitutional. The court reasoned that generic advertising had not been shown to be more successful at increasing primary demand than brand advertising. Thus, growers should be able to use their money to advertise individually. In response to the findings of the Ninth Circuit Court, the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 authorized check-off generic advertising programs. The legislation includes a congressional finding that generic advertising programs are in the national public interest and vital to the welfare of the agricultural economy. Moreover, the legislation states that generic advertising programs "never were designed or intended to restrict, prohibit, or replace the advertising and promotion activities of any individuals or groups of individuals" (Becker 1996, p. 1). These check-off programs can be initiated by the USDA and, if approved in a referendum of industry participants, can require producers to "pay assessments which are used to fund generic (as opposed to branded) promotion, research, advertising, and related activities designed to increase consumption of that commodity" (Becker 1996, p. 1). As of 2001, 13 of the 20 national check-off programs (e.g., dairy, fluid milk, beef, soybeans, cotton, pork) authorized by Congress were active, as were approximately 35 commodity programs being run by state organizations (e.g., apples, avocados, orange juice.)

The research concludes:

"More than a billion dollars is spent annually on generic advertisements that promote the consumption of commodity goods. Generic advertising is designed to increase primary demand, or the "size of the pie," without affecting selective demand, or the "share of the pie." We find evidence to the contrary generic advertising increases the consumer's sensitivity to changes in price and systematically alters brand preferences. These effects of generic advertising can be attributed to the tendency of generic ads to change the relative importance of the attributes used to evaluate the brands. The results have implications for the public policy issue of how to effectively implement generic advertising without differentially benefiting certain brands and the managerial issue of how to integrate generic and brand advertising in order to achieve product category and brand differentiation goals. "

TK: My first instinct is to say the fresh produce industry has for too long been blind to the opportunity to create a national checkoff program for fresh fruits and vegetables. What would generic promotion of fresh produce look like if there was a mandatory assessment on all produce marketers? The National Cattlemen's Beef Association in 2005 had a budget of about $62 million to carry out checkoff funded promotions for beef. Compare that to the $5-6 million the Produce for Better Health Foundation typically has at its disposal. Some would argue that generic promotion ( including the authors of the research cited above) would make it harder for brand marketers to differentiate their products. Generic advertising also may increase responsiveness to price and reduce consumer information about non-advertised traits. Despite those limitations and reservations, I think the industry needs to field a generic promotion campaign that is representative with beef and milk (about $60 million and $100 million, respectively). Generic promotion raises visibility and helps define the message that consumers associate with fresh produce. In my view, the only way to fund an annual promotion effort that would invest $40 million to $50 million in consumer promotions is with a mandatory checkoff program for fresh produce. It's time for industry leaders to make it happen.

Mid-term report - Fruits & Veggies - More Matters

So how is the new campaign to increase produce consumption doing? That will be my poll question this week, and I'm not quite sure what to expect from our readers. Is the launch of Fruits & Veggies - More Matters where the industry thought it would be at this point? "5 a Day" was such an ingrained message for so many years it still may be hard to let it go, and no measure of success for "More matters" may be enough for some. I have heard one person say he hoped for a "harder" launch of the brand message, and others may not be in love with the "juggler" image. Yet, despite the disconcerting news of a "Meat Matters" campaign (more on that later) there are signs the campaign is coming into its own. For your consideration I have provided some input from PBH on the subject of the launch.

A few weeks ago Elizabeth Pivonka sent me the mid-year report for the Board of Trustees for the Produce for Better Health Foundation. Dated September, the 14-page pdf file examines the launch of the Fruits & Veggies - More Matters campaign. Here is the opening letter from Elizabeth and Michael O'Brien that is found in the document.

From the report:

The beginning of 2007 marked the launch of Fruits & Veggies—More Matters™: a national health initiative that has the promise of making increased consumption of fruits and vegetables a reality for everyone. The launch was a success in garnering a great deal of media attention to help generate consumer awareness of the new initiative and now the hard work lies before us. The new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters brand will need strong, active support on many fronts to provide moms with the assistance they need to make eating
more fruits and vegetables a reality for their families. PBH with its national partners is committed to spreading the word to the consumer through key influencers, including the media, nutrition professionals and classroom educators. Producers, processors, and retailers can build on and increase the momentum by working to translate consumer awareness into
action where purchasing decisions get made, at point of sale. We encourage all fruit and vegetable stakeholders to put the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters platform to work to strengthen your customer relationships and to help grow your produce sales. Retailers, remember the basics: feature the new brand in advertising every week, update your point of sale material including signage and bags, and harness the power of the internet by updating and linking your website. Then work with your colleagues across the aisle from the produce
department to get the new brand executed for all forms of fruits and veggies, including frozen, canned, dried and 100% juice. Suppliers, the new brand presents the same kind of relationship-building opportunities to you. Use the new brand to promote your brand with package labeling, advertising and promotions, and website content and links. And you can leverage your marketing dollars with the millions being invested by other licensees.This mid-year report demonstrates that Fruits & Veggies—More Matters is off to a great start. However, more support for the new brand really does matter, to our companies, to our industry, to our consumers and to our nation’s health. Together we can make 2007 and future years be the time for the consumption needle to move resulting in a healthier America!
Thank you for your continued support of PBH’s mission.

