Industry must find its voice in "More Matters" message

My column from the Dec. 1 issue of The Packer...Given the Fresh Talk poll this week is closing with a wimper, there is reason for concern about industry apathy concerning the promotion message.


Industry must find its voice with More Matters message
Tom Karst, National Editor
Among the many things the fresh produce industry can be thankful for in this season of reflection, count the consistently good press that fresh fruits and vegetables receive.
Of course, I am quick to acknowledge that all this good press is not for nothing. It is no public relations hype, some carefully crafted manipulation by some Manhattan public relations agency to target key media influencers to win favorable coverage.
No, it simply reflects the fact that fruits and vegetables are really, really good for people. In fact, they are about the best things people can eat, and this time-worn truth is seemingly unsinkable, notwithstanding the foodborne illness linked to fresh produce or the periodic pesticide scare ginned up by consumer groups (the so-called "Dirty Dozen" of the Environmental Working Group comes to mind).
Moms will always tell their children to eat their vegetables, won't they? Just this past week, I saw an article that reviewed a study done by the University of Prince Edward Island that the children who ate the most fruits and vegetables on a daily basis had the best academic performance. Broccoli equals brainpower, more or less.
Of course, this is just one of many studies that exalt the goodness of fresh produce. You trip over these stories on the Web, with one study after another touting the beneficial effects of eating fruits and vegetables, whether related to their mitigating effect on cancer, obesity, diabetes or any random malady. The fact that fresh produce is good for you is so instinctively correct among consumers that it presents a challenge to industry-led promotional efforts. There is no convincing necessary. There are no atheists in foxholes and no fruit and vegetable doubters in the produce aisle.
The "other white meat" is all over the airwaves because pork producers know they have to work to put lipstick on a pig.
Fresh produce marketers may slough off any commitment to promotional efforts, figuring their story will be told one way or another.
This, in a roundabout way, brings us to this week's news from the Produce for Better Health Foundation, which issued a reminder that the use of the 5 a Day is on its way out very soon.
Is the industry ready to let go of 5 a Day? Ready or not, the Produce for Better Health Foundation is asking for all 5 a Day signage to be removed by Jan. 1.
How much of the old 5 a Day material/signage is still being used? What's the adoption rate of Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters in the industry? How fast is the public embracing the More Matters message? How does public awareness of the More Matters message (this shorthand is problematic to some, I know, but "Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters" is too long … perhaps FVMM) compared to current awareness of 5 a Day?
PBH was right to put a sunset on use of 5 a Day, but the challenge for Elizabeth Pivonka and others is to deploy the resources necessary to bolster the More Matters message. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government agencies are on board with this message, and it is time for the entire industry to move on as well.
The Web presence of 5 a Day for Better Health numbers about 15 million hits in a Google search. The fruit and vegetable coin of the realm has been 5 a Day for many years. In contrast, the Web presence of Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters generated a response of about 1.85 million hits in a Google search.
That may not be a completely fair reading of the marketing penetration of More Matters, but it does show there is work to do.
In a PBH news release, Pivonka restated the reasons for the change to the new message, and reassured that there is no danger the message and logo will change again.
"The new Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters health initiative is PBH's response to increased recommendations for fruits and vegetables in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines of Americans," Pivonka said in the release.
"As part of the development of the Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters brand, we selected a name and logo that would not need to be changed or updated each time the nutrition science advanced. This brand is evergreen and donors do not need to worry that the logo will change again," she added.
One of the advantages of Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters is the fact that other messages can be attached to it, whether relating to color, health or perhaps -- in these lean economic times -- value.
I sense that industry commitment to the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the More Matters message needs to be stepped up. Perhaps there is a latent belief that the steady drumbeat of the good-for-you coverage in the media can be counted on indefinitely, or that past investments in 5 a Day are still paying dividends. There is one last backstop, of course: Won't moms always be there to kick in the guilt?
Counting on the fickle news media, a new generation of time-pressed moms and yesterday's 5 a Day message to the carry banner for fruits and vegetables is a risky gamble.
E-mail tkarst@thepacker.com

PBH - Time to move on

Is the industry ready to let go of "5 a day"? Ready or not, the Produce for Better Health Foundation is asking for all 5 a Day signage to be removed by Jan. 1, 2009. Look for coverage in The Packer on this issue. My initial questions..

How much 5 a Day material/signage is still being used?
What's the adoption rate of Fruits and Veggies - More Matters in the industry?
How fast is the public embracing the "More Matters" message? How does public awareness of the "More Matters" message (this shorthand is problematic to some, I know but "Fruits and Veggies : More Matters" is too long..perhaps FVMM) compared to current awareness of "5 a day"?

PBH was right to put a sunset on use of "5 a day," but the challenge for Elizabeth Pivonka and others is to deploy the resources necessary to bolster the "More Matters" message. The CDC is on board with the new message, and it is time for the entire industry to move on as well.

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.

Nutrition v. Taste/convenience

Here is the exchange that was the inspiration for my Fresh Talk poll this week. First, the column by Dan Galbraith of The Packer on the failed promise of "marketing nutrition."

