Orlando, Fla. – The inaugural Produce for Kids® Mission for Nutrition promotion was awarded with Produce Business’s annual Marketing Excellence Award along with 11 other brands and commodity boards. The online and in-store Mission for Nutrition promotion, which aligned with health-conscious brands, commodity boards and retail dietitians, focused on the importance of a healthy family diet and the value of meal planning and prepping, while aiming to increase the consumption of fresh produce.
“We are thrilled to be presented with such a prestigious industry award and in the company of top-notch brands and commodity boards,” said Trish James, vice president at Produce for Kids. “Retail dietitians present a huge opportunity to impact shoppers’ decisions. Pairing our retail dietitian outreach with a robust digital program directly targeting consumers was a recipe for success,” continued James.
Health-conscious brands partnering in Mission for Nutrition included Avocados From Mexico, Crispy Green®, Earthbound Farm®, Eat Smart®, NatureFresh™ Farms, Pero Family Farms, RealSweet® and the National Watermelon Promotion Board.
During National Nutrition Month®, Mission for Nutrition kits filled with health-focused items for display were delivered to more than 400 retail dietitians at 52 retailers across the U.S. and Canada. Dietitians were encouraged to create a display or host an event with these items and submit photos to be considered for a $1,000 continued education scholarship.
“The award comes as we are in conversations to secure health-conscious brand partners for our second annual Mission for Nutrition,” said James. “When we developed this program, we hoped it would resonate with retail dietitians and shoppers, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. We are looking forward to another great program in 2020.”
The promotion saw more than 126 million impressions across the program’s website, public relations efforts, influencer outreach, Healthy Family Project podcast “Healthy Bites” segments, meal planning eBook downloads, e-newsletters, social media and Twitter party. During the month of March, 12,000 consumers entered to win a weekly giveaway focused on meal prep kitchen gadgets and more than 22,000 meal planning mini magazines were distributed to shoppers across the US and Canada.
The partner brands and commodities included samples, coupons, brochures or promotional items in the kits distributed to retail dietitians. In addition, partners were featured in branded recipes, meal plans and a sweepstakes on themissionfornutrition.com as well as being featured in targeted e-newsletters, Produce for Kids social media channels, influencer outreach and mentions in the “Healthy Bites” portion of The Healthy Family Project by Produce for Kids podcast.
On themissionfornutrition.com, consumers were able to download a free meal planning eBook featuring a five-day, registered dietitian-approved family meal plan, shopping list and meal planning tips.
As with all Produce for Kids programs, Feeding America’s programs that benefit families and children will receive a $8,000 donation tied to Mission for Nutrition. Produce for Kids has raised more than $7 million for charities that benefit families and children since 2002.
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About Produce for Kids®
Produce for Kids® believes in creating a healthier generation. As a cause marketing organization, Produce for Kids creates programs that provide easy, fun, and inspiring recipes. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Farms, Produce for Kids has raised more than $7 million to charities that support children and families. To learn more about Produce for Kids and healthy eating, visitwww.produceforkids.com, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.
