PMA webinar addresses new dietary guidelines and MyPyramid
PMA webinar addresses new dietary guidelines and MyPyramid
Bryan Silbermann, president of the Produce Marketing Association, is of the belief that with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's newly released Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid, fresh produce marketers have a wealth of federally funded tools to bolster fruit and vegetable sales. Because of this position and in light of the new information, PMA hosted a webinar June 28 to discuss these topics and tools.
Moderated by Mr. Silbermann, the webinar featured speakers Steve N. Christensen from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Elizabeth Pivonka from the Produce for Better Health Foundation and Mary Christ-Erwin from Porter-Novelli Public Relations to provide the industry with expert perspectives of USDA's new Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid. The webinar was presented through PMA's Fresh Produce Academy and was titled "Taste, Convenience, Profits: Marketing the New Dietary Guidelines to Increase Produce Consumption."
The first expert to speak was Mr. Christensen, deputy administrator for Special Nutrition Programs, Food & Nutrition Service at USDA, who was on the USDA team that developed the latest version of the dietary guidelines and the food pyramid, now known as MyPyramid.
"Dietary Guidelines is a booklet, and booklets have their limits, he said, noting that it is difficult for a printed booklet to be individualized.
However, the MyPyramid web site, www.mypyramid.gov, is where consumers can tailor a custom diet and activity program by entering their specific information such as height, weight and age. "It is something that can be personalized.
There are two areas of the web site for consumers: MyPyramid Plan and MyPyramid Tracker. The tracker is the more advanced and customizable tool, but it is quite easy to use. It is exclusively available on the Internet, but Mr. Christiensen said that 99 percent of public schools, 95 percent of public libraries and 75 percent of American homes have Internet access, and still, there are print materials available.
The primary counter argument that USDA hears about the web-based program is that consumers may not be motivated enough to make the effort to go on-line and seek the information.
Mr. Christensen countered, though, that if people are not motivated enough to log on to the web site, they will likely not be motivated enough to make changes in their diet and lifestyle either.
He also noted that 40 percent of Americans have seen the new MyPyramid logo and that a WebMD poll found that 61 percent of respondents indicated a likelihood of making dietary changes in light of the new MyPyramid.
A primary element of MyPyramid is the logo itself. It was designed to convey a lot of information at a quick glance. There are six elements it attempts to address: activity, proportionality, moderation, variety, personalization and gradual improvement.
Next on the USDA agenda is the launch of a children's MyPyramid, which is set to premier in the fall to coincide with the start of school.
Mr. Christensen hesitated to reveal too much because the program is not yet finalized and public comment has yet to occur, but he did say that it will be highly interactive and "more game-like. He said that it will "really take that personalization to the next level. It will be designed for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, and, "By 2007, we hope to have in place all the changes for the dietary guidelines in the school food program.
Elizabeth Pivonka, president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, who spoke primarily about PBHs national action plan, said that more than half of Americans know that they need to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, but only one in five actually does.
PBH's national action plan provides 80 different strategies to help increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. It was developed with input from food, nutrition, marketing, communication and policy thought leaders, and was reviewed by experts and influencers. It has three goals: to change Americans' attitudes and habits so that they include fruits and vegetables at every occasion, increase the accessibility and desirability of fruits and vegetables and offer practical strategies to help individuals obtain and prepare meals and snacks rich in fruits and vegetables.
Ms. Pivonka stressed that PBH has learned that consumers are interested in more packing options. They want smaller packs for child-sized portions and more size options on retailers' shelves. Meeting these demands, she said, will help increase consumption.
Mary Christ-Erwin, director of corporate food and nutrition practice for Porter-Novelli, the firm that developed the MyPyramid logo, spoke about getting nutritional messages across to consumers.
She said that consumers "are hearing a tremendous amount of info on the benefits of fruits and vegetables, and "they need help sorting it out.
Ms. Christ-Erwin spoke about consumer eating trends, noting that " 'fresh' is a buzzword, and that nutrition is considered to be more important than taste at breakfast, lunch and dinner, but for snacks, taste trumps nutritional value.
There is a lot of confusion among consumers because of mixed messages concerning diet and nutrition. For a while, carbohydrates were considered bad and fat was good. Now that is beginning to change back.
Nutritional science changes often, she said, though "industry is warming to healthy fare, she said. Lettuce leaves are increasingly replacing grain-based tortillas in wrap sandwiches, and fast food and quick-serve restaurants are incorporating more items into their menus that feature fresh produce.
