ORLANDO, FL - The Produce Business’s annual Marketing Excellence Award went to 12 brands and commodity boards this year, one of which was the inaugural Produce for Kids® Mission for Nutrition promotion. This promotion focuses on the importance of a healthy family diet and the value of meal planning and prepping, all while aiming to increase the consumption of fresh produce. It’s both an online and an in-store initiative which aligns with health-conscious brands, commodity boards, and retail dietitians alike.

“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. “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.”

Partners of Mission for Nutrition include Avocados From Mexico, Crispy Green®, Earthbound Farm®, Eat Smart®, NatureFresh™ Farms, Pero Family Farms, RealSweet®, and the National Watermelon Promotion Board. They were featured on the program’s website, e-newsletters, media channels, and influencer outreach initiatives.

The program delivered Mission for Nutrition kits to more than 400 retail dietitians and 52 retailers across the U.S. and Canada throughout the company’s National Nutrition Month®. Kits included samples, coupons, brochures, or promotional items from partner brands. Consumers could even download free meal planning eBooks that feature a five-day, registered dietitian-approved family meal plan, shopping list, and meal planning tips. 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.”

Overall, the program received more than 126 million impressions across its website, public relations efforts, influencer outreach, Healthy Family Project podcast “Healthy Bites” segments, meal planning eBook downloads, e-newsletters, social media profiles, and Twitter party. In 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 U.S. and Canada.

Since 2002 Produce for Kids has raised more than $7 million for charities that benefit families and children. Congratulations to the organization for a successful program that earned it such a prestigious award.

Produce for Kids