As part of its influencer engagement strategy, the Produce for Better Health Foundation will bring more than 40 experts with backgrounds in retail, foodservice and health and wellness, as well as lifestyle bloggers, to its Consumer Connection Conference.
The April 13-16 conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., brings produce industry leaders and influencers together to find solutions to boost fruit and vegetable consumption, according to a news release.
“The power of influencers who make a difference in inspiring consumer behavior change is real, and PBH’s Consumer Connection Conference brings this to life for our members,” Katie Toulouse, marketing and communications director, said in the release.
Sponsors can meet with people who influence retail and foodservice sales and drive produce consumption.
The Produce for Better Health Foundation has nearly doubled its Fruit and Vegetable Ambassadors in Action class for 2020-21, with 24 consumer-facing influencers who are promoting the Have A Plant movement with original content for a year starting in April at the conference.
“It takes a village to create a movement, and the time is now for the industry to embrace an all-hands-on-deck approach as we attempt to solve for what we believe is a true fruit and vegetable consumption crisis,” Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, president and CEO, said in the release.
This year’s ambassador influencer network includes culinary, agriculture, fitness, health, school foodservice and lifestyle professionals with digital and social reach and engagement on at least one social media platform, collectively reaching nearly 200,000 on Instagram alone. They are content creators who feature produce every day.
The 2020-21 ambassador class includes:
- Valerie Agyeman: Flourish Heights
- Joan Salge Blake: SpotOn! Podcast
- Leslie Bonci: Active Eating Advice
- Kristen Carli: Mostly Green
- Neva Cochran: Eating Beyond the Headlines
- Beau Coffron: Lunchbox Dad
- Stephen and Elise Compston: Straight Outta Compston’s Kitchen
- Andrew Dole: Body Fuel
- Mandy Enright: Food + Movement
- Abbie Gellman: Culinary Nutrition Cuisine
- Cara Harbstreet: Street Smart Nutrition
- Dayle Hayes: School Meals that Rock
- Kelly Jones: Kelly Jones Nutrition
- Kristina LaRue: Love and Zest
- Andrea Mathis: Beautiful Eats and Things
- Megan McCarthy: Healthy Eating 101
- Nicole Rodriguez: Enjoy Food Enjoy Life
- Sarah Schlichter: Bucket List Tummy
- Kelli Shallal: Hungry Hobby
- Lori Taylor: The Produce Moms
- Jonathan Valdez: Genki Nutrition
- Manuel Villacorta: Manuel Villacorta
- Elisabeth Watkins: Farm Girl Chef
- Liz Weiss: Liz’s Healthy Table
Retail and foodservice companies are slated to be at the conference.
Retailers:
- Albertson’s
- Big Y Foods Inc.
- Coborn’s Inc.
- H-E-B
- Schnuck’s Markets
- ShopRite/Inserra Supermarkets
- Sobey’s Inc.
- The Kroger Co.
- Wakefern Food Corp.
Foodservice/culinary:
- Chris Martone, Foodservice & Culinary Consultant
- Culinary Institute of American Healthy Kids Collaborative
- Compass Group
- PF Chang’s
- Shaping America’s Plate Inc.
- Sysco Corp.
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst
To register for the event, visit https://web.cvent.com/event/6ccf9e41-9c3e-4d53-aebb-4f1ec18df1de/summary. For questions or more information on sponsorship, e-mail member engagement director Sharese Roper at [email protected].
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