Wild Blueberry Association of North America Launches Phytonutrients Toolkit for Nutrition Reporters and Educators

Maine-based registered dietitian Jenny Shea Rawn and her 9-year-old daughter, Lexi Rawn, helped translate complex plant science into easy-to-understand food language

OLD TOWN, Maine and FERGUS, ON, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) today launched The ABCs of Phytonutrients: A Back-to-School Guide to Wild Blueberry Plant Power, a free, science-backed resource that explains what the color in plant foods, like fruits and vegetables, actually means when it comes to nutrition and health. Wild blueberries, a blue-purple favorite, are used as examples throughout the toolkit that reporters, educators, parents, and caregivers can reference for back-to-school and year-round communications.

WBANA tapped registered dietitian Jenny Shea Rawn, MS, MPH, RD, and her 9-year-old daughter, Lexi, to collaborate on the toolkit, guided by the philosophy that if we can't explain something clearly enough for kids to understand, we probably need to use different language.

"Fruit and vegetable color can signal nutrition and health benefits, a connection explained through complex, scientific terms that describe plant compounds," said Rawn, who also co-authored with her daughter the upcoming New England Kids Cookbook: Tasty Favorites for Young Chefs. "Working with Lexi kept me honest about keeping the messaging simple. Wild blueberries provided a familiar example because their blue-purple color makes the term anthocyanins visible and easier to talk about."

"By using analogies, simple language and familiar visuals, complicated concepts suddenly become something children could see and understand and say – it was especially fun working on phonetic pronunciations together," Rawn added. Wild blueberries are native to Maine, where the Rawn family lives, and their vibrant color and flavor naturally inspired many of the recipes in their new cookbook.

About the ABCs Framework

The ABCs of Phytonutrients: A Back-to-School Guide to Wild Blueberry Plant Power uses simple ideas to explain plant compound terminology:

• A is for Anthocyanins: Natural plant pigments that help give wild blueberries and other foods their blue, purple or red color. Anthocyanins act as antioxidants, helping the body manage everyday wear and tear.
• B is for Bioactives: Naturally occurring compounds in foods that scientists study to understand how they interact with the body. Bioactives that come from plants are called phytonutrients.
• C is for Color: Color can provide a visible clue to the presence of certain plant pigments, including anthocyanins. 

What's Inside the Toolkit

Four ready-to-use resources:

1. The ABCs of Phytonutrients Guide: Definitions, a plant-compound "family tree" graphic, and a summary of research on plant compounds found in wild blueberries in relation to blood vessel function, cardiometabolic health, gut health and brain health.¹

2. Nature's Crayon Box Poster: An educational visual explaining several types of plant pigments brought to life with a color box of crayons.

3. Lunchbox Note: Kid-friendly anthocyanin information and wild blueberry snack ideas.

4. Communication Inspiration: Story angles and ideas for using the toolkit as a teaching tool for students and for families.

"The driving force behind this initiative is that we've observed more consumer publications using different bioactive compound terms when talking about wild blueberries, which led to more customer questions about phytonutrients like anthocyanins and related terms like antioxidants," explains Colleen Craig, who leads WBANA's Health Research Committee. "This toolkit is an important first step to support all those communicating about plant foods, providing simple language and a favorite nutrient-dense fruit, wild blueberries, to explain complex terms." The toolkit is also available on the WBANA Canada site.

About WBANA

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) is a trade association representing wild blueberry farmers and processors in Maine and Eastern Canada. WBANA supports and shares over two decades of research exploring the health potential of wild blueberries, found nationwide in the frozen fruit aisle, and provides recipes and nutrition information for consumers. Learn more at www.wildblueberries.com and www.wildblueberryassociation.ca.

1. Johnson SA, Klimis-Zacas D, Basu A, Bolling BW, Feresin RG, Hooshmand S, Joris PJ, Li Z, Lila MA, Stull AJ, Anandh Babu PV, Weir TL. Wild blueberries and cardiometabolic health: A current review of the evidence. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2026;66(20):3739-3760.

SOURCE Wild Blueberry Association of North America