The Produce for Better Health Foundation’s BB #:157162 annual conference returns next week with the goals to inspire, influence, and ignite.
The Consumer Connection Conference will run April 18-20 in Scottsdale, AZ, and it attracts hundreds of produce industry stakeholders, food system leaders and consumer influencers.
“Growing fruit and vegetable consumption is a team effort,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, president & CEO of PBH. “We will work collaboratively to inspire daily plant-forward culinary explorations that showcases what’s next on America’s menus. We will influence one another during high-caliber networking with the influential stakeholders that matter most. And we will ignite the energy needed to accomplish our mission with business-boosting insights that consider every player on the board.”
Opening the education sessions April 19, Kapsak will be joined by chairman of the PBH Board of Trustees CarrieAnn Arias, vice president of marketing for Naturipe Farms BB #:116078 to present A Roadmap For Driving Fruit & Vegetable Consumption In America, which will look at the obstacles we’ve overcome revealed in PBH’s 2020 State of The Plate research and compare the road we’ve traveled to the road ahead.
“PBH is the only 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit committed to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, and the Consumer Connection Conference, likewise, is the only one of its kind to engage the full supply chain of stakeholders working toward the foundation’s mission,” Kapsak said.
“If you or your brand regularly speak with consumers about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, as well as if you’re interested in learning other creative ways to tap into the emotional connection people have with the fruit and vegetable eating experience, then this event was created for you.”
It’s never been a more critical time to address American’s consumption challenges, she said.
“Consumers are coming out of the pandemic with new eating behaviors, new health information, new fears and new outlooks on life. They’re spending their time and money differently than they ever have and considering factors like inflation and immunity when making food decisions.
“We need a collaborative approach to fruit and vegetable education that will allow them to make informed and empowered decisions at the point-of-sale (retail); the point-of-flavor (culinary and foodservice); and the point-of-inspiration (lifestyle, nutrition, and agriculture). And we can do this by coming together with key stakeholders and influencers during PBH’s Consumer Connection Annual Conference. Let’s set the stage – and set the table – for their success.”
Guest presenters include Wendy Wood, Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at the University of Southern California and author of the book, “Good Habits, Bad Habits,” and Jack Bobo, the Director of Global Food and Water Policy at The Nature Conservancy, who will share strategies for promoting healthier eating habits when habits are disrupted and increasing sales and consumption of fruits and vegetables at a time when more plants in our diets is needed most.
“Consumer engagement has grown, and each year there are more professionals working in produce who understand the importance of influence, engagement and education in order to increase fruit and vegetable consumption,” Kapsak said.
“Although the Consumer Connection Conference agenda, and the Foundation’s mission remain constant, the content is timely and changes with the behavior of the consumer. We must stay on top of the topics they value, the channels they are active in and the methods of influencing their consumption behaviors. The mission is unchanged, but the road map fluctuates and that’s where we focus each year.”