From Dan in the April 14 issue of The Packer:

Produce marketers should take new angle
Dan Galbraith, Sections Editor
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- There's a famous "Seinfeld" episode that repeats the line, "Not that there's anything wrong with that," and that buzz phrase pops into my mind as I look back at the April 3-5 Produce Marketing Association's Consumer Trends '08: A Produce Solutions Conference in Newport Beach, Calif.
Conference attendees already knew the product they're selling is fresh and healthful, yet not as popular or as profitable as many food alternatives proven to be detrimental to health.
Fresh produce is healthy and that healthfulness is promotable -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- but are produce industry marketing agents missing the point?
Possibly, if you listened to some of the conference speakers closely enough.
Harry Balzer, vice president of the NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., for instance, spoke on "Eating Patterns in America: The Scoop on Who's Really Eating What -- Regardless of What They Say."
That's "scoop" -- as in ice cream -- one of many poor-nutrition foods Americans like to eat more than they like to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
Perhaps the title of the speech should have been changed to "… Who's Really Eating What -- And Why" because Balzer stressed, among other things, that Americans said "eating light" was the main reason they ate a particular meal only 2% of the time.
That's right -- only 2 Americans in 100 said healthfulness was the major motivating factor behind a given meal.
And that should have been quite an eye-opener.
What's worse, when asked what they ate when they sought out a "light meal," salads finished no higher than the middle of the Top 10 pack. And guess what: burgers topped the list.
It's important to note that Balzer's data is based on what Americans actually ate, not what they reported they ate.
Balzer also talked about how factors such as convenience and perceived value are most vital to Americans when they make their food choices.
Speaker Jim Perkins, president of ULATAM Retail Solutions, Chicago, talked about the importance of connecting with Hispanic consumers through responding to their culture "in a culturally relevant way regarding produce."
Perkins emphasized the need to make packaging, store displays, advertising and store atmosphere both user-friendly and culturally appealing to Hispanics.
Except during the food safety seminar, I didn't hear speakers equate factors such as healthfulness of the product and safety behind the product as money-makers.
We all know fresh produce ranks among the most healthful and safe types of food in the world. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But, for maximizing produce profitability, most conference speakers suggested maximizing taste and convenience messages to consumers.
In the vein of Taco Bell's "Fourth Meal" promotion, perhaps produce industry marketers should take the emphasis off the healthfulness of the products they're pushing and appeal to good ol' American excess, for a change.
After all, the biggest trend in American eating is, that, well, we're eating bigger and getting bigger around our waistlines.
Of course, excess is part of the American dream -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- but can't the fresh produce industry capitalize on this phenomenon instead of being victimized by it?
It sounds absurd, but how about a "Mass Quantities" produce promotion, with the old Saturday Night Live "Coneheads" as spokespeople, devouring entire heads of lettuce or entire bags of carrots?
Check the state-by-state statistics presented at the conference on obesity careening out of control and you should realize Americans are going to overeat, no matter how much nutrition education they get.
Fresh produce has long been food's "good guy" -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- but it's apparent Americans prefer the "bad boy," and Balzer's presentation supports this fact (he concluded, "so health is a secondary factor" in American eating).
Chicken snack wraps, which Balzer dubbed "the hottest thing right now," in foodservice, could wind up being a positive development because the wraps include fresh produce -- lettuce and sometimes tomatoes.
If consumers could get into the habit of eating snack wraps now offered at places like McDonald's and KFC without any dressing, it could be a positive development for the fresh produce industry.
Call me an anti-traditionalist, or call me crazy, if you will, but the fresh produce industry's prior attempts to tout the nutrition and the relative low cost of their products hasn't put fruits and vegetables at the top of any shopping list I've seen.
Especially now, when high input costs necessitated by food safety efforts and skyrocketing energy bills have taken away some of the produce industry's price advantage, now is the time to promote produce taste any way possible.
In the real world -- and in Harry Balzer's statistical world -- taste is the only true factor, other than convenience, that will drive what Americans eat through 2020 and beyond. For fresh produce companies to survive in this world, they have to become aware of this food-trend knowledge, embrace it and adapt their marketing efforts to play to it.
That's called making money off American excess, not that there's anything wrong with that.
Email dgalbraith@thepacker.com


---------------------------------

TK: The retort to Dan's comment comes in the May 19 issue of The Packer from John Sauve, managing director of the food and nutrition division at the Swardlick Marketing Group, Portland, Maine. Suave argues that the industry hasn't reaped the advantage of the nutrition/health message but the cause is the industry's execution rather than the message itself.

