Fruits :: Eat more fruits and vegetables in all forms

Today’s announcement by the Produce for Better Health Foundation marks the official launch of the new Fruits & Veggies – More Matters(TM) health initiative. The campaign is in response to the increased recommendations for fruits and vegetables in the Dietary Guidelines of Americans.

The Canned Food Alliance commends the PBH for embracing the quest to help Americans, particularly moms, achieve their goal of increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables their families are eating every day.

As part of the announcement, PBH created a toolkit designed to help retailers educate consumers on ways to meet the daily recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.

“Today’s announcement recognizes and underscores the importance of incorporating all forms of fruits and vegetables into daily diets – whether canned, fresh, frozen or dried,” says Rich Tavoletti, executive director of the Canned Food Alliance. “We applaud PBH for providing creative solutions to help moms fit more fruits and veggies into mealtime each day and are happy to see that canned foods count as a healthy, easy and accessible option for everyone, everywhere, every day.”

The announcement comes just one week after the Journal for the Science of Food and Agriculture published research conducted by the University of California – Davis suggesting that a diet including a variety of fruits and vegetables – fresh, frozen and canned – is desirable and exclusively recommending one form of fruits or vegetables over another ignores the benefits that each form provides and limits consumer choice.

“The 2005 Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to increase their fruit and vegetable intake regardless of type, yet Americans are far from meeting their fruit and vegetable goals,” says Roberta Larson Duyff, registered dietitian, author of the American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide and CFA spokesperson. “I’m pleased to see that other organizations are embracing ways to help families choose nutritious options and are recognizing the benefits that all forms, including canned, contribute to a healthy diet.”