CHARLOTTE, NC - The end of July is almost here, which means busy parents shopping for school snacks will soon begin again. To help with this endeavor, Dole Food Company is calling upon its top banana and pineapple to help families jump back into the fall season and back-to-school routine in the most fun way ever.

“It’s no secret that after the relaxed days of summer, a return to school, sports, early-morning wake up calls, and weekly activities can be frantic for any family,” said Bil Goldfield, Director of Corporate Communications. “This year, we’re out to help make this shift smoother by providing parents a usable toolkit to create their own healthy, happy household schedule for the fall.”

Bobby Banana and Pinellopy Pineapple, Dole’s beloved healthy-living mascots, are back, front-and-center, hosting an eight-week initiative featuring produce-rich recipe ideas, serving suggestions, expert information, digital downloads, character merchandise, and in-store and at-home resources that can ease the transition for parents and heads of households.

As noted in the release, Back to School with Bobby Banana kicked off this week and continues through September 15 with a “bunch” of free assets and activities designed to inspire kids and families of all configurations to embrace a healthy fall routine that is fun, fruitful, and full of character.

Entice the kiddos with a set of seven collectible DOLE® Banana stickers and DOLE Pineapple tags, featuring the iconic Bobby Banana and Pinellopy Pineapple on tens of millions of pieces of freshly harvested Dole fruit. Included in the sticker set is a QR code that leads back to the promotional landing page offering kid-friendly recipes, back-to-school-themed wearables and gear from the Dole Shop, and digital downloads and printable activities.

Dole is also working with its retailer partners to showcase the collectible banana stickers and pineapple tags with in-store signage to create added excitement at the shopper level. The company is collaborating with bloggers and social influencers who can share the healthy fall-eating message and resources with their followers.

For added encouragement, Melanie Marcus, MA, RD, Dole’s Nutrition and Health Communications Manager, has selected 15 nutritious-but-fun breakfast, lunch, snack, and after-school recipes from the Dole onsite recipe library that both kids and their parents can agree on.

Make sure to pack the essentials, both in the classroom and cafeteria, and come back to ANUK for the latest.

Dole Food Company