As part of its influencer engagement strategy, The International Fresh Produce Association and The Foundation for Fresh Produce have left their mark connecting and convening dietitians over the past few weeks during two key initiatives – the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) and The Retail RD Immersion Event at IFPA’s Global Produce & Floral Show. The events delivered on the Foundation’s vision to grow a healthier world by improving access, boosting appeal and forging strategic alliances that increase consumption of fruits and vegetables through engagement, inspiration and tailored education.
FNCE
For the first time, IFPA and FFP showed up in a big way with its Have A Plant® Booth, featuring fresh fruits and vegetables, Have A Plant® t-shirt giveaways, and an engaging 360 photo booth where attendees were able to share videos on their social media channels. The IFPA team engaged with more than 2,000 dietitians during the three-day FNCE Expo, highlighting resources like the go-to resource for all things produce: www.fruitsandveggies.org, the new school breakfast recipe toolkit and the simple message to pass on to their clients, patients and communities: every time you eat, Have A Plant®!
Have A Plant® Ambassadors connected at the booth to generate excitement with attendees at the 360 Photo booth.
Fresh produce was front and center with attendees on the Expo show floor – one of the only booths featuring fresh offerings!
Attendees lined up to receive free Have A Plant® t-shirts to help spread the Have A Plant® brand awareness as they’re communicating with their patients, clients, in media segments and more!
Retail Dietitian Immersion Event (at GPFS)
FFP hosted 20 influential retail dietitians at its 2023 Retail Dietitian Immersion Event during IFPA’s Global Produce & Floral Show, October 18-21, 2023 in Anaheim, CA.
For more than a decade, this signature event provides consumer-facing retail dietitians with access to the latest produce innovations, new research and behavioral insights as well as tools to inspire new fruit and vegetable consumption habits both in-store and online. With four-days of education sessions, experiential tastings, an LA Retail Store Tour of Sprouts, Erewhon, Gelson’s and Northgate Market sponsored by Duda Farm Fresh Foods, and networking opportunities, alongside IFPA’s general sessions, Women’s Leadership Breakfast and Expo Show Floor, the event was deemed a success in the minds of all parties involved.
Pre-scheduled Booth Visits with Buy California Marketing Agreement/CA GROWN, California Giant Berry Farms, Conscious Foods, Envy™ Apples, Stemilt Growers, Sunkist Growers, Inc., and Sun Belle Inc. were a hit for the hyped-up group rocking their Have A Plant® t-shirts for Friday’s Expo.
Chelan Fresh sponsored a private Joyfully Grown® apple pairing experience as part of the education on Wednesday afternoon.
Tailored education sessions yielded valuable insights, like this one from California Walnuts, addressing how to drive shopper engagement through brain supporting foods, with speaker Maggie Moon, MS, RD.
Produce department managers from Sprouts presented different ways to merchandise produce and shared their unique approach to seasonality and the importance of offering a variety of options to their shoppers during the Thursday Comp Shop Retail Tour hosted by Duda Farm Fresh Foods.
Chief Operating Officer of ZENB US, Inc., Taichi Sakabe, welcomed the dietitians to an intimate private dinner in the Tangerine Room of the Westin on Friday night, discussing how their yellow pea-based pastas and crackers are carefully made to taste delicious!
“The work that the Foundation for Fresh Produce is doing to connect with and educate dietitians is unmatched,” says Alex DiNovo, President & COO, DNO Produce, and incoming chair for the Foundation for Fresh Produce. “We’re thrilled to champion and continue this work in 2024 to advance the global nutrition narrative around fruits and vegetables and helping to grow a healthier world by changing the trajectory of human health through produce. We could not do this work without dietitians who are on the front lines educating, counseling and communicating with consumers every single day.”
Retailers in attendance included:
- AMInc. Healthy Path Market
- Big Y Foods
- Coborn’s Inc.
- Fresh Thyme Market
- Gelson’s
- Giant Food
- Harmons Grocery
- H-E-B
- Inserra Supermarket Inc./ShopRite
- Kroger
- Loblaws
- Meijer
- Natural Grocers
- Rouses Markets
- Schnuck Markets
- ShopRite | Zallie Family Markets
- Stop & Shop
- The GIANT Company
- United Family of Stores
- Weis Markets
For more information on how to partner with the Foundation on connecting with dietitians and other influencers within the Have A Plant® Ambassador Network, contact Katie Calligaro, Director, Marketing & Communications at IFPA at kcalligaro@freshproduce.com.
About the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support. We exist to bring the industry together to create a vibrant future for all. We grow our member’s prosperity by conducting advocacy; connecting people and ideas; and offering guidance that allows us all to take action with purpose and confidence.
About the Foundation for Fresh Produce (FFP)
The Foundation for Fresh Produce’s (FFP) vision is to grow a healthier world by changing the trajectory of human health. We believe the produce industry has the potential to provide solutions for many of the world’s greatest health and economic challenges – especially those surrounding nutrition and hunger. The Foundation focuses on improving the appeal of fruit and vegetables as an integral part of people’s diets, supporting the development of infrastructure and supply chain solutions that provide easier access, and establishing strategic alliances that enable children and families to form healthier eating habits. To galvanize the industry efforts to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, the Foundation for Fresh Produce merged with the Produce For Better Health Foundation (PBH) in January 2023. PBH programming (inclusive of the Have A Plant® Movement) continues under FFP, dedicated to helping consumers live happier, healthier lives by eating more fruits and vegetables every single day.