Michael F. O’Brien
Vice President of Produce & Floral, Schnucks Markets, Inc.
Chairman of Produce for Better Health Foundation

Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D, RD
President and CEO, Produce for Better Health Foundation
Joint Letter from Chairman and President


More notes from the report:

PBH secured CARMA, a third-party media analysis provider, to assess the success of the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters launch. Between February 1-May 10, 2007 there were a total of 727 stories resulting in 45 million consumer impressions.
Consumers claimed they learned of 5 A Day primarily through the media, supermarkets, and packaging, so assuring that Fruits & Veggies—More Matters begins to replace 5 A Day and
allow for consumer exposure to this more relevant message is important. Through May, 2007 nearly 500 SKU’s have been approved to carry the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters brand logo. Supermarket Retailers delivered an estimated 600 million consumer ad impressions from January 2007 through June 2007 in their circulars alone.

Colon cancer study

One study has found that high intake of fruits and vegetables doesn't seem to protect against colon cancer. From WebMD:
"People in the highest vs. lowest intake of fruits and vegetables had a 9 percent lower risk of colon cancer overall, but it did not reach statistical significance," McCullough says. When the researchers evaluated the association by site of the cancer, they found those who ate the highest amounts had a 26 percent reduced risk of distal colon cancers. "For proximal colon cancer (the rest of the colon) there was no association," Koushik says. "Even though we saw this [positive] association with distal colon cancer [risk], the differences between distal and proximal were not statistically significant."

TK: Lord help any of us if we get the grim news of colon cancer. I still feel better about what I am doing to my body by eating an apple than a Twinkie. While the halo effect of fresh produce may or may not descend to all parts of my being, this study won't take away the conviction that it does.

PBH releases this statement: From Elizabeth Pivonka:

"While the findings of this study suggest that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may not ward off colon cancer, the overall health benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables are indisputable. As National Cancer Institute scientists also point out, people who consume generous amounts of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer including lung, oral, esophageal, and stomach. Also, as part of a healthy diet, eating fruits and vegetables instead of high-fat foods may make it easier for people to control their weight."

Pivonka on F&V - More Matters

Elizabeth Pivonka's visit to The Packer yesterday was a good opportunity to get caught up on the Fruit and Veggies - More Matters campaign from the president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. In about an hour long Q & A, Pivonka talked about the launch of the new brand, retail and supplier participation in the messaging, the concept of retail "role models," all forms count and changes in the national partnership steering committee, baby steps with McDonald's, whether Spanish and French versions of the logo are in the works, fund raising, consumer traffic at the campaign's Web site and some of the pearls of wisdom she learned from Bob Carey when she was at PMA.

Developing....story and .a video from the Q&A. Here is audio of interview.

Pivonka at The Packer

Elizabeth Pivonka of the Produce for Better Health Foundation will stop by the offices of The Packer today, her visit made that much more convenient by a trip back to Kansas to see family. It should be a great opportunity to check in with Elizabeth about the More Matters campaign, which I note continues to attract regular press attention.

Here is a feature by Beverly Combs titled: Fruits and vegetables: why more matters
From the story:

When you shop for produce, you now should be seeing a new message about healthy eating: “Fruits and Veggies – More Matters.” This is the catch phrase of a new campaign jointly sponsored by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the nonprofit Produce for Better Health Foundation.It is not just an empty slogan. Recent studies show eating more fruits and vegetables, whether fresh, frozen, fried or canned, can help you reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, slow bone loss, and even improve mental functioning.

Eat eat eat! Fruits and veggies!

Tbat's the headline of the May 31 story in The Philadelphia Inquirer about the Fruits and Veggies - More Matters campaign.

Here is the lede by Julie Stober:

They are colorful, healthful and wonderfully plentiful at this time of year, yet somehow fruits and vegetables hold no appeal for an alarming number of Americans

Later....

The federal Centers for Disease Control, in partnership with the nonprofit Produce for Better Health Foundation in Wilmington, is rolling out a nationwide healthy-eating initiative with an upbeat theme, and a lively logo and Web site. The message is simple: Eat more!
More chard and chickpeas, more beans and berries, more salsa, more salad.
"It's not 'Don't eat this, don't eat that,' it's 'Eat!' " said Mary Kay Solera, health education specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
"Fruits and Veggies - More Matters," as the campaign is called, was based in part on input from consumers about the kind of message they'd be likely to heed.
"People know fruits and vegetables are good for them, but they don't want to be preached to, and they don't want to be made to feel guilty," said Elizabeth Pivonka, president and chief executive officer of Produce for Better Health.