Produce's health message matters most
John Sauve, Swardlick Marketing Group
I have a bone to pick -- make that a carrot -- with your sections editor, Dan Galbraith, author of the opinion piece "Produce marketers should take new angle."
In Galbraith's April 14 column, he suggests the health message as a driver for produce consumption has failed and therefore a new angle is necessary.
As an experienced marketer in the field of food and nutrition, I believe Galbraith is off-base on this one. I don't agree with his premise or his support points.
Maybe he really wanted to evoke the kind of response I'm expressing -- to find someone who truly believes and can articulate that, when it comes to fruits and vegetables, health matters most.
As the managing director of the food and nutrition division of Swardlick Marketing Group, the agency that developed the science and nutrition-based 5 a Day The Color Way program for the Produce for Better Health Foundation, I have seen the power of a science-backed health story to dramatically move produce sales.
In the late 1990s, our agency discovered, developed and promoted the emerging phytochemical research and antioxidant-based health story behind the enormous success of the blueberry business.
A health-based marketing message was -- and continues to be -- the driving force behind the worldwide demand for blueberries, as well as other individual fruits and vegetables that have chosen to focus on health as their principle marketing message.
In our view, the health message has not failed the produce industry as a driver of consumption for fruits and vegetables; rather, the industry itself has failed to effectively drive and support the right health message into the marketplace.
Most healthful food group
We believe the produce industry, representing the healthiest food group, has yet to really embrace, understand and truly market the health benefits of its colorful, nutritionally advantaged products.
Until that happens, we will lose ground to the many other categories in the marketplace - think dairy, cereal, soy, beverages and supplements - that have grabbed "health" and benefited from it. These categories put money behind health in a big way: at point of sale, in advertising, in packaging.
The same cannot be said of the produce industry. While we are off talking about other things, the other food groups will take away our inherent health advantage. That's just good competitive strategy on their part. We talk a good health game -- amongst ourselves -- but our actual playing is way short of the mark.
Think about it: when was the last time you saw the words "health" or "wellness" prominently displayed in the produce section of the supermarket? You are more likely to find those words in the pharmacy section.
Take a walk through your produce department. What health-related messages hit you between the eyes -- the ones that make you immediately call up the latent health images you have of fruits and veggies?
When was the last time the industry had a national campaign running to promote the health benefits of fruits and vegetables? When was the last time you saw an ad for healthy fruits and vegetables on TV?
Milk, cereal (look at the front of the Cheerios box), beverages, soy, even pharmacy, are grabbing the health messages being conveyed to Americans, while fruits and veggies talk about freshness and quality and admittedly other good things - but not health.
It's not that we aren't communicating good things. We are. It's that the most important one, the lead health story, is missing or is way down the list.
Product positioning built upon delivering a meaningful, compelling and differentiating consumer benefit is what marketers try to do for their brands.
While Galbraith calls upon some broad research to support his points on taste and convenience -- certainly important and necessary barriers and solutions to address -- theses are not the primary positioning points that will win the good vs. not-so-good food fight or the wellness challenge.
Collectively, we can and must differentiate and market fruits and vegetables first and foremost on the health dimension -- our core product positioning -- something that comes naturally to our nutritionally advantaged product portfolio.
Our beautiful color array alone is a competitive advantage for fruits and vegetables. All other attributes and benefits are support points, helping us meet the needs of the marketplace.
The irony is, colorful fruits and vegetables are the true health heroes in the supermarket. Health rightfully belongs to produce, yet we are letting these other categories win the "health and wellness" mantle.
Our biggest marketplace voice, the Produce for Better Health Foundation, a wonderful organization with dedicated people, is too underfunded to effectively compete and somewhat restricted in its health messaging strategies by governmental guidelines.
We simply have no outlets consistently and effectively doing the health-focused marketing job for the whole industry.
We hope the collective industry will wake up and get on the health track, because health really does matter most.
John Sauve is managing director of the food and nutrition division at the Swardlick Marketing Group, Portland, Maine.


TK: The fresh produce industry certainly does not need to run away from the nutrition/health message. But does not everyone understand that fruits and vegetables are "good for you"? More of the emphasis, I think, needs to be focused on ways to make fruits and vegetables more accessible, more convenient and easy. Let the nutrition message be a throw in or supplementary message, but let the primary driver should be the convenience and ease of fresh produce. Taste can be promoted when it is a bona fide change from consumer expectations - such as a new variety - but don't over promise and under deliver on the taste message.

Stenzel's reaction to Putnam Costa

Just slid across the inbox: the expected endorsement from United:

Washington, DC – United Fresh Produce Association President Tom Stenzel issued the following statement today regarding the Safe Food Enforcement, Assessment, Standards and Targeting Act (Safe FEAST Act), a new bipartisan food safety bill introduced in the House of Representatives today by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) and Rep. Adam Putman (R-FL).
“We congratulate Congressmen Costa and Putman on their leadership in introducing the Safe FEAST Act of 2008. There are a number of provisions in this bipartisan bill that can work to enhance a strong food safety regulatory framework that builds public confidence in fresh produce. We look forward to working with Congressmen Costa and Putman on the details of their bill, as well as other Congressional leaders in both the House and Senate.
“Fresh produce is an essential part of the diet to improve public health, with the federal government’s own 2005 Dietary Guidelines calling for consumption of 9-13 servings per day for fruits and vegetables. That’s almost double current consumption for most consumers, and has led to the public health campaign Fruits and Veggies: More Matters led by the Centers for Disease Control and the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
“To meet these health goals, the public must have confidence that the federal government, states, produce companies and growers are working together across the total produce industry to assure the safest possible foods. Our industry is committed to employing best agricultural and handling practices for both domestically grown and imported foods, and looks forward to continuing to work with Congress, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the states to ensure that we provide the safest and most healthy, nutritious produce possible to American consumers.”

"Look out third world, here we come"

This sounds a bit over the top. Let's have a look-in at a piece about immigration and follow-on reader comments to a story in The Beaver County Times & Allegheny Times: "Stoop labor: lack of migrant workers to pick fruits and vegetables could drive up prices"
From the opinion piece:

In addition to being more expensive because of higher fuel costs, fruits and vegetables might become even pricier because of scarcity.

The Associated Press reports that Pennsylvania’s largest grower of fresh-to-market tomatoes announced Monday he will no longer produce the crop because he can’t find enough workers to harvest it.

And the reason is simple: Americans don’t want to do this kind of work.

Keith Eckel, 61, a fourth-generation farmer and the owner of Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms Inc., told the AP his tomato pickers made an average of $16.59 per hour last year. However, he said the relatively high wage is not enough to attract local labor to work the fields of his 2,000-acre farm in northeastern Pennsylvania.

