A nonprofit organization that promotes healthy eating is urging fruit and vegetable producers and sellers to promote their own products through a nationwide contest.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation's Your Healthy Life and You contest offers prizes for families who tell their best fruit and success stories.

Producers can link their Web sites to the contest and encourage their customers to submit recipes using their products, said Jill Le Brasseur, a spokeswoman for the organization in Hockessin, Del.

"Broccoli growers could suggest on their Web sites that people put in their favorite broccoli recipes or tips to get children to eat more broccoli," Le Brasseur said.

"We're basically hoping that our donors will promote the contest and promote themselves while they're at it."

When companies' products are mentioned in winning entries, links to their Web sites will be posted on the organization's Fruits and Veggies-More Matters Web site.

The contest asks consumers to write essays of up to 1,000 words sharing their success stories involving fruits and vegetables. A grand prize of $1,000 worth of nutrition education materials and products and $500 worth of coupons will be awarded, as well as four "first prizes" of $500 worth of nutrition education materials and $250 worth of coupons. The deadline to enter is July 1.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation receives no government funds and relies on support from individuals, growers, processors, retailers and large companies such as Monsanto, Le Brasseur said.

The organization's Fruits and Veggies-More Matters campaign used to be known as Five A Day, but science has found that most Americans need more servings than that, she said.

The foundation hopes its contest will increase consumption of fruits and vegetables in the U.S., and thus help producers by increasing demand, Le Brasseur said.

"That's our ultimate goal," she said. "We're hoping that as people share success stories and share recipes with us and we share them with all consumers over our Web site, it will inspire others to increase their consumption as well."

-- Tim Hearden

Link

Produce for Better Health Foundation's Fruits and Veggies-More Matters campaign: www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org