'5 A DAY' BRAND TO BE REPLACED

ROSEANNE HARPER

SAN FRANCISCO - To re-energize its consumption campaign, the Produce for Better Health Foundation will drop the 5 A Day brand and replace it with a tagline that makes no reference to number of servings.

Officials unveiled the new brand, "Fruits & Veggies - More Matters!" at the PBHF board meeting here. The tagline will be rolled out to consumers next year, replacing the 15-year-old 5 A Day brand, officials said.

Research showed 50% of consumers are aware of the "5 A Day" recommendation, but only one in five eats the recommended five servings of produce, and a whopping 96% of children fall short. Those findings led PBHF to revise its message to close the gap between awareness and actual consumption.

"Some could feel they failed if they didn't achieve five servings," said Barbara Campbell, senior executive, marketing and communications, at the Wilmington, Del.-based PBHF. "The new message says any small step toward eating more fruits and vegetables matters when it comes to staying healthy."

Retailers on the PBHF board welcomed the change.

"It's a message that everyone can understand," said Mike O'Brien, vice president of produce for Schnuck Markets, St. Louis.

"Fruits & Veggies - More Matters! is a single, unifying brand that the entire industry can get behind and support," said Bruce Peterson, senior vice president of perishables for Wal-Mart Stores, in a statement.