“A lot of people think with immigration that we’re talking about immigrants taking jobs from others. Let me tell you, there is no local labor that is going to go out and harvest those tomatoes in 90-degree temperatures except our immigrant labor,” Eckel said. “They come here to do a job that no one else will do in this country.”

He’s not alone.

Carl Shaffer, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, predicted other farmers would follow Eckel’s lead and stop growing labor-intensive crops.

Eckel and Shaffer blamed Washington’s failure last year to pass legislation that would have allowed immigrants — some already in the country illegally and some who would come from abroad — to work through guest-worker and legalization programs.

The AP reported the farm bureau is calling for a reliable guest-worker program to be built from scratch, one that would provide a stable, legal supply of labor. (Our editorial position is similar. In past editorials, we’ve argued for a system that allows adequate numbers of immigrants to come and go legally with greater ease.)

Given the anti-immigrant nativism — and that’s what it is — that has swept the United States and the refusal by politicians to deal with the matter realistically, the farm bureau’s reasonable approach to solving the problem is a pipe dream.

Curse the illegal immigrants all you want, but they help put inexpensive food on the table. When it comes to anti-immigrant resentment and the domestic food chain, Americans are cutting off their noses to spite their faces by being so obdurate.

On the other hand, if the economy continues to deteriorate, inflation kicks in and food and gasoline prices continue to soar, Eckel and farmers like him might not have as much trouble finding laborers. That’s because more Americans might be willing to stoop to this kind of labor to supplement their incomes so they can afford to buy the very fruits and vegetables they are harvesting.

Look out, Third World, here we come.


Comments below:

Tired Too wrote on Mar 28, 2008 1:57 PM:

" Tired of This is right but allow me to expand on this a bit.

Anyone applying for unemployment within 50 miles of these farms that need workers is to have two choices. As long as you are able bodied you must accept the work or you get no benefits. I'm sure it will be amazing how so many will find work. Or they'll expose themselves as the lazy bums they truly are.

Bad enough the taxpayers have to fund those who refuse to work let alone have to pay higher prices for produce while available work is disdained.

"

Edgar wrote on Mar 28, 2008 11:06 AM:

" Take all those locked up in minimum and medium security prisons and have them pick veggies and fruits. Oh yeah, I forgot, they have rights and we cannot ask them to work for their upkeep of what, $40K per year? "

Tired of this wrote on Mar 28, 2008 9:01 AM:

" This smells like democratic views, Here is a novel idea. How about all those welfare babies who refuse to work because it is easier to accept the democrats handouts, do the work in order to collect any more freebies? We seem to moan about lack of jobs, yet they are there, we are just to lazy to do them. "

TK: Public opinion seems to hold that prisoners or unemployed "bums" head to the tomato fields. How many would want to see their own son or daughter working in the tomato field? The public is still blind to the needs of agriculture, and this doesn't bode well for the future of farms like Fred W. Eckell Sons Farms Inc. and others that have and will continue to rely on immigrants, not Americans, to meet their farm labor needs.

Kudos to PBH

The Produce for Better Health Foundation must be pleased with this piece from Commonvoice.com. Connie Bennett writes:

Hurrah to the Produce for Better Health Foundation for its new, innovative FoodChamps.com website to make shopping for and eating fruits and vegetables more enjoyable and fun for kids.

Parents, if your kids are reluctant to eat their fruits and veggies, go online with them and show them the colorful, new website, FoodChamps.org, offered by the the non-profit Produce for Better Health Foundation, whose mission is to create a healthier America through increased consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Just look at the variety of fun on FoodChamps.org for kids 2 to 5 and 6 to 8. For instance, your children will find games, coloring sheets, activity pages and recipes that children can make (with adult guidance).

The PBH, which has gained recognition for its 5 A Day for Better Health program -- the nation’s largest public-private nutrition education initiative -- also recently unveiled its a website just for parents, too --FruitsandVeggiesMoreMatters.

Among my favorite features on both sites are:

The Supermarket Scavenger Hunt.

Top 10 Reasons to Eat MORE.

Fruit and Veggie Nutrition.

Mom2Mom

TK: A well deserved review of PBH efforts. Clearly, there is considerable effort being expended to make the "More Matters" Web sites compelling for both mothers and children. The Foodchamps.org site featured math games, a game for matching food with the government's MyPyramid graphic and a couple of other naming/matching games. While I might want even more sophisticated/interactive/role playing games for the future, this is a good starting point.

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.

Watch out for those health claims

I have been reading Michael Pollan's book called "In Defense of Food" and one of things he wrote made me chuckle:

"Yet as a general rule, it's a whole lot easier to slap a health claim on a box of sugary cereal than on a raw potato or a carrot, with the perverse result that the most healthy foods in the supermarket sit there quietly in the produce section, silent as stroke victims, while a few aisles over in cereal the Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms are screaming their new found "whole grain goodness" to the rafters. Watch out for those health claims."

TK: Now we find that consumers are being beguiled by all manner of health claims and are eating so many "good for you" products that they are relentlessly adding to their girth. One Farm Bureau educational session that I missed in New Orleans talked about functional foods. From a Farm Bureau press release:

NEW ORLEANS, January 14, 2008 – An overload of health and nutrition information that many consumers find confusing and inconsistent is a primary cause of Americans’ ever-expanding waistlines, nutrition expert Rachel Cheatham said at a seminar during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 89th annual conference.

Cheatham is director of science and health communications for the International Food Information Council, which works to bridge the gap between science and communications by collecting and circulating scientific information on food safety, nutrition and health.

