Here are a few examples:
- "Mushroom said to possess healing powers"
- "Study: Fruits, vegetables help young leukemia patients""Pumpkin helps boost the immune system"
- "Study: Kiwifruit good for the heart""Study: Eye health aided by dark greens"and even
- "Study: Dogs also benefit from diet rich in fruits, vegetables"
This category of beneficial foods has been dubbed "nutraceuticals" and "functional foods." Those terms aren't limited to fruits and vegetables; they include any food that provides a health benefit in much the same way that a medicine or dietary supplement would. Other, more scientific terms that apply to produce are "phytonutrients," which refers to plant based nutrients, and "bioactive food components," which refers to health claims about food.
So why are these foods garnering so much news coverage? Well, there are several reasons. First, new health benefits of food are continually being discovered, second the news media believes that these discoveries are relevant to their readers, and third that produce marketers see these health benefits as giving them a marketing edge. The news stories no doubt started life as news releases issued by the marketers, who may have commissioned the study that revealed the health benefits.
Can farmers also gain a marketing edge from presenting their produce as "functional food?" Why not? While that exact term may not be terribly appealing to customers, the information itself is sure to be of interest to many folks.
People who shop at farmstands and farmers' markets already have enough of an interest in fruits and veggies to go out of their way to buy them where they can talk to the grower about how the produce was grown and how to prepare it, so it wouldn't be surprising if they were health conscious as well.
The abundance of health studies relating to food can be overwhelming, confusing and at times conflicting, so the key is to choose a few health claims from very credible sources to use in your marketing materials.
Health information can be incorporated into point of sale signage and literature, packaging, advertising, and publicity. It is a good idea to cite the source wherever possible. It lends credibility to the claim and deflects the responsibility from you if the claim later turns out to be false.
USDA has some information about bioactive food components and phytonutrients on the department's nutrition website: www.nutrition.gov. The Produce for Better Health Foundation offers health benefit information on their "5 A Day The Color Way" website at www.5aday.com, which presents health benefits related to produce color.
Many food and produce marketing trade associations offer nutrition study reports and nutrition information point of sale materials to their members, often for a fee.
According to news reports, some of the large food manufacturers who have jumped on recent health bandwagons by labeling their products as low-fat or low-carb are now experiencing a backlash from consumer groups that are scrutinizing the more dubious claims and accusing food companies of exploiting these trends.
That can serve as a lesson to be careful how you present health claims for your products. Fresh produce is fairly straightforward...what you see is what you get, as they say. Value-added or processed foods, on the other hand, can be trickier since there are additional ingredients to be considered. For these you might want to get a professional opinion or stay away from health claims altogether.
So, while many of your customers are simply looking for freshly picked, tasty fruits and vegetables, why not offer another reason for folks to buy even more of what you sell. Here's to a healthy and functional bottom line.
Copyright 2005 by Diane Baedeker Petit
This article originally appeared in the April 2005 issue of Growing magazine.
