Produce For Better Health ready to take National Fruits and Veggies Month by storm
The Produce for Better Health Foundation encourages the produce industry to join the Have A Plant Movement this September, as the nonprofit organization kicks off its fourth annual National Fruits and Veggies Month. The campaign has garnered more than 100 million social media impressions each year during the month of September since the 2019 launch of National Fruits and Veggies Month, according to a news release.
PBH is also working to elevate fruit and vegetable consumption to a national priority. As the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health is set to take place Sept. 28, PBH says “it is imperative, now more than ever, to raise national awareness for fruits and vegetables and the important role they play for America’s health and happiness.”
The month's theme this year is "Celebrating The Roots Of Our Food.” Fruits and vegetables serve as a deeply rooted connection point between farmers and consumers and consumers and their communities, says PBH.
“September is a pivotal moment to elevate fruits and vegetables to a national priority and celebrate all of the hardworking individuals across the supply chain who work tirelessly to deliver America’s favorite and flavorful plants to our stores, our restaurants and our tables,” said PBH President and CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak in a release. “It is a unique year given the efforts surrounding the second White House conference, and we need our voices to be heard in order to close the fruit and vegetable consumption gap.
“The time is now to join together,” she continued. “PBH’s digital assets, as well as the Have A Plant Movement, provide the platform for which we can all unite and deliver consistent fruit and vegetable messaging to key stakeholders, [as well as] provide inspiration directly to consumers, encouraging new fruit and vegetable consumption behaviors.”
This September, PBH will also release new consumer research that unveils specific fruit and vegetable hacks to overcome, what it says are common consumption barriers, as well as behavioral insights, that can lead to lifelong habits.
Rooted in behavioral science, the PBH team said it has taken insights from its research to create consumer-facing promotional content and activation ideas that can help unify messaging and prompt new and creative ways to communicate about fruits and vegetables with consumers across four key pillars: Make It Easy; Back To Basics; Fruit and Veggie Hacks; and Fruit and Veggie Care. Integrated into this year’s campaign are new GIF’s for social sharing encouraging the messages, “Every time you eat, Have A Plant,” “Every time you shop, Have A Plant” and more.
“PBH is committed to the produce industry and to communicating to consumers about the greatness fruits and vegetables bring to our tables, our minds and our souls this National Fruits and Veggies Month; but we cannot do it alone,” said Katie Calligaro, PBH marketing and communications director. “We need everyone to join in this September, and so we’ve made it easy for the industry to rally around fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as drive momentum for the award-winning Have A Plant Movement.
“We create the tools. We activate our networks. We make it cool and fun,” she added. “Now, we look forward to seeing what everyone else will do to get in the game.”
What’s on deck for this month’s PBH 2022 National Fruits and Veggies Month campaign?
- Have A Plant influencer network activations: PBH’s influencer network is comprised of more than 300 retail retail dietitians; foodservice and culinary leaders; and nutrition, lifestyle and agriculture communicators. This includes 50 Have A Plant ambassadors who contribute recipes, videos, reels, hacks, expert advice, blog posts and more to PBH’s digital ecosystem.
- Have A Plant cook-alongs and Facebook lives: PBH events on Facebook present a free opportunity for produce companies to engage with PBH’s followers on social media in real time. Upcoming dates include:
- September 14 – Celebrate National Fruits and Veggies Month and National Family Meals Month with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Liz Weis.
- September 21 – Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month this month with Registered Dietitian Manuel Villacorta.
- Local TV media: Various Have A Plant ambassadors have pitched their local TV stations and will be doing live segments featuring National Fruits and Veggies Month, including Registered Dietitian Kristen Carli and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Kelly Jones, among others.
- Podcasts: Kapsak has also participated in a multitude of produce industry trade, as well as lifestyle and nutrition podcasts, that will air during the month of September including:
- Retail activations across various markets:
- Powerful Produce Pairings promotion with Egg Nutrition Center and Veggies at H-E-B.
- Retail Registered Dietitian Roundtable featuring Have A Plant retail registered dietitian ambassadors from Big Y, H-E-B and Rouses, who will talk with Ashley Nickle about their National Fruits and Veggies Month Plans during the produce retail podcast.
- Various Have A Plant ambassador retail dietitians will conduct cooking classes and consumer-facing trainings that will feature fruits and vegetables as the primary focus during the month.
- PBH partnerships customized for National Fruits and Veggies Month:
- Through custom digital and social activations, PBH will partner with U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council to highlight blueberries during the week of Sept. 19.
- Chelan Fresh has invited PBH as an influencer to attend its experiential field tour, Sept. 21-23.
- PBH will partner with Egg Nutrition Center and Hass Avocado Board to present its monthly health and wellness webinar, Sept. 27, titled, “Managing Scientific Whiplash: The Evolution of Dietary Fat and Cholesterol Research.”
- PBH is set to partner with FOODWORKS to launch Green by Foodworks to encourage chefs nationwide to create more plant-forward menus in restaurants across America.