A big issue for many consumers is satiety, and this is of particular importance when related to obesity. Surprisingly, Ms. Christ-Erwin said, the correlation between health and weight is not yet broadly solidified. She said that many American men switch to a healthier diet in their 50s when a friend suffers a heart attack or some similar poor-health-related ailment and they realize their own unhealthy lifestyle and its probable results.
Moderated by Mr. Silbermann, the webinar featured speakers Steve N. Christensen from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Elizabeth Pivonka from the Produce for Better Health Foundation and Mary Christ-Erwin from Porter-Novelli Public Relations to provide the industry with expert perspectives of USDA's new Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid. The webinar was presented through PMA's Fresh Produce Academy and was titled "Taste, Convenience, Profits: Marketing the New Dietary Guidelines to Increase Produce Consumption."
The first expert to speak was Mr. Christensen, deputy administrator for Special Nutrition Programs, Food & Nutrition Service at USDA, who was on the USDA team that developed the latest version of the dietary guidelines and the food pyramid, now known as MyPyramid.
"Dietary Guidelines is a booklet, and booklets have their limits, he said, noting that it is difficult for a printed booklet to be individualized.
However, the MyPyramid web site, www.mypyramid.gov, is where consumers can tailor a custom diet and activity program by entering their specific information such as height, weight and age. "It is something that can be personalized.
There are two areas of the web site for consumers: MyPyramid Plan and MyPyramid Tracker. The tracker is the more advanced and customizable tool, but it is quite easy to use. It is exclusively available on the Internet, but Mr. Christiensen said that 99 percent of public schools, 95 percent of public libraries and 75 percent of American homes have Internet access, and still, there are print materials available.
The primary counter argument that USDA hears about the web-based program is that consumers may not be motivated enough to make the effort to go on-line and seek the information.
Mr. Christensen countered, though, that if people are not motivated enough to log on to the web site, they will likely not be motivated enough to make changes in their diet and lifestyle either.
He also noted that 40 percent of Americans have seen the new MyPyramid logo and that a WebMD poll found that 61 percent of respondents indicated a likelihood of making dietary changes in light of the new MyPyramid.
A primary element of MyPyramid is the logo itself. It was designed to convey a lot of information at a quick glance. There are six elements it attempts to address: activity, proportionality, moderation, variety, personalization and gradual improvement.
Next on the USDA agenda is the launch of a children's MyPyramid, which is set to premier in the fall to coincide with the start of school.
Mr. Christensen hesitated to reveal too much because the program is not yet finalized and public comment has yet to occur, but he did say that it will be highly interactive and "more game-like. He said that it will "really take that personalization to the next level. It will be designed for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, and, "By 2007, we hope to have in place all the changes for the dietary guidelines in the school food program.
Elizabeth Pivonka, president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, who spoke primarily about PBHs national action plan, said that more than half of Americans know that they need to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, but only one in five actually does.
PBH's national action plan provides 80 different strategies to help increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. It was developed with input from food, nutrition, marketing, communication and policy thought leaders, and was reviewed by experts and influencers. It has three goals: to change Americans' attitudes and habits so that they include fruits and vegetables at every occasion, increase the accessibility and desirability of fruits and vegetables and offer practical strategies to help individuals obtain and prepare meals and snacks rich in fruits and vegetables.
Ms. Pivonka stressed that PBH has learned that consumers are interested in more packing options. They want smaller packs for child-sized portions and more size options on retailers' shelves. Meeting these demands, she said, will help increase consumption.
Mary Christ-Erwin, director of corporate food and nutrition practice for Porter-Novelli, the firm that developed the MyPyramid logo, spoke about getting nutritional messages across to consumers.
She said that consumers "are hearing a tremendous amount of info on the benefits of fruits and vegetables, and "they need help sorting it out.
Ms. Christ-Erwin spoke about consumer eating trends, noting that " 'fresh' is a buzzword, and that nutrition is considered to be more important than taste at breakfast, lunch and dinner, but for snacks, taste trumps nutritional value.
There is a lot of confusion among consumers because of mixed messages concerning diet and nutrition. For a while, carbohydrates were considered bad and fat was good. Now that is beginning to change back.
Nutritional science changes often, she said, though "industry is warming to healthy fare, she said. Lettuce leaves are increasingly replacing grain-based tortillas in wrap sandwiches, and fast food and quick-serve restaurants are incorporating more items into their menus that feature fresh produce.
A big issue for many consumers is satiety, and this is of particular importance when related to obesity. Surprisingly, Ms. Christ-Erwin said, the correlation between health and weight is not yet broadly solidified. She said that many American men switch to a healthier diet in their 50s when a friend suffers a heart attack or some similar poor-health-related ailment and they realize their own unhealthy lifestyle and its probable results.
