5 A DAY CATCHING ON - SURELY BUT RATHER SLOWLY

BOB BAUER

NEWARK, Del. -- The 5 a Day for Better Health program is making inroads into the frozen food industry, but it isn't exactly setting the frozens world on fire.

The program, started in 1991 by the Produce for Better Health Foundation here, along with the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute's Department of Human Services, encourages consumers to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

The frozen food industry got involved about 18 months ago through the American Frozen Food Institute's Frozen Vegetable Committee. AFFI has since created a 5 a Day committee designed to increase the industry's role in the program.

However, in the wake of this year's 5 a Day Week, held Sept. 11 to 17, it seems there's still lots of work to do to get the word out about frozens and 5 a Day.

"We were hoping by this time a little bit more of the usage of it would show up on the packaging now that the [Food and Drug Administration] rules are in place. We've not been seeing a lot yet," said Brian Krieg, executive director of the PBH Foundation.

Ben Frega, vice president and general manager of private label at Comstock Michigan Fruit, Rochester, N.Y., and a member of both the vegetable council and 5 a Day committees, said that should change soon. "In fact, our company has put it on our label product that's sold through some club stores and packaging that we own. We're starting to see some customers do it also, though not too many, because everybody's been so bogged down in getting the new [Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990] requirements on their packaging, it hasn't left much time or opportunity to think about anything else, much less do it."

Both Krieg and Frega said recent efforts should increase the role frozens plays in the program. "The message gets out through media communications work between both us and the cancer institute," Krieg said. "We see a lot of mention of frozens in that literature. But the in-store usage has not really caught fire. It's a harder thing to do."

Frega agreed and mentioned a recent newspaper supplement in a Rochester newspaper that highlighted frozen foods and 5 a Day. "We've just got to get everybody involved, whether it's our own sales forces, our brokers," he said, referring to getting the 5 a Day message to the store level. "We're starting to see that happen. It's on a limited basis at this time, but we're starting to see people, when they're promoting frozen vegetables, talking about 5 a Day. I think the frozen food industry is really starting to gear up behind it. It's taken us a little while, but it's starting to move."