Hockessin, Del. – In support of its mission to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables, Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is pleased to announce the winning proposals of its marketing research program. The grant program offers up to $15,000 in grant funding for projects that address increasing fruit and vegetables sales and consumption within the realm of traditional marketing, social marketing, behavioral economics/psychology, or product placement and with a balance of rigor and relevance.
Topics appropriate for the research grant program include, but are not limited to, the following:
* The impact of targeted messages, promotions, discounts, incentives, coupons, rewards, or product placement on purchase or consumption behavior regarding fruit and vegetables;
* How the use of social media, multi-media, or various channels can influence preferences and behavior towards fruit and vegetables.
Two proposals are being funded for the 2015 funding period. The first, “In-Store Meal Bundles to Increase Grocery Store Purchases of Fresh Produce,” has been awarded to University of Wisconsin-Madison. The research will determine whether the use of meal bundling (fruit or vegetable with other meal ingredients) and offering the bundle for one stated price, will increase sales of fruit and vegetables. Prior research on product bundling has shown that consumers may prefer such options as they desire to reduce search costs and product interrelatedness. Product bundling has been noted in the marketing literature as a strategy with which to increase exposure for a more ‘vulnerable’ product. The authors will conduct a field experiment of consumers located in a food desert near Chicago, IL.
The other funded grant is titled, “Manipulating the Sensory Variety of Fruit and Vegetables to Increase their Intake,’ and is awarded to Harvard. Greater food variety has been shown to increase food consumption within the same meal and across different meals. This ‘variety effect’ is partially due to psychological mechanisms that reduce sensations of fullness and increase the desire to continue eating due to the activation of reward pathways. Most research on food variety and intake has focused on reducing variety to decrease intake of less healthful foods, but few studies have examined how increasing the variety of fruit and vegetables can promote healthful eating. This project should help inform fruit and vegetable marketing practices by revealing simple, economical techniques that enhance the desirability of fruit and vegetables and increase their consumption.
“I am excited to share the first funded proposals of our Marketing Research Grant program, which was approved by our Board of Trustees in 2014,” says Elizabeth Pivonka, President and CEO of PBH. “I’m looking forward to seeing the results and sharing that information with our board members, donors and supporters, and the larger fruit and vegetable industry.”
About Produce for Better Health Foundation
Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) fruit and vegetable education foundation. Since 1991, PBH works to motivate people to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve public health. PBH achieves success through industry and government collaboration, first with the 5 A Day program and now with the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters public health initiative. Fruits & Veggies—More Matters is the nation’s largest public-private, fruit and vegetable nutrition education initiative. To learn more, visit www.PBHFoundation.org and www.FruitsandVeggiesMoreMatters.org. Follow Fruits & Veggies—More Matters on Facebook or Twitter. PBH is also a member and co-chair with Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) of the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA), consisting of government agencies, non-profit organizations, and industry working to collaboratively and synergistically achieve increased nationwide access and demand for all forms of fruits and vegetables for improved public health. To learn more, visit www.NFVA.org.
Source: Produce for Better Health Foundation