New Report Findings Underline Important Role Frozen Fruits and Vegetables Can Play in Supporting Healthy Diets

MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) today welcomed the release of the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance’s (NFVA) 2010 National Action Plan (NAP) and Report Card, which suggests that American consumