PBH Salutes Produce Industry Through Omni-Channel Communications Platforms to Support Consumers During Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

CONTACT:

Katie Toulouse, Marketing & Communications Director
Produce for Better Health Foundation
[email protected]
412-848-1644

March 24, 2020 – The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is flexing the power of influencers, as well as their own platforms, to unify the produce industry with consumers during this extraordinary time. With millions of people stuck at home when health and well-being are top of mind, fruits and vegetables should continue to be prominently positioned for their many benefits.

“We at PBH are doing what we do best – promoting and protecting fruits and vegetables – when health is consumers’ top priority,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, president and CEO of PBH in a Board of Trustees’ communication on Monday. “PBH is positioned to be the unifying public voice for our members and the collective produce industry, and we are effectively and credibly communicating the health and overall well-being benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption.”

Reinhardt Kapsak continued, “At a time when consumers are looking for answers, PBH is reassuring them that fruits and vegetables are safe and healthful choices – ultimately, empowering them with facts instead of fear and fiction; inspiring them to purchase and enjoy produce; instilling hope in uncertain times; and enhancing consumer trust in the broader produce industry’s dedication, competence and perseverance.”

Specifically, the following tactics have been activated to showcase the positive benefits of fruits and veggies and provide consumers with much-needed context during this uncertain time:

1. Dedicated Coronavirus (COVID-19) Webpage on the PBH Website, org/coronavirus. The goal of this page is to help calm consumers’ fears over “unsafe” fruits and vegetables and to arm them with Coronavirus (COVID-19) related resources to ensure they have the information they need to stay informed. The page curates select, relevant consumer-facing content from government agencies, industry organizations, health associations as well as consumer-facing influencers. This page will serve as a complement to the latest news and tips/tricks that PBH is already disseminating through its social media posts + e-newsletters to help everyone navigate the food world during this time.
2. New Series on the PBH Homepage, Powerful Produce for Immune Support, which was posted early last week, curates existing content from the PBH site as well as new content generated from PBH’s Fruit and Vegetable Ambassadors in Action (FVAA). The goal is to continually inspire consumers with content regarding all the great things we know about, feel and can do to enjoy fruits and vegetables. This tactic is accompanied by targeted SEO and Google ad words updates, as well as social media posts to drive directly to the page.
3. Social Media Campaign Showcasing the People Who Grow, Pack, Ship and Offer Fruits and Vegetables in Retail and Foodservice Every Day. The produce industry is working around the clock to ensure that consumers are able to feed their families now in these unsure times, and always. Healthy, safe foods for our families. And they are committed 24/7 to making sure that continues through this time and beyond. To honor them with support, PBH is committed to telling those stories from the field…to the store…to consumers’ homes.
4. PBH Fruit and Vegetable Ambassadors in Action Activation (FVAA) Activation: To assist in populating PBH’s social channels with positive produce content now and over the next several months, the team has activated PBH’s 24 FVAA with a call for content on anything related to selecting, serving, savoring and storing fruits and vegetables, especially as it relates to the current COVID-19 situation. Whether it’s stocking up on immune-boosting ingredients or how to use an abundance of produce to batch cook, the network of culinary, health and wellness professionals are already providing content as an extension of the PBH voice to help followers navigate these challenging times.
5. “Dirty Dozen” Issues Management: Lastly, in case you have not heard, it is with great disappointment to learn that the annual “Dirty Dozen” list from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) will be released this week on Wednesday, March 25^th. The PBH team plans to activate and amplify messaging going out on behalf of its partner organization, the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF), a non-profit organization formed in 1989 which represents organic and conventional farmers of fruits and vegetables. The team to date has 1) shared a blog post from Registered Dietitian, Elizabeth Shaw, who lends some advice for how to diminish consumer fear in eating fruits and vegetables with the FVAA influencer network; 2) developed a thought-leadership article, which will go out immediately following the announcement; and 3) activated the FVAA network, encouraging them to create content as well as use PBH’s resources to promote #haveaplant to overload social media channels with positive fruit and vegetable messaging.
6. The 2020 State of the Plate 2.0 Research: PBH’s Board of Trustees, Committee and Council members gathered yesterday to discuss PBH’s signature research report update scheduled for 2020. The initial report will be released alongside the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and will confront the health and well-being of America with actionable insights during a significant, and persistent, fruit and vegetable consumption crisis. The PBH research platform is critical to elevate new fruit and vegetable consumption behaviors as a national priority and accelerate transformative growth.

“I can assure you our team is working diligently to continue to keep fruits and veggies front and center, as a commitment to our supporters and followers as well as the industry at large,” said Reinhardt Kapsak. “People are listening. They want solutions. They want to feel hopeful. And PBH can help bring this to them.”

About the Produce for Better Health Foundation

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is the only national organization dedicated to helping consumers live happier, healthy lives by eating more fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100% juice, every single day.

Since 1991, PBH has invested decades into developing trended insights on attitudes toward all forms of fruit and vegetable consumption, in addition to campaigns and partnerships with government, food industry stakeholders, health professionals and other thought leaders to collaborate, facilitate and advocate for increased intake. Campaigns included first, the 5-A-Day program, and then, the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters public health initiative. While five fruits and vegetables each day is great advice, and more will always matter, PBH’s new behavior-based call-to-action is Have A Plant™. Rooted in behavioral science, PBH’s transformative Have A Plant™ movement is an invitation that will inspire people with compelling reasons to believe in the powerful role fruits and vegetables can play to create happy, healthy and active lives.

Be sure to join the Have A Plant™ movement and get new recipes, snack hacks, meal ideas and other tips from chefs, registered dietitians, as well as food and wellness experts by visiting www.fruitsandveggies.org. Follow us on Facebook @fruitsandveggies; on Twitter @fruits_veggies; on Instagram @fruitsandveggies; on Pinterest @fruits_veggies; and on LinkedIn at Produce for Better Health Foundation. And remember to #haveaplant.