Doling out five a day - Dole Food Co. Inc - Brief Article

Prepared Foods, April, 1995

One food manufacturer that is also in the produce business is taking a proactive stance in supporting the USDA's "Eating Right Pyramid."

Dole Food Co., which markets more than 60 kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, is using a multi-media approach to elementary school children including a CD-ROM, an Internet address and a kids' cookbook. The message is the same one the USDA is sending out: Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day for health.

"We're trying to bring about attitude and behavior changes among kids," says Lorelei DiSogra, Dole's director of nutrition and health. "It's very difficult to change behavior, but these are the first steps. We use multiple communication channels to reach people with the same message and reinforce it in other communication channels."

According to an analysis of the eating habits of children ages 6-12 from actual food consumption data, children are consuming on average 2.5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, only half the recommended amount. Their top choices were not the foods richest in beta-carotene or the cruciferous vegetables.

To spark youngsters' interest, Dole has been offering its CD-ROM "Five-A-Day Adventures," targeted at third graders, for free to elementary school teachers. Approximately 13,000 elementary schools have received them since early 1994.

The CD-ROM, sponsored by Dole and the Society for Nutrition Education, features 36 fruit and vegetable characters like Bobby Banana and Amber Orange. Soon the CD-ROM will be available to consumers through software retailers and a toll-free number. Ray Raisin and Barney Broccoli also have an e-mail address. Children can access the Internet to receive information about fruits and vegetables, how to choose fresh, juicy ones, and fun recipes they can prepare.