| September 27, 2021 – The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is convening an intimate virtual influencer event to satisfy the strong desire for meaningful, memorable connectivity among industry and those that inspire consumers’ fruit and vegetable consumption behaviors. PBH’s Have A Plant® Nation Ambassador Event offers stimulating education and actionable solutions to activate across three points of influence: point-of-sale (retail), point-of-flavor (culinary & foodservice), and point-of-inspiration (digital & social media lifestyle & nutrition communicators). The event will be held September 28-29, 2021, and serves as the celebratory finale to PBH’s 3rd annual National Fruits & Veggies Month (NFVM) celebration.
“As we continue to adapt to the new rules of engagement in a virtual world, PBH wanted to ensure a moment of meaningful connectivity, so that industry leaders could maintain momentum without risk, flight or mask,” says Sharese Roper, Member Engagement Director at PBH. “Despite the so-called “Zoom fatigue,” this event filled a resounding void felt by our members and our incredibly passionate Have A Plant® Ambassadors who are inspiring consumers, shoppers and diners to eat and enjoy more fruits and veggies throughout their daily lives.”
“As Americans continue to seek information and inspiration regarding their health and well-being, and fruits and veggies are the number one way people can achieve better health and happiness, we wanted to generate at a meaningful touch-point to not only educate and arm our Have A Plant® Ambassadors with new science-based information, but also find a platform for our members to communicate, and essentially move product through the supply chain,” says Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President and CEO of PBH. “With new PBH State of The Plate consumption research at our fingertips as well as new behavioral studies underway, what better time than National Fruits & Veggies Month to convene as thought-leaders in an attempt to elevate consumption as a national priority. The PBH Have a Plant® Nation Ambassador Event unites important retail and foodservice professionals as well as healthy lifestyle influencers with fruit and vegetable industry leaders to inspire actionable solutions that can positively impact consumers’ consumption habits.”
THE PBH HAVE A PLANT® NATION AMBASSADOR EVENT AGENDA
During the two-day event, attendees will engage in education sessions, virtual tasting experiences, and small group virtual visits – Zoom-inspired two-way, video-to-video sessions for individual sponsors to meet intimately with 10-12 Ambassadors at once. Attendees will be the first to hear select topline insights from PBH’s upcoming behavioral study, as well as key components from its signature 2020 State of The Plate: Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in America research. They’ll also gain insights on agricultural innovation and sustainability as well as celebrate their collective “fruit and veggie love” during a Party for Produce to close out the event.
“While we had hoped to see everyone in person again, we are looking forward to this opportunity to engage and inspire consumers along the path to purchase, and we are grateful that PBH has continued to offer a unique platform for us to connect directly with this powerful group,” says Lorinda Oscarson, Marketing Coordinator for Chelan Fresh and PBH Marketing & Communications Committee Co-Chair. “We applaud the efforts put forth by PBH to encourage consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables in all forms.”
THE PBH HAVE A PLANT® NATION AMBASSADOR EVENT ATTENDEES
To create a truly intimate and exclusive environment, PBH issued invites to 50 strategically-selected Ambassadors from retail, foodservice and lifestyle and nutrition communicators, as well as a limited number of sponsors.
Confirmed attendees include the following representatives:
Retail:
- Big Y Foods, Inc.
- Coborn’s Inc.
- Fresh Thyme Farmers Market
- Giant Food
- Hannaford Supermarkets
- H-E-B
- Hy-Vee, Inc.
- The Kroger Company
- Redner’s Markets
- Rouses Markets
- Skogen’s Festival Foods
- SpartanNash
- Walmart
- Wegmans
Culinary/Foodservice:
- Judy Barbe, LiveBest
- Rebecca Cave, Subway
- Kim Galeaz, Galeaz Food & Nutrition Communications
- Chris Martone, CulinaryDNA
- Robin Plotkin, RDPC, Inc.
- Jennifer Roberts, Compass Group North America
- Rosanne Rust, Rust Nutrition Communications Services
- Erika Wong, Kaya Health
Lifestyle/Nutrition Communicators In Digital & Social:
- Joan Salge Blake – Dr. Joan Salge Blake – SpotOn! Podcast (Boston, MA)
- Leslie Bonci – Active Eating Advice (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Kristen Carli – Mostly Green (Scottsdale, AZ)
- Neva Cochran – Eating Beyond the Headlines (Dallas, TX)
- Beau Coffron – Lunchbox Dad (Edmund, OK)
- Stephen & Elise Compston – Compston’s Kitchen (Reno, NV)
- Andrew Dole – Body Fuel (New Zealand)
- Mandy Enright – Food + Movement (Jersey Shore, NJ)
- Abbie Gellman – Chef Abbie Gellman (New York, NY)
- Cara Harbstreet – Street Smart Nutrition (Overland Park, KS)
- Dayle Hayes – School Meals that Rock (Bozeman, MT)
- Kelly Jones – Kelly Jones Nutrition (Philadelphia, PA)
- Megan McCarthy – Healthy Eating 101 (Atlanta, GA)
- Tessa Nguyen – Tessa Nguyen(South Korea)
- Natalie Rizzo – Greenletes (New York, NY)
- Nicole Rodriguez – Enjoy Food Enjoy Life (New York, NY)
- Sarah Schlichter – Bucket List Tummy (Washington, DC)
- Kelli Shallal – Hungry Hobby (Phoenix, AZ)
- Lori Taylor – The Produce Moms® (Indianapolis, IN)
- Jonathan Valdez – Genki Nutrition (New York, NY)
- Manuel Villacorta – Manuel Villacorta (San Francisco, CA)
- Elisabeth Watkins – Farm Girl Chef (Reno, NV)
- Liz Weiss – Liz’s Healthy Table (Boston, MA)
THE PBH HAVE A PLANT® NATION AMBASSADOR EVENT SPONSORS
INFORM LEVEL SPONSORS
HZPC Americas Corp./Potato Glory™
Naturipe Farms, LLC
Pacific Coast Producers
Seneca Foods
ENTICE LEVEL SPONSORS
Chelan Fresh™
Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc.
The Wonderful Company
INTRIGUE LEVEL SPONSORS
Dole Food Company
Juice Products Association
Kellogg’s
Stemilt
Marie’s from Ventura Foods
ENGAGE LEVEL SPONSORS
Cannedbeans.org
National Pasta Association
Red Sun Farms |