The results of an extensive survey conducted by IFIC via the Internet in February 2007 show that 42 percent of survey respondents feel that the food and health information they receive from various sources is contradictory. Slightly more than 30 percent said it was inconsistent.

“This really is the issue,” Cheatham explained. “There is an overload of information. How do we package this information so that people understand it and know what to do with it?”

The survey results indicate very few people understand or apply the concept of energy balance, in which calories consumed and calories used are treated as an equation that results in weight maintenance, or depending on the individual’s goals, weight loss or gain. Almost half of the survey respondents said they don’t balance the calories they take in with the calories they use, while 16 percent said they do increase their exercise to compensate for eating more than usual.

“Very few people – only 16 percent – are saying ‘I get it,’” Cheatham said. “If we could only get consumers to understand if they take in 2,000 calories per day, for example, and burn 2,000 calories, their weight would be stable. We encourage people to know this, so they can do the basic math and take control of their weight.”

However, she acknowledged that calorie counting is a hard sell.

People’s lack of self-awareness, in terms of what they weigh, what their body mass index is and what it should be, is also an obstacle to getting consumers to think more about nutrition and exercise.

Almost a quarter of consumers who view themselves as being at an ideal weight are actually overweight, according to the survey. Seventy-three percent who think they’re overweight are actually obese.

“As we become more overweight as a society, we’re losing track of ourselves,” Cheatham said.

She added that the more obese and overweight people an individual is surrounded by, the less likely it is he or she will be concerned about his or her weight.

Cheatham emphasized there are simple tools to help consumers be more mindful about what they’re eating. She pointed out that most boxed and canned products carry a nutrition label detailing the calories, fat, fiber and nutrients per serving.

MyPyramid.gov helps computer users figure out how many calories they need per day and also allows them to input what foods they’ve eaten to make sure they’re meeting good health guidelines established by the federal government, such as eating a minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

The survey results are available at www.ific.org.

TK: It might also work to tell people to eat less of a particular food (soda, high sugar foods) and more fruits and vegetables. At least we have one side of the equation with "Fruits and Veggies - More Matters."

Christmas spread - Retail roundup

Holiday-themed food page ads featured delectable color pictures of ham, shrimp, beef and rack of pork this week. Produce was also found on the front pages of food ads, but typically below the fold. Here is a roundup of the produce ads in suburban Kansas City for the period of Dec. 19-24.

Price Chopper: - Dec. 19-Dec. 24
Sunkist navel oranges: 15 cents/each (front page)
Washington premium red delicious apples: 69 cents/lb (front page)
Dole celery: 79 cents each
Golden ripe pineapple: $3.99/each
Del Monte chunk pineapple: $3.99/16 oz.
Fresh green beans: 2 for 45/ 12 oz. package
Green Giant whole mushrooms: $1.29/8 oz package
Earthbound Farm organic spring mix or baby spinach: $4.99
Eat Smart Vegetable tray: $8.99/36 oz. package
Washington Anjou pears; 99 cents/lb
Green Giant baby cut carrots: 2 for $5/ 2 lb package
Sweet potatoes: 69 cents/lb
Santa Sweet grape tomatoes: 2 for $4/10 oz
Cauliflower: 2 for $4
Broccoli crowns: $1.19/lb
California cuties: $3.99/3 lb bags


Wal-Mart Dec. 19-Dec. 24
Golden pineapple: $2.86/each

Dillons - Dec. 19 to Dec. 24
Holiday fruit basket:$12.99
Seasons Greetings: $16.99
Fresh cucumbers or green onions: 69 cents each
Sweet potatoes: 79 cents/lb
Jumbo green peppers: 89 cents each
Celery: 10 for $10
Large ripe avocado: 4 for $5
Fresh Express cole slaw: 4 for $5
Kroger 2 lb baby carrots, grape tomatoes or cauliflower: 2 for $5
Herb Thyme organic herbs: $1.99
Jumbo Del Monte Gold pineapple: 2 for $6
Veggie trays include organic: $9.99 to $14.99


HyVee Dec. 19t o Dec. 24
Sweet juicy clementines: $4.99/5-lb box (front page)
Golden cantaloupe: 2 for $4 (More Matters logo)
Fresh mangoes: 99 cents each
Chile red sweet cherries: $5.99/lb
Fresh asparagus: $3.48/lb
Ocean spray cranberries; 2 for $3
HyVee Garden salad or cole slaw mix: 99 cents/16-oz package
Crisp red cranberries: 99 cents/1 lb package
Grimmway Farms carrot chips: 16 oz. package
Dole celery hearts: $2.68/ 2 ct. package
Monterey baby bella mushrooms: $1.88/8 oz
Grimmway Farms carrot stixx $1.28/12 oz. package
Hyvee Russet potatoes: $1.38/5 pound bag
Monterey whole white mushrooms: 2 for $3/ 8 oz package
Peruvian sweet yellow onions: 77 cents/lb
Fresh blackberries: $1.98/5.6 oz. package
Fresh blueberries: $2.98/4.4 oz.
Stemilt jumbo apples: $1.18/lb
Melissa's fresh peeled garlic: $2.29/ 6 oz. package
Golden sweet potatoes: 77 cents/lb
Texas Rio Star grapefruit: $9.99/ half box
Sunkist navel oranges: $9.99/ 24 ct. box
Sunkist pummelos: 2 for $4