TK: This lengthy feature was well sourced and covered the gamut of issues relating to boosting fruit and vegetable consumption, including the all forms count message, obesity, the confusion over serving sizes, statistics about lagging consumption and PBH's drive to get moms on their side and logged on to the More Matters Web site. This type of consumer press coverage helps to get the word out.

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.

Mission minded

I think PBH lost out on an opportunity to build excitement in the Fruits and Veggies More Matters Web site by passing on the chance to use Disney characters on their Web site. An earlier post provides Elizabeth Pivonka's letter to the board on the decision.

Either way, this is not a make or break decision. Much more work on the Fruits and Veggies: More Matters message must be done to even nudge the awareness meter of the brand.These efforts will take much more toil and investment. As the graph at the bottom of the blog show, current visitors to the More Matters Web site are measured in the thousands, not millions.

Using the Disney characters would have given the F&VMM site more oomph and personality, and the brainstorming by Imagination Farms to be extend the More Matters should be commended. From all indications, IF remains committed to extended the More Matters message in other ways.

The PBH Executive Committee now must come up with parameters that allow the staff clear direction in the pursuit of their mission to expand fruit and vegetable consumption. Elizabeth Pivonka mentioned to me once that one of their public health partners raised objections to a campaign with McDonald's on one of their salad items. Now, an association with Disney characters is nixed because of competitive concerns among produce marketers. PBH and the industry must figure out how to vault the More Matters brand into the mainstream of the American consciousness without offending any of their core supporters - and it doesn't look like it will be very easy.

Elizabeth responds

I had left Elizabeth Pivonka a voice mail with a question about their consumer Web site and also with a query about feedback she was getting on the issue of how the foundation was responding to concerns raised by some about their alliance with Imagination Farms.

She passed on this email:

From: Elizabeth Pivonka Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 3:11 PM
Subject: PBH & Imagination Farms

TO: PBH Board of Trustees

Many of you have expressed concern about a recent alliance that was announced between PBH and Imagination Farms. I appreciate those of you who contacted PBH directly to express your concern. I’d like to frame the issue for you and update you on what we’re doing about it.

Imagination Farms, through a brainstorming session we had with them in January, agreed to develop -- at their expense -- some fun, educational materials for children on our website using Disney characters, with PBH involvement and approval. At no time was it considered that Imagination Farms would show their products or mention their Disney Garden brand on the PBH website. We saw this as an opportunity to provide excitement (value) to moms and her children and help drive traffic to the new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters web site. That is the most immediate tangible piece from our initial discussions with Imagination Farms, but there was potential for more, thus my approval of the words “strategic alliance” in their press release.

Last week some of you raised the concern that any use of the Disney characters by PBH provided some trustees with a competitive advantage, at the expense of other trustees who are not themselves aligned with Disney. I confess that I was initially surprised by this reaction, although now I certainly understand it.

My concern at this point is the development of parameters to guide us with collaborations, alliances, or partnerships in the future. If there were issues with Imagination Farms, then some of our past activities should have also been called into question. It would be inefficient to have you approve everything that we do; that is why we have a Board Positions, Policies & Procedures Manual and an executive committee to act in place of the board when the board is not in session. This particular case brought to our attention the need for more extensive parameters – beyond what has already been requested by our health partners -- in PBH collaborations.

So, yesterday your PBH executive committee had a very lengthy conference call about this issue, with extensive dialog both before and after the call. They’ve taken this very seriously and are working on a policy that will provide guidance in such situations in the future; guidance that will prevent an unfair competitive advantage to some at the expense of others, but will still allow for collaborations that will benefit our collective effort to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Suffice it to say that we will not be placing Disney characters on our website. I think Imagination Farms deserves credit for trying to do more to support our cause of increasing consumption. In fact, in further conversations with Imagination Farms this week, they have expressed their continued commitment to support in-kind PBH web development within the final policy parameters that are set forth, despite the dialog of the past week. They share our commitment to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. They happened to be the “lightening rod” example that brought to light some parameters that needed more extensive discussion.

The PBH executive committee is planning a follow-up phone call to discuss this early next week, after which I’ll update you again. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions and I welcome your continued comments.

Finally, I remain convinced that our new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters initiative will have a lasting impact on consumers. As many of you heard at our recent board meeting, Moms need help in translating their positive attitudes and intentions about fruits and vegetables into action. With your help, we can make that happen!

