From the President: Policy, Promotion Together Grow Sales
From PBH President and CEO Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D.

The news that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to significantly increase fruit and vegetable benefits for millions of low-income moms and young children across this country (see the next story) is welcome news indeed to the families who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The WIC news is also the latest demonstration of the rising government policy and programmatic power of a healthy diet – and the need for industry advocates such as PBH to elevate fruits and vegetables with policy makers and program managers. PBH and our allies helped make the case to an independent expert advisory panel to increase WIC participants’ fruit and vegetable access. These same partners are also working to expand USDA’s school snack Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) from a handful to all 50 states, to increase children’s consumption for a lifetime. In addition to promoting public health, both WIC and FFVP are growing real-world sales for our industry.

Government nutrition policies and programs like these provide valuable market “push,” by making fruits and vegetables more accessible to consumers. Meanwhile, efforts such as the new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters™ brand offer complementary market “pull” by enticing consumers to seek out these healthier foods more often. Policy and promotion go hand in hand to grow fruit and vegetable consumption and sales. Contact PBH to find out how you can help grow your own business opportunities by supporting policy efforts and the new brand.

America’s most nutritionally at-risk mothers, infants and young children will soon have greater access to fruits and vegetables, under a proposal announced by USDA Aug. 4 and published in the Federal Register Aug. 7. The agency plans to provide families who rely on the federal government’s nutrition safety-net program with monthly vouchers, worth $8 for moms and $6 for children up to age five, to purchase fruits and vegetables in various forms. After receiving persuasive testimony from PBH and industry and nutrition community allies, last year an Institute of Medicine (IOM) blue-ribbon science panel recommended that USDA significantly increase WIC participants’ access to fruits and vegetables, which are currently largely absent from WIC food “packages.” The IOM panel had recommended $10 and $8 in vouchers; the agency reduced the amount to keep the proposal’s impact on the program revenue-neutral. This is the first time that the 32-year-old WIC program’s food packages have been significantly reviewed since 1980. The program serves approximately 8 million low-income pregnant and lactating women, their infants and young children, providing vouchers for foods to supplement their nutritional needs and other related support. United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association estimates this change could mean $500 million in new fruit and vegetable purchases; United hosted a national press briefing Aug. 8 to create awareness of the proposal and its implications for WIC participants. Stay tuned to PBH Direct! for instructions on how to submit comments in favor of the proposal by the Nov. 6 deadline. For more information, view the Federal Register notice and USDA’s news statement, or contact PBH Nutrition Policy Specialist Tracy Fox, MPH, R.D.

Fruits and vegetables will once again take center stage during September’s National 5 A Day Month celebrations! PBH can help you take advantage of this annual opportunity to promote fruits and vegetables through a wide variety of educational and promotional materials in the 5 A Day Catalog. You’ll enjoy a 50 percent savings on: all Sesame Street products; the Color Way Champions™ The Quest for Color Activity Book; the Fruit and Veggie Race™ Game; the Fruits and Veggies Paint Book; Color Way Portfolio; and long- and short-sleeve 5 to 9 A Day logo polo and t-shirts. All other catalog items are 10 percent off. To take advantage of these special discounts for your 5 A Day Month celebration, shop the PBH catalog online and enter code C-5ADAY-06 during checkout.

Wall Street Journal Makes the Case for 5 A Day Brand Update

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal underscored the need to update the 5 A Day brand and intensify efforts to increase Americans’ fruit and vegetable consumption. The July 25 article notes the mounting evidence of the link between increased consumption, and better health and healthy weight. The article reports on PBH-led efforts to update the brand; the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters brand will be unveiled to consumers early next year. The article also makes the case for eating a colorful variety of phytonutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, and relying on whole foods for nutrition rather than dietary supplements. For more information, view the Wall Street Journal article.

International Fruit and Vegetable Alliance (IFAVA) will present an international symposium to advance efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption worldwide for better health Oct. 15-17 in Ottawa. The fifth such symposium held for 5 A Day-type program proponents, the 2006 gathering’s theme is “Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Worldwide Through National and Regional Delivery.” Agenda topics will explore the effectiveness of communications and environmental changes on consumption-boosting efforts, ensuring a proper balance of programs’ taste and health messages, the pros and cons of combining fruit and vegetable and physical activity campaigns, and future research needs. The Canadian Produce Marketing Association, Canadian Cancer Society, and Heart and Stroke Society of Canada are hosting the symposium. For more information, visit IFAVA’s Web site.

The latest edition of IFAVA’s science newsletter examines European dietary patterns, looking at regional differences in diets, the link between the fruit- and vegetable-rich Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular health, and a comparative study of fruit and vegetable consumption among European children in nine countries. For more information, view the newsletter.

Adding to the growing body of research evidence including this recent PBH Direct! report, there is now even more evidence of a link between high fruit and vegetable consumption and weight management. Drs. Jenny Ledikwe, Barbara Rolls and colleagues from Pennsylvania State University and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the June issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that people who eat lower-calorie, high nutrient-density foods such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains actually eat a larger volume of food than their counterparts who ate less healthfully. Research analyzed the dietary intakes of a sample that was representative of the U.S. population to examine relationships between dietary energy density and total calorie intake, weight of food consumed, food choices and body weight. Low-energy-density diets are characterized by a relatively high proportion of foods high in nutrients and water, and low in fat, such as fruits and vegetables. Results showed that those persons with a low-energy-dense diet had lower calorie intakes, and consumed more food by weight, than those with high-energy dense diets. Normal-weight persons had diets with lower energy density than did obese persons, and those with high fruit and vegetable intake had the lowest energy density values and lowest obesity prevalence. The authors concluded that their findings support the theory that diets that are energy dense are linked to obesity, while providing more evidence that fruit and vegetable consumption is important for weight management. (Source: Ledikwe et al, Am J Clin Nutr. June 2006; vol. 83, no. 6; pp1362-8.)

PBH is pleased to recognize the following companies who joined or renewed their memberships in support of the foundation July 24-Aug. 4. Your generous contributions help support PBH’s many activities to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. To find out how you can support PBH, and grow your business in the process, contact PBH Vice President of Development Claudia Wenzing.

The SmartFresh^SM Quality System, the flagship product of AgroFresh, is a state-of-the-art innovation used to safely maintain the freshness, flavor and appearance of fresh fruits and vegetables so consumers can enjoy better tasting, high quality produce.  SmartFresh is a "freshness protection system” that guards against the natural elements that cause loss in quality and over-ripening in fruit.  The company’s vision – to work with its customers to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables around the world by improving quality and availability – is a good fit with the philosophy behind the Produce for Better Health Foundation. For more information, visit our Web site.