America's More Matters Pledge Toolkit Now Available Online from Produce for Better Health Foundation

Hockessin, Del. - The marketing toolkit for America's More Matters Pledge: Fruits & Veggies . . . Today and Every Day! is now available on the Produce for Better Health website, www.PBHFoundation.org. The new online pledge campaign from Fruits & Veggies-More Matters is a result of discussions between the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA) and first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move childhood obesity initiative. America's More Matters Pledge: Fruits & Veggies . . . Today and Every Day! officially kicks off in September during Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Month but will be ongoing. Three versions of the America's More Matters Pledge: Fruits & Veggies . . . Today and Every Day! marketing toolkit are available online. Click through to check out the retail toolkit, the supplier toolkit, and educator toolkit online.  

Toolkit materials are customizable. Even the America's More Matters Pledge graphic itself can be customized! If the user doesn't have enough room for the entire graphic in their project, the fruit and vegetable background can be omitted leaving only the key shaped interior graphic. Also, the watermelon image at the bottom of the graphic can be customized to highlight a particular fruit or vegetable in any form, fresh, frozen, dried, canned, or 100 percent juice!

The new toolkit materials include downloadable pledge cards, press release templates, newsletter articles, radio and on-hold messaging scripts, and POS pieces. There are also toolkit items designed to help the industry, educators, and members of the public health community announce their related activities to the consumer media and other audiences. As always, these materials are free of charge.

"I encourage everyone to check out and download the pledge campaign toolkit and incorporate some or all of the materials into their own September Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Month promotions and into their 2011 plans as well," said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., President and CEO of PBH. "Growers, processors, shippers, retailers, healthcare providers, educators - everyone can plan and conduct fun interactive fruit and veggie events for families, like food demonstrations, taste tests, school tours, and other activities in September and beyond."

A new activity exchange page is being developed on www.FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org which will highlight fruit and vegetable related events or activities of interest to consumers; events like supermarket tours, in-store demonstrations, areas schools adding fruit and vegetable vending machines or salad bars, identifying schools participating in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, contests, free materials, classes, and other fruit and veggie health-related activities will appear on this page. Activities listed here will begin in September as part of Fruits & Veggies-More Matters month.

On this page, consumers will be able to type in their zip code and see what's happening relating to fruits and vegetables in their local community as well as to see what others are doing nationwide. This page will also feature a "tell us" form so that website visitors can share activities they know will be occurring in their area.

In August, donors will be able to begin to upload any fruit and veggie events or activities of interest to consumers. They can also include at least one PDF or photo per activity using the form online. A template excel file will be available so that similar events occurring at various locations, like retail food demonstrations, can be entered all at once.

PBH encourages the industry and public health community to help populate this new page with fruit and vegetable related news, events, contests, and activities. The activity exchange page will not only provide information to consumers, it will also assist the White House, advocates, health professionals, and the fruit and vegetable industry in identifying successful local efforts to emulate.

"I hope to see activities and events on the activity exchange page from every aspect of the fruit and vegetable industry," said Pivonka. "Right now consumers are looking for opportunities to make healthy choices. The interest in living a healthy lifestyle, that includes eating more fruits and vegetables, has been shifted into high gear by first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move childhood obesity initiative. What better time to begin to benefit from this association than in September, Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Month?"

Additional activities are currently in discussion with the Let's Move initiative and NFVA. More information will be released as these discussions unfold. Pivonka encourages everyone to follow Fruits & Veggies-More Matters on Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter, saying that PBH will announce other Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Month plans there as they are finalized.