fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org

A Retailer’s Guide to In-Store ActivitiesTo Help Moms and Dads Introduce

Fruits and Vegetables to Their Children

For more information, visit www.pbhfoundation.org

©2008 Produce for Better Health Foundation

September 2008 Dear Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® Retailer, In research conducted by Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), the perception of fruits and vegetables as being healthy foods continues to grow year after year. Parents’ interest in learning new, interesting ways to include more fruits and vegetables for their children also grows, but many indicate they need our help. To assist retailers, PBH has created Take Your Child to the Supermarket Day, an event featuring a series of fun, educational activities you can implement in your store(s) to help parents familiarize their children with the wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables that are available. Among the various games and promotions, we’re sure you’ll find one or two that you can offer to your customers. Feel free to add your store logo to any of the activity sheets and print and distribute them. Add prizes for the participants (a piece of fruit is perfect, or check out the PBH catalog at http://www.pbhcatalog.com/ for more prize ideas). We suggest you set aside at least a week, if not an entire month, for your activities. While September, National Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® Month, is a great time to hold a Take Your Child to the Supermarket Day event, we encourage you to integrate activities like these into your ongoing marketing efforts to continuously promote the goodness of fruits and vegetables. Best of luck with your events! Be sure to let us know if we can assist you in any way. Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D. President Produce for Better Health Foundation epivonka@pbhfoundation.org Bryant Wynes Senior Executive of Retail Marketing Produce for Better Health Foundation bwynes@pbhfoundation.org

Table of Contents Activities Taste Sampling Fruit/Veggie Guessing Game Fruit & Veggie Story Time Find the Colors

All Forms Count Fruit & Veggie Color Champions Treasure Hunt I’m Stuck on Fruits & Veggies

Resources Advertising Tools (Downloadables)

Script for In-store Announcements Script for Commercial Radio Promotion Ad Slick

Press Release Template

Activities Taste Sampling Introducing children to the many different tastes available in the Produce Department by sampling can be fun. It’s also the easiest activity to plan. Here are some tips to help:

1. Mix it up. Sample several items at the same time. 2. Include a variety of “forms.” In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruit

and 100% juice are easy to sample. 3. Feature variety. How many different types of apples are in your store? Why not

let Moms, Dads, and kids sample a bite of each? 4. Focus on unique. Offer sample items that kids may not be familiar with, such as:

a. Kiwi b. Mango c. Papaya d. Blood Oranges e. Jicama

5. Sample an easy-to-fix recipe like our Happy Trails Fruit Munchies. 6. Be sure to distribute copies of the recipe to Mom and Dad.

Fruit/Veggie Guessing Game Children will have fun with this guessing game, as they try to figure out the number of items in a container (basket, large jar, etc.). To start the game, fill the container with loose fruit or a vegetable item. Ask the children, “How many ___________ are in here?” (There’s nothing tricky about this, just some good old fashioned fun in the Produce Department.) For this game, you will need:

1. A container filled with fruits or veggies like . . . a. Apples b. Pears c. Onions d. Potatoes e. Sweet Potatoes

2. Entry blanks/entry box so children can guess the count in the container. 3. Prizes to give out for the closest guess. Fruit baskets, produce coupons, or items

from the PBH catalog, http://www.pbhcatalog.com/, make great prizes.

Fruit & Veggie Story Time Here’s a great activity that PBH is borrowing (with permission) from our supporters at SaveMart Supermarkets in California. For this activity, you will need the following items:

• Floor stand sign announcing the dates and times for story time, as well as the name of the book to be read

• Carpet or fabric to designate reading area and serve as seating for kids • Low stool or chair for reader to sit on • Book – feel free to choose any age-appropriate book related to food, nutrition,

or shopping; several good choices are available from the PBH catalog, including Eating the Alphabet, Lunch at the Zoo, and Watch the Colors Grow

• A fruit or vegetable snack the kids can munch on as they listen (optional) • Small prize or gift to be distributed when story time is over, like fruit &

veggie stickers, balloons, or temporary tattoos from the PBH catalog (optional)

How-to Tips for Fruit & Veggie Story Time • Place a floor stand with the sign announcing the date(s), time(s), and location

for story time near the location where it will be held – you might also want to announce it over the in-store radio several times in the week leading up to the event

