PBH introduced Fruits & Veggies—More Matters!™ to key federal and state health program managers this month in a series of consecutive meetings. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) nationwide network of state 5 A Day program coordinators learned more about the new branded promotional program at the National Fruit and Vegetable Stakeholders Conference June 8-10 in Seattle. CDC Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity’s Dr. William Dietz set the stage with introductory remarks. Coordinators learned from Sterling Brands’ Simon Williams about the substantial research behind the new motivational message, and received information on the program’s launch and implementation from PBH President Elizabeth Pivonka, PhD, RD, and Vice President of Programs Barbara Berry, MS, RD. Berry and Michigan 5 A Day program coordinator Diane Golzynski, PhD, RD, also introduced the program to attendees of the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors’ annual meeting June 11-13. Berry was joined by CDC and United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association executives to provide an orientation to state program administrators for USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which offers free snacks to schoolchildren (see related story), at a USDA gathering June 8. PBH members were introduced to the new brand at PBH’s spring board meeting in April; implementation tools will be available this fall, and the brand will be unveiled to consumers early next year.

General Mills’ Green Giant frozen and canned vegetables brand demonstrated its support for improving the lives of consumers and encouraging healthy eating by making a generous $75,000 dues contribution to PBH. PBH’s Executive Committee approved Green Giant’s addition to the Board of Trustees earlier this month. Committed to nourishing the lives of consumers and communities – General Mills and its foundation have contributed more than $8 million to youth nutrition and fitness programs around the country – the company and its Green Giant division have now made a strong commitment to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Green Giant markets numerous canned and frozen vegetable offerings, including Just for One! single-serve frozen vegetable products that will launch this summer. The Green Giant contribution will help underwrite PBH’s unveiling of the new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters! brand to consumers early next year. For more information, contact PBH Vice President of Development Claudia Wenzing.

PBH members and licensed retailers will play a vital role in launching the new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters! brand by spreading the word to consumers that no matter how many fruits and vegetables they eat, everyone benefits from eating More! To assist members who plan to update their packaging to include the new brand on long-lead items, PBH has prepared a limited-use trademark license agreement for packaging that will be in effect through October, when a more comprehensive licensing agreement will go into effect in anticipation of the consumer launch in early 2007. Visit PBH’s member-protected website to download the agreement, brand style/usage guidelines, products promotable criteria and a production checklist. Members can also access a legal opinion regarding the brand’s acceptability in the Canadian market.

Report to FDA Calls for More Fruits, Vegetables in Foodservice

Fruits and vegetables are prominent in a new report commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that calls on providers of foods prepared away from home to play a more active role in downsizing America’s waistline. Developed for FDA by a multidisciplinary forum of experts convened by the Keystone Center that included PBH Nutrition Research Manager Kathy Hoy, EdD, RD, the foodservice report specifically recommends expanding the 5 A Day program and increasing availability on the menu of lower-calorie foods including fruits and vegetables as directed by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The forum report also recommends reducing foodservice portion sizes and reformulating calorie-dense meals to include lower calorie fruits, vegetables and other foods, and called for more access to research, consumer data and consumer nutrition information. The forum, which was formed in 2004 and met during 2005, was tasked to consider what could be done in the away-from-home foods arena to bolster consumers’ ability to manage calorie intake to prevent overweight and obesity. The report is designed for a broad audience including foodservice operators and suppliers, policymakers, public health and culinary professionals, and researchers. While a member of the restaurant industry participated in the forum, National Restaurant Association does not support its findings, charging it unfairly targets the restaurant industry. View the executive summary and download the full report.

There’s now more evidence that a fruit- and vegetable-rich diet is a key to healthy weight. Normal weight adults who were studied consumed more fiber and fruit than their overweight or obese counterparts, reported researchers in the June issue of Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The study’s authors analyzed the dietary intake, physical activity and percent body fat of 52 overweight/obese people and 52 normal-weight people. They found that study participants with higher percent body fat had lower intakes of dietary fiber and fruit, while people with lower percent body fat had higher intakes of dietary fiber and fruit. Overweight and obese subjects also consumed more total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, and less carbohydrate and complex carbohydrate than normal weight persons. Previous studies have found similar correlation between fiber and complex carbohydrate intake and percent body fat. The authors concluded that a diet high in fiber, complex carbohydrate and fruit should be a component of dietary interventions designed for weight loss. For more information, contact PBH Nutrition Research Manager Kathy Hoy, EdD, RD. (Source: Davis JN et al.  J Am Diet Assoc. June 2006; vol. 106, no. 6: pp 833-40.)

The June issue of the International Fruit and Vegetable Alliance’s (IFAVA) Scientific Newsletter underscores that fostering healthy fruit and vegetable food preferences early in life isn’t child’s play. Three research reports document the importance of pre- and post-natal influences on children’s acceptance of fruits and vegetables, the link between early exposure to these foods and consumption during later stages of life, and the value of simply exposing children early and often to overcome their natural neophobic tendencies regarding food. View the IFAVA research newsletter.

Want to gain visibility for your company with PBH’s influential industry members, retailers and allies? Then consider sponsoring a future edition of this e-newsletter. By helping to underwrite the cost of producing PBH Direct!, you will also be supporting PBH’s important programming to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and sales. Sponsorships are available for four remaining issues this year: July 14, Aug. 11, Nov. 3, and the Dec. 1 special year-in-review issue. Sponsors are recognized with their logo in the newsletter masthead, and with an article. PBH Direct! is distributed to PBH members, licensed retailers and many other allies in the fruit and vegetable promotion effort., and are accessible in the Members section of PBH’s website. For more information on PBH Direct! sponsorship, contact PBH Vice President of Development Claudia Wenzing.

PBH is pleased to recognize the following companies who joined or renewed their memberships in support of the foundation May 29-June 9. 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.

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