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Respectfully,

Elizabeth



Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D.
President & CEO
Produce for Better Health Foundation


TK: This is a well written letter and speaks for itself. In my conversation later in the day with Elizabeth, she spoke of development of parameters by the executive committee to address the issue of alliances. She pointed out that PBH public health partners exert a kind of pressure to influence alliances on one hand and of course, members of the board from the industry have their own set of concerns, often rooted in their competitive positions. All viewpoints are defensible, but don't make the job of creating innovative promotions and alliances any easier.

An episode like this makes me think how great it would be if PBH were funded with $25 million or $50 million from the farm bill, rather than $10,000 contributions from 120 different board members. With a mandatory promotion order or farm bill funding, PBH would have the autonomy to cut a marketing swath that would cast a long shadow for the entire industry. Yet the large board of directors - while arguably a hindrance to PBH executives - also provides the feedback and ownership of the message that the industry values.

Ask the expert

I visited the http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/ Web site today and find that the page with Ask the Expert questions was fairly much bursting with activity. That's good to see it being used extensively. Here is the link to the page.

One thing I noticed is that moms who come to the Web site may have a certain edge to their passion about fruits and veggies. For example, one mom wanted to know what "slow carb" produce could be recommended. One mom complained that there was nothing on the importance of organic or sustainable agriculture. She (we presume) wrote "Any chance of that chance of such a thing happening when all the sponsors are huge loveless corporations?"

Another wondered if two of the same kind of fruit or veggie counted as one or two servings. One question asked what fruits and veggies are great for potassium, and another post asked about weight loss and why it wasn't happening with her fruit and veggie-rich diet.

All in all, the Ask the Expert site is very authentic, with misspellings littering the posts like blueberries in the morning cereal bowl. The expert who answers all these questions is Elizabeth Pivonka, and she has to be encouraged with the interaction so far.

However, it is interesting to note the one email expressing some reservations about the the middle of the road aspect of the PBH message. Perhaps the most passionate GenX moms may believe most in organic produce and sustainable farming. Is there any way to drill deeper and create more than one Web site that caters to different demographics within the GenX mom category?

See the graph at the bottom of the blog for how one Web company has measured the site's traffic.

A visit with Elizabeth

Earlier I visited with PBH official Connie Fisher about the products promotable and "all forms count" message of Fruits & Veggies: More Matters.

Here is a link of an except from an interview I had earlier this week with Elizabeth Pivonka. She talks about both products promotable and the all forms count message. There is more to the interview, and I might post it later in the weekend.

And another welcome to Elizabeth

I have also extended a guest blogger invite to Elizabeth Pivonka at PBH, so you may hear from her in the days and weeks ahead as well. There is no obligation for her, but the door is always open....

Guest blogger invite

Tom Stenzel, Bryan Silbermann, Tom Nassif, Mike Stuart, Lorelei DiSogra, John Keeling, Kathy Means, Kevin Moffitt, Elizabeth Pivonka, Amy Philpott, Tim York, Karin Gardner, any Packer 25 personality, food safety expert. etc.

If any of the aforementioned industry leaders - or anyone else I deem worthy - wants to try a hand at guest blogging in this space, drop me an email and I'll set you up. No shameless self-promotion or stilted news release copy permitted, but if you would like to drop in a post in Fresh Talk I will set you up as a guest blogger.

My email tkarst@thepacker.com

State of PBH

Elizabeth Pivonka gave a presentation at the March 17 Produce for Better Health Foundation Board of Trustees meeting about the state of PBH . I've pulled a few excerpts and put it on this audio file. What you hear is Elizabeth's discussion of the background of the brand development and a little about targeting GenX moms. I left out some of the budget discussion and internal surveys that were also a part of her presentation. She concludes with the optimism and energy she is known for. The tipping point for creating behavior change will be spurred by the More Matters campaign, she believes. And its success. like the 5 a Day campaign before it, rests heavily on the participation of the industry.

Questions and Answers about More Matters

The picture above is Clark Wood of Wal-Mart and Tom Stenzel of United Fresh visiting during a break at the March 18 PBH Board of Trustees meeting in San Francisco.

Here is a link to the the March 18 Q & A with Jennifer Scott of Ogilvy Worldwide after her presentation on GenX Mom research findings to the PBH Board of Trustees meeting. She covers questions dealing with the influence of kids over their parents' buying decisions, the shrinking number of traditional families, how the More Matters campaign relates to lower income moms and the relative influence of retailers compared with the Internet.

Remember that PBH consumer research found that 44% of GenX moms regarded the Internet as their "first choice" for information; supermarkets were rated first choice by just 5% of GenX moms. However, Scott and Elizabeth Pivonka believe retail influence is under reported.


By the way, the download link takes about 10 seconds to appear and is at the bottom of the Web page. Sorry about the ads - they are a concession to a free site.