• About five minutes before story time, place the carpet or fabric on the floor area to designate where the kids will sit and set up the chair for the reader in front of this area

• Assemble any snacks or samples to be handed out to the children at this time, along with any stickers, Fruits & Veggies—More Matters balloons, coupons, or prizes to be given out afterward

• Announce that story time is about to begin on the PA system while the reader is setting up the area

• Assemble kids that congregate in the area, and instruct them to sit down on the carpet or fabric

• Pass out any snacks or samples • Read the story • Thank the children for coming and invite them to come back to (insert store

name) with their parents again • Hand out any stickers, Fruits & Veggies—More Matters balloons, coupons, or

prizes • Return story time materials to storage until next time

Find the Colors This activity is designed for younger children. Children are asked to find and identify five different fruits and vegetables in each of five different colors and record their answers on their activity sheet. How to Begin the All Forms Count Activity Distribute the activity sheet. Ask the children, “See if you can find five different fruits and vegetables in each of these five colors and mark the answers on your sheet.” 1. Red 2. Blue/Purple 3. Yellow/Orange 4. Green 5. White

Share this tip with Moms: A colorful variety of fruits and vegetables is important in your child’s diet. Try to include something from each of these five colors every day.

All Forms Count This game encourages children to discover that fruits and vegetables come in a variety of forms: fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and 100% juice. Using an activity sheet, children check off the different forms of each of the listed fruits and veggies they find in the store. You can award simple prizes for completed game cards – like a piece of fruit.

How to Begin the All Forms Count Game Explain that fruits and veggies come in a lot of different forms. They can be found in many different places in the supermarket. Ask the children to use their activity sheet to check off the different forms of fruits and veggies they find while shopping today. At the bottom of their sheet, ask them to answer this question, “Do any of these fruits and vegetables come in all 5 forms?” Share this tip with Moms: Different forms make it easy and convenient for your child to enjoy nutritious fruits and vegetables.

Fruit & Veggie Color Champions Treasure Hunt Activity This activity will help children find fruits and vegetables throughout the store by looking for colorful signs featuring one of the Color Champions. (You will need to print the Fruit & Veggie Color Champion shelf talkers and place them around the store on various fruit and vegetable items. We suggest placing them on as many as 25 different items.) On the Treasure Hunt Activity Sheet, children write down how many Color Champions they find and where they are located. Prizes can be awarded for the child that finds the most items. For prizes, give out fresh fruits or veggies or items from www.pbhcatalog.com). How to Begin the Fruit & Veggie Color Champions Treasure Hunt Activity Explain that there are (#) Fruit & Veggie Color Champions throughout the store. They can be found on small signs placed on fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables – and also on 100% fruit and vegetable juices. To begin the activity, ask the children, ‘How many of the Color Champions can you find? Where are they located?” Distribute the activity sheet for the treasure hunt and tell the children to use that to write down their answers. (Provide an example-- answer will look like: “I found one (name of the Color Champion) on the canned corn.”)

I’m Stuck on Fruits & Veggies This sticker activity rewards children for eating their fruits and veggies. Children affix PLU stickers from the fruits or veggies they eat to the tracking card. When the card is full, children present it to you to receive a “prize” like a piece of fruit or an item from the PBH catalog (www.pbhcatalog.com) How to Begin the I’m Stuck on Fruits and Veggies Activity Hand out a tracking card to the children. Ask them to take it home and use it to count how many fresh fruits and veggies they eat. They should place one sticker from any fresh fruit or vegetable in each circle on the card. (They can tape the sticker to the card, if necessary.) When card is full, it should be presented to a store employee for a FREE piece of fruit!

Resources Produce for Better Health Foundation has a variety of resources that can help you with your promotions. We suggest that you check out the many items in our catalog at www.pbhcatalog.com. There are promotional items as well as educational activities you might be interested in using when you reach out to your customers.

Stickers Balloons Pencils Crayons Fliers Jump ropes Chalk Fruit & Veggie Champion Activity Books

Advertising Tools These materials can be customized and downloaded to help publicize your store’s Take Your Child to the Supermarket Day event.

Script for In-store Announcements Script for Commercial Radio Promotion Ad Slick Press Release Template