FMI, PBH Team Up to Help Families Share More Produce-Packed Meals
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Foundation and the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) have joined forces to help more families discover the value of produce-rich meals eaten together. The goal of the first-ever partnership is to combine the advantages of family meals and consuming more fruit and vegetables via social and digital experiences, as well as resources and in-store programs that the industry can use with shoppers and consumers.
The joint campaign will run throughout September, which is both Fruits and Veggies-More Matters Month, spearheaded by PBH, and National Family Meals Month, begun by FMI. All of the campaign elements aim to encourage families to prepare and share nutritious meals, with half of every plate filled with fruit and vegetables.
“The demands of a busy, modern family life often come at the expense of family mealtime at home,” noted Susan Borra, chief health and wellness officer at Arlington, Va.-based FMI and executive director of the FMI Foundation. “Our goal is to start a movement that inspires and helps families to enjoy just one more meal together each week. By emphasizing that half of the mealtime plate should be filled with a variety of fruit and vegetables, we can introduce consumers to a range of new solutions throughout the grocery store.”
“Both PBH and the FMI Foundation have long histories and rich legacies of helping families make smart food choices throughout the day,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, president and CEO of Brentwood, Mo.-based PBH. “As partners, we will make a greater impact by creating solutions that enhance not only family mealtime, but increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Research shows that eating more fruit and vegetables supports healthier, happier lifestyles, and together, we will support industry as well as consumers in achieving this goal — at any meal occasion.”
A variety of complementary customizable resources and collateral is available online, including infographics, social posts and blogs, and retail toolkits. PBH and the FMI Foundation are also encouraging usage of the following hashtags during the campaign: #MoreMatters and #FamilyMealsMonth.
“While this is the first integrated partnership between PBH and the FMI Foundation, we look forward to exploring additional, mutually beneficial opportunities in the future, and continuing to activate and engage with the industry to help improve the health and wellbeing of consumers,” added Kapsak.
Among the retailers that are featuring the joint campaign is Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash, No. 35 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.