PBH GROUP TO MULL RELAXING 5-A-DAY PRODUCE STANDARDS

AMY I. STICKEL

NEWARK, Del. -- In a search for increased funds, the Produce for Better Health Foundation will consider relaxing the criteria for produce items that can be promoted under the 5-a-Day umbrella.

The foundation is assembling a task force of industry representatives that will mull over this and other options for building a more solid funding base.

"It's open-ended, which means we're going to look at everything, including items that might not come under the strict guidelines of the National Cancer Institute," Vince Terry, director of produce operations for Harp's Food Stores, Springdale, Ark., told SN. Terry was asked to serve on the foundation's task force.

"The task force is to look at revenues, and therefore at how to do a better job of carrying forth the message that eating more produce lowers the risk of cancer," Terry said.

The upshot of this is that the task force will consider extending the 5-a-Day campaign to items that have added sugar or fat, such as prepackaged salad mixes with low-fat dressings, said Elizabeth Pivonka, deputy executive director for PBH.

Such items cannot currently carry the 5-a-Day logo, according to guidelines established by the National Cancer Institute, an important co-partner in the 5-a-Day movement.

While expanding the number of items allowed under 5-a-Day guidelines could add to the till, the prospect has raised concerns at NCI, said Gloria Stables, program director for 5 a Day at the National Cancer Institute.

"Obviously, NCI is concerned about what route to take with the 5-a-Day program," Stables said.

Terry acknowledged that the issues the task force will face could prove controversial.

"There's a tremendous amount of debate, and a certain amount of emotionalism there, as to what is right," said Terry. "What should we be doing, and what aren't we to be doing?"

Stables at NCI said that the foundation deserves credit for taking on what could be a difficult issue. "Looking at cost benefits is great. PBH needs to ask themselves, 'what is there to gain, and what is there to lose?' " she said.

"We have a very nice working relationship with PBH, and that is one of our strengths," said Stables, who added that she thinks it is a bit premature to speculate on the task force's mission, since it has not issued a mission statement yet.

Pivonka said PBH takes its relationship with NCI seriously. "First and foremost, we don't want to do anything that would jeopardize our relationship with the National Cancer Institute," she said.

At a meeting in Dallas last month, the foundation's board set for itself the objective of increasing overall annual revenues by 16%. The issue of creating the task force was also raised during that meeting, said Terry.

In other business at the meeting, the board decided to target children and the medical community in the 5-a-Day promotional campaign next year.

PBH will research, develop and test new programs targeted specifically at those two groups, foundation officials said.

"That's a direction we want to go in," said Kathleen Steele, director of communications and promotions for PBH.

Steele said she will examine successful 5-a-Day promotions that are already under way at the state and local levels, to ferret out ideas for broad new programs.

Steele also said the PBH leadership set goals for the year that include increasing membership by 6%, to 1,325 members; improving and expanding the effectiveness of 5-a-Day communications and programs to raise public awareness to 40%, from the current level of 34%; developing and expanding a new customer service orientation to include improved field presence; achieving at least three new strategic partnerships with companies, associations and charities; increasing 5-a-Day usage and presence among select commercial and non-commercial food-service accounts, and improving coalition training and support at the state level.

Two new directors -- Richard Chapman, regional services consultant for Aramark, Oakbrook, Ill., and Joe Hakim, a produce consultant based in Aliso Viejo, Calif. -- were named to the board during the PBH meeting.