Hen House Market - Dec. 19 to Dec. 24
Earthbound Farms Certified Organic baby spinach or springmix: $3.99/each
Jumbo Golden pineapple: $3.99/each
Jumbo size granny smith or red or golden delicious apples: $1.19/lb
Regal comice pears: $2.49/lb
Late Howell cranberries: 2 for $4
Medjool dates: $6.99/lb
Del Monte pineapple chunks: $3.99/each
Green Giant mini carrots: 2 for $5/2 lb bags
Stringed and cleaned green beans: 2 for $5/12 oz bag
Sweet grape tomatoes: 2 for $4/ 10 oz to 12 oz package
California broccoli crowns: $1.19/lb
Earth Exotic baby vegetables: $3.99/each
Green Giant sliced mushrooms: 2 for $3
Fresh pascal: 79/each
Louisiana sweet potatoes: 69 cents/lb
Apio Meat and veggies tray with dip/ $14.99
Mountain King butter red or butter gold potatoes: 2 for $5

New poll question - Yes, we need a national promotion order for fresh produce

Last week's poll question drew slightly more votes "against" NAFTA than "for" it, relative to the impact on the U.S. fresh produce industry. Check out the results here, for that poll and all previous Fresh Talk poll questions.

As for this week, the Fresh Talk polls asks if the industry would benefit from a national promotion order for fresh produce. I have already voted and cast my vote in the affirmative. Aside from the fact that the "Fruits and Veggies - More Matters" campaign encompasses both fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. it is underfunded. With no mandatory assessment, consumer messaging about fresh produce is woefully inadequate.

True, fresh produce tends to generate favorable press coverage organically owing to its health benefits. But where is the industry directed, attention-grabbing messaging to consumers?

The dilution of industry efforts - even within a commodity category - is remarkable. Why should California, Mexico or Chile run their own separate promotions of hass avocados, for example, as opposed to a unified generic promotion?

Wouldn't buyers prefer dealing with one promotion department rather than several?.

The answer is undoubtedly linked to control of the message, decisions with mandatory assessment dollars and pride in a particular growing region. That reality for avocado promotion is not going away, and in fact, one source tells me the regional promotion focus for avocados may increase in the future.

This, of course, is not unique to the avocado industry.

Promotions for potatoes, onions, apples, grapefruit and countless other fresh commodities argue for the fruit of a particular region or state.

Perhaps that is why so many in the industry have rejected the idea of a mandatory assessment to fund generic promotions of fresh fruits and vegetables. How can you unify marketers of dozens of commodities when there is no unity within a commodity?

Despite — or because of — the history of fragmentation of efforts, I think the industry may benefit from a national promotion order for fresh produce. A promotion order - collecting from both domestically grown and imported produce - would undoubtedly give the industry more clout at the USDA and in the consumer marketplace.

Given the fact that the Produce for Better Health Foundation promotes the “all forms count” message, a fresh-focused effort would not necessarily be redundant. Perhaps the promotion order could specify that mandatory assessments be used for fresh “More Matters” promotions exclusively by the Produce for Better Health Foundation. An even more attractive alternative would be a new “fresh-first" oriented message.

While processed fruit and vegetable marketers pressure to elbow their way into the USDA fruit and vegetable snack program, the industry needs a well funded promotion arm that will make the case for fresh and fresh alone.

The self-interest of the industry to promote fresh produce needs to come to the forefront. In same way Whole Foods has marketed organic produce over what it considers its pedestrian competition, fresh asparagus must count for more than canned asparagus. Fresh pears must count more than canned pears. If consumers don’t believe that, the bloom of off the rose of fresh produce.

Retail produce ads Dec. 5 to Dec. 11

Front page features of produce on food ads in the suburban Kansas City market highlighted California cutie clementines, new crop honeycrisp apples, Dole iceberg lettuce and fuji apples. Here is the total picture:


Hen House One day sale (Dec. 8)
Fuji apples - 69 cents/lb

Hen House - Dec. 5-Dec. 11
Satsuma mandarins $4.99/5-lb box (Ben Becnel of Belle Chase, La.)
Dole salad blends: buy 1, get 1 free (10 to 12 oz.)
Calavo large hass avocados: 2 for $3
Sweet grape tomatoes: 2 for $4
Green Giant sliced mushrooms: 2 for $3/ 8 oz. package
Apio Meat, Cheese and Vegetable Tray: $12.99
Fresh gourmet croutons: 2 for $3
Earthbound Farms certified organic baby carrots: 2 for $3 (1-lb bag)
Sweet red bell peppers: 2 for $3
Brown baggin deal: (6 pounds of pears included with soup, wheat things, raisin, Tropicana juice)


Price Chopper Dec. 5 to Dec. 11
California cutie clementines: $2.88/3-lb bag
Washington premium fuji apples: $1.29/lb
Del Monte jumbo gold pineapple: $3.99/each
Blueberries: 2 for $5 (4.4 ounce)
Dole Salad blends: 2 for $ (10 oz. to 12 oz.)
Eat Smart Vegetable Tray: $8.99/36 oz.
Santa Sweet grape tomatoes: 2 for $4/ 12 oz. package
Green Giant baby cut carrots: 2 for $5
Green Giant baby Portabella mushrooms: 2 for $4
Earthbound Farm organic iceberg head lettuce: $1.29/head


Dillons: Dec. 5 to Dec. 11
Honeycrisp or Ambrosia apples: $1.99/lb
California navel oranges, Washington red delicious apples, or Texas red grapefruit - Two 5 lb bags for $6
Russet baking potatoes or Colorado sweet yellow onions: 89 cents/lb
California cutie clementines: $6.99/each
Kroger grape tomatoes: 2 for $5
Mann's Organic vegetables: broccoli florettes, vegetable medley or broccoli and carrots: 2 for $5 (10 oz. package)
Veggie trays: $9.99/36 ounce
Fresh whole or sliced baby bella mushrooms: 2 for $5
Private Selection organic salad: 2 for $6
Fresh Express salads: 2 for $5 (5 to 12 oz.)

HyVee Dec. 5-11
Sweet Juicy clementines - $5.88/5-lb box (More Matters graphic logo)
Del Monte or Sun Fresh Chilled fruit: 2 for $6
Dole fresh vegetables, selected varieties: 3 for $5 (12 oz. package)
Grimmway Farms baby carrots
Chilean sweet red cherries: $5.99/lb
Blueberries: $2.48/4.4 ounces
Grimmway Farms baby carrots: $1.77/ 2 lb bag
HyVee: Chopped romaine or garden supreme (1o oz., 12 oz.) 2 for $3
Mini sweet personal melon $2.99/each
Nature Sweet tomatoes: 12 oz. : $2.29
Pro Health microwavable potatoes: 2 for $1
Stemilt fuji apples: $1.88;lb
Stemilt Apple Sweets: 10 (5 or 6 oz. package) for $10
Monterey whole or stuffable white mushrooms: $2.88/14 or 16 oz. package
Slicing cucumbers: 2 for $1
Sweet red peppers: 99 cents each
Texas Sweet juice oranges: $3.49/5 lb bag
Sunburst tangerines: 4 for $1

Organic navel oranges: $4.99/4 lb bag
Stemilt organic red delicious apples: $1.38/lb

Fruits and Veggies - Are we selling hard enough?

Here is a link to a story by Meredith Cohn from The Baltimore Sun that I linked to in "TK Headlines" today. The article is headlined "Fruits, veggies a hard sell." We've seen this kind of story before, with the gist being "Mom said to eat your veggies, and we still aren't following her advice, decades later."

Cohn writes:

Yet, years after a concerted effort to boost consumption of healthful foods, Americans eat the same paltry amounts that they did in 1985, when the government first recommended two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables daily.

But the story does look head on at uncomfortable truths, the soul-baring confessions of consumers who are semi guilt-ridden about food choices. Consider this excerpt:

"I try and go for the apple or pear, but believe me, I'd rather have the cookie," said Brentt Naylor, a 33-year-old Baltimore resident who not only shops at the hyper-health-conscious Whole Foods, but belongs to a community program that allows him a weekly bounty of locally grown produce. "You really have to set aside time to make vegetables tasty. It's taste and time."

Here is another....

And then there was Bryan Rupert, a 20-year-old ordering a pizza for dinner recently from a South Baltimore shop. He said he wouldn't know what to do with vegetables if he bought them, which he doesn't.

TK: Fruits and Veggies - More Matters campaign gets some ink in the story, as does the USDA fruit and vegetable program and pilot projects seeking to increase food stamp purchases of fruits and vegetables. Given the challenges of getting consumers to change, I wonder if it is time to aggressively promote a vegetarian message to baby boomer women. While most Americans won't go vegetarian, the very fact that the concept is promoted would raise the profile of fruits and veggies and create a buzz about an edgy marketing tack.

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.

Johanns draws fire and what about Conner?

The Democratic response to Mike Johanns resigning as Agriculture Secretary was fairly predictable. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., told The Hill that the decision to step down "borders on irresponsible" considering the farm bill hangs in the balance. Sen.. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., agreed Johanns should have "crossed the finish line" with the farm bill complete before moving on.

That perspective is quite partisan, since Congress is responsible for writing the the legislation for the farm bill. It is the Senate that is behind schedule, and whether or not Johanns stayed on would have had no impact on the timetable.

Meanwhile, Acting Secretary Chuck Conner is viewed as a "no nonsense" communicator with little "warm and fuzzy" quotient. He and other USDA officials met recently with some members of the Fruit and Veggies: more Matters steering committee to look at the progress of signing a Memorandum of Understanding between USDA and CDC about the More Matters program. There is no news on when the memorandum will be signed. It replaces an earlier MOU between USDA and the National Cancer Institute, which was previously the government lead for the 5 a Day campaign.

46 new messages

The tyranny of the email inbox cannot be overrated. I find that any disruption in the schedule of accessing email can lead to quickly overflowing inbox and stern warnings from the Vance administrator that my email account has exceeded its limit. Emails are missed that may never be opened. Being in Bangkok for just three full days, bracketed by 20 hours plus in the airport and on jumbo jets coming and going, I have missed my share of email. One of my email accounts tracks Google news alerts, which tumble into the inbox with the kind of ordained regularity that both satisfies and terrifies.

Here is a honest attempt to catch up with some headline highlights of news while I was away.

Calculate How Many Fruits and Vegetables to Eat Each Day From KABC
No matter how many times you hear it, 90 percent of Americans don't eat enough fruits and veggies. So the government is launching a new web tool to help families figure out ways to get more greens. Parents hungry for ideas on using fruits and vegetables can tap into a new resource guide from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The goal of the campaign is to encourage Americans to consume more fruits and vegetables in all forms, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and juiced.
Here's the Web site.


Program has color-coded way of promoting fruits, vegetables From the Toledo Blade:
Welch’s 100 percent Grape Juice is supporting the Fruits & Veggies — More Matters public health initiative which encourages Americans to add more fruits and vegetables to their diets. To support this, Welch’s has declared Sept. 24-28 to be “PACK Week: Pack Assorted Colors for Kids Week.” During this week, parents are encouraged to include more fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors into their children’s snacks or lunch boxes.

Mexican trucks approved for long-haul trips in U.S.
Federal officials have confirmed that the first Mexican truckers have been given authorization to run their long-haul rigs throughout the United States under the Department of Transportation's Mexican trucking demonstration project.
The word came during a late-night surprise teleconference held by John Hill, the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. He told selected reporters that Transportes Olympic of Nuevo Leon was the first company to be given the authorization. "This program was literally announced under the cover of darkness," James P. Hoffa said in a Teamsters press release issued by his office today. "I have no doubt the Bush administration knows how angry the American people are about it."
Hoffa continued, "I cannot understand why George Bush is jeopardizing the safety and security of the American people

Taking the kids shopping

Taking the kids shopping can be an educational experience and boost their interest in fruits and vegetables, says this story that refers to research by the University of Texas. From the story:

Grocery shopping with kids can inculcate healthy eating habits in them, as they might develop interest in fruits and vegetables, researchers claim.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently started the ‘Fruits & Veggies-More Matters’ campaign, and insist that allowing children to become involved in the grocery shopping process was a creative and fun way to help them learn more about consuming a healthy diet and keeping them entertained. Kristen Bardon of The University of Texas insisted on the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption in kids. “It is important for kids to start eating healthy early in life for many reasons. One reason is to help prevent the long-term consequences of a poor diet such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer,” he said. One suggestion was to have a grocery store scavenger hunt with children, so that they discover new ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables, as well as help parents learn more about what appeals to them. “Parents can have their children help with grocery lists. This teaches them how to pick out produce and helps them to prepare the meal,” Bardon said. Some specific ways suggested by researchers to involve children while grocery shopping include: · Showing them a picture of a fruit or vegetable and let them find it in the store. · Asking them to tell the shape, colour or size of the fruits and vegetables. · Asking them to count the vegetables they see in the store.· Encouraging them to find fruits and vegetables they have not tried before.

TK: Moms who can pull this off deserve "supermom" status. There are many temptations in the supermarket for kids, including the candy aisle, the cereal aisle, the checkout lane and just about every other packaged food department. If any mom is actually doing this (kids help with grocery list, scavenger hunt for produce), I want to hear her story and see her kids. And supermarkets could do more;wouldn't it be great if stores offered sliced apples to kids at the registers, instead of a dum-dum candy?

Blueberry boost

Hen House in our KC market featured blueberries in its food ad this week. Inexplicably, the ad was labeled as showing prices good from Aug. 8 through Aug. 14. Typo? By rights, it should have read Aug. 1-7.
Anyway, blueberries got major run: From the ad, which advertised Michigan blueberries at $4.99 for an 18-ounce package.

"Blueberries improve vision, clear arteries, strengthen blood vessels, enhance memory, promote weight control."
"Consumption of blueberries may reverse some of the properties of aging because of their antioxidant properties."
"Blueberries may help prevent urinary track infections."

TK: That about covers all the worries involved with getting old. Hook me up to a blueberry IV, please.

Also featured at Hen House:
Andy's Candy Corn: 8 pack, $3
Kingsburg Raspberry Jewell Pluotts: $2.49/lb
California grown sweet galia melons: 2 for $4
Dole Just Lettuce, Greener Select or Classic Romaine: 2 for $4
Sweet watermelon chunks: $1.29/lb (Grown in Rich Hill, Mo. by Twin County Family Farms;the lycopene leader, ready to eat) Logos for Food Routes, Bridging the Gap, and Buy Fresh, Buy Local
New crop Australian oranges: 99 cents each
Dole Premium organic bananas: 59 cents/lb
California grown kiwi: 4 for $1


Hy Vee (ad for Aug. 1 through Aug. 14)
Columbine red seedless grapes: 99 cents/lb
Kandy Label cantaloupe: 3 for $5 (Kandy logo)
New Zealand braeburn, Granny Smith, or Pacific Rose apples: $1.28/lb (Healthy Bites logo)
Midnight Beauty black seedless grapes $1.88/lbl (Grapes from California logo, Healthy Bites logo)
California Bartlett pears: 97 cents/lb (California Pears logo, Healthy Bites logo)
Dole special blends salad: $1.88 for selected varieties : 5 to 12 ounce packages (Fruits and Veggies More Matters logo, Healthy Bites logo)
Dole broccoli bunch: 99 cents (Dole logo, Healthy Bites logo)
Michigan green beans : 99 cents/lb
Zucchini or yellow squash: 97 cents/lb
Fresh eggplant: 97 cents/each
Michigan roma tomatoes: 99 cents/lb
Fresh cilantro: 2 bunches for $1
Popeye spinach: $1.99 for 10-ounce package
Grimmway Farms carrot chips: 16 ounce package: 99 cents
Grimmway Farms microwavable petitie carrots: $1.28
Ripe N Ready peaches: $1.28/lb
Flavor Ssfari dapple dandy plumcots: $1.88/lb
Ripe N Ready peaches; $1.48/lb
Artisan Natural Washington peaches: $1.48/lb
Artisan Natural Washington apricots: $1.88/lb
Hy Vee russet potatoes: $1.38/5-pound bag
Monterey white or stuffable mushrooms: 14 ounce or 16 ounce $2.69