Produce for Better Health Foundation Applauds Safeway's New 'Lunchbox Winners' Produce Program

HOCKESSIN, Del., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Produce for Better Health Foundation applauds the launch of the Lunchbox Winners produce program by Safeway Inc., one of the nation's largest supermarket chains. The program will be featured in 1,523 stores across the nation. The goal of the new program is to offer parents an easy solution for school lunches and snack ideas that are better for kids and easy for parents. The inspiration for the program came from Safeway's desire to support the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® program and the First Lady's Let's Move! campaign to help raise a generation of active, healthy children.

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"We are thrilled to see Lunchbox Winners, a fantastic example of how retailers can get 'hands on' with the effort to raise a generation of kids that are eating right and staying active," said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., President and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation.

Throughout the school year, Lunchbox Winners will feature a different professional athlete who will encourage children to eat well and stay active. Shoppers will find new booklets in the store each month with simple snack and lunchbox recipes plus tips from the athletes on fun ways to stay active. All the featured products for these easy to prepare recipes will be displayed in the produce department.

The program will also include an interactive website, www.lunchboxwinners.com, for both parents and kids. The website will feature additional recipes, and information from featured athletes, including an "Ask the Athlete a Question" section, as well as links to additional resources for parents at www.FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org and www.LetsMove.gov. The initiative will be promoted by in-store radio and point of sale materials.

"We are committed to helping our customers meet their nutrition and dietary goals. Which is why we are excited to launch Lunchbox Winners. This program gives our customers great ideas to prepare nutritious and delicious lunches for their children. It is also why we will continue to support Fruits and Veggies–More Matters public health initiative to motivate people to eat more fruits and vegetables and Let's Move," said Steve Burnham, Safeway Vice President/General Manager Corporate Produce.

"The Lunchbox Winners program and website, which launches in September, will help motivate people to add more healthy fruits and vegetables to their meals and snacks along with giving them effective tools to help them do so," said Pivonka. "This program supports America's More Matters Pledge: Fruits & Veggies . . . Today and Every Day!, our online pledge campaign that encourages people to pledge to eat more nutritious fruits and vegetables for their better health."

September's Lunchbox Winners presents Olympic soccer star Brandi Chastain who shares her favorite post-workout snack and some soccer drills guaranteed to improve anyone's game. In October the program will feature Dominique Dawes, three time Olympic gymnast and Co-Chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. The program will recess for the holiday season and return in January.

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 has been working hard 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 with Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators in each state, territory and the military.

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.pbhfoundation.org and www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.

About Safeway

www.Safeway.com Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,712 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $40.8 billion in 2009. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.

Lunchbox Winners was created exclusively for Safeway by Consumer Effects International, a consumer marketing agency based in Rocklin, California.

SOURCE Produce for Better Health Foundation