Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) BB #:157162 will convene produce industry stakeholders, food system leaders, and top-tier consumer influencers for their annual Consumer Connection Conference, April 18-20 at the Omni Resort & Spa Montelucia in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Educational programming will begin Tuesday morning, April 19th, with the opening keynote general session, The Power of Habit: Something To Nosh On, featuring Wendy Wood, PhD, Provost, Professor of Psychology and Business at the University of Southern California and Author of Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick. Dr. Wood will dissect the notion that although most people want to eat more fruits and vegetables, too often they lack the habits that lead to meeting daily intake goals. Dr. Wood will also outline key behavioral science research insights and explore strategies that can lead to increased sales, greater consumption of fruits and vegetables, and ultimately, lasting healthy habits.
“More than any other trait, consumer habit – in both shopping and consumption behavior – proves to be most challenging,” said CarrieAnn Arias, Vice President of Marketing, Naturipe Farms, LLC and PBH Chairman of The Board. “Through her research, Dr. Wendy Wood will provide a new perspective for which we can work with consumers to ensure behavioral changes support their consumption of fruits and vegetables.”
Moderated by Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President & CEO of PBH, and sponsored by Dole Food Company alongside a reaction panel featuring Allison Delaney, MS, RD, LDN, Retail Dietitian Program Lead, Stop & Shop; Maeve Webster, President, Menu Matters; and Amy Yaroch, PhD, Executive Director, Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition and Professor, Department of Health Promotion, Social & Behavioral Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health will further contribute to the behavioral exploration of habit during this powerful session.
Educational programming will conclude in the afternoon with the closing general session The Future In Focus: Plants, Point-of-Purchase, Policies & Predictions delivered by keynote Jack Bobo, currently the Director of Global Food and Water Policy at The Nature Conservancy as well as CEO of Futurity and Author of Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices. Mr. Bobo will explore strategies for easing consumer fears in uncertain times, discuss ways to promote healthier eating habits when habits are disrupted, and introduce concepts for increasing sales and consumption of fruits and vegetables at a time when the appetite and need for plant abundant diets continues to grow.
“None of us have a crystal ball to see into the future,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President & CEO of PBH. “Jack Bobo will explore the key indicators that can help us predict consumer behavior in uncertain times and learn strategies to best support them with the reliable benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.”
The first industry marketing event of the year, PBH’s Consumer Connection Conference will advance the food dialogue and elevate fruit and vegetable consumption to a national priority. Attendees will find inspiration for engaging consumers with daily plant-forward culinary explorations. Multiple networking opportunities will allow attendees to engage in intimate high-caliber conversations with consumer-facing influencers, retailers, culinary leaders and marketers alike.
Critical to the event’s success will be the business insights shared from the stage, empowering the community of stakeholder attendees to put them into action and elevate fruit and vegetable consumption. This year, speakers will take attendees on a deep exploration of the power of habit and how we can harness new consumer behaviors. PBH’s Have A Plant Ambassadors will address ways to create an inclusive culture through food, among other timely education sessions.
The event will conclude with 1:1 VIP CONNECT appointments where Have A Plant VIP Influencers will meet with Consumer Connection Conference sponsors to network, learn and collaborate on ways to boost fruit and vegetable consumption through their various channels at the point of sale (retail); the point of flavor (culinary & foodservice); and the point of inspiration (nutrition, lifestyle & agriculture).
Consumer Connection Conference registration is now open. PBH partners can attend for $700 while industry professionals who are not yet partners can attend for $900. To register, visit https://web.cvent.com/event/490df415-5ff8-46ea-b31d-2c372aea9db4/summary. To learn more about becoming a PBH Partner, contact Sharese Roper, Industry & Partner Engagement Senior Director at sroper@pbhfoundation.org or (302) 235-1013.
About the Produce for Better Health Foundation
Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is the only national organization dedicated to helping consumers live happier, healthy lives by eating more fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100% juice, every single day.
Since 1991, PBH has invested decades into developing trended insights on attitudes toward all forms of fruit and vegetable consumption, in addition to campaigns and partnerships with government, food industry stakeholders, health professionals and other thought leaders to collaborate, facilitate and advocate for increased intake. Campaigns included first, the 5-A-Day program, and then, the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters public health initiative. While five fruits and vegetables each day is great advice, and more will always matter, PBH’s new behavior-based call-to-action is Have A Plant. Rooted in behavioral science, PBH’s transformative Have A Plant Movement is an invitation that will inspire people with compelling reasons to believe in the powerful role fruits and vegetables can play to create happy, healthy and active lives.
Be sure to join the Have A Plan Movement and get new recipes, snack hacks, meal ideas and other tips from chefs, registered dietitians, as well as food and wellness experts by visiting www.fruitsandveggies.org. Follow us on Facebook @fruitsandveggies; on Twitter @fruits_veggies; on Instagram @fruitsandveggies; on Pinterest @fruits_veggies; and on LinkedIn at Produce for Better Health Foundation. And remember to #haveaplant.
PBH is also responsible for the Lead The Change Movement — a multi-sector, multi-year initiative designed to maximize the power of PBH’s unique thought leadership position, widespread influencer network, credible scientific and market research, and, most importantly, its innovative members and partners, to lead a call-to-action for addressing the global fruit and vegetable consumption crisis. The initiative includes research, thought leadership and communication platforms to ensure the Movement speaks with One Purpose, One Voice and One Call-to-Action. For more information about the Lead The Change Movement visit: www.fruitsandveggies.org/leadthechange.
CONTACT:
Katie Calligaro
Marketing & Communications Director
Produce for Better Health Foundation
kcalligaro@pbhfoundation.org
412-848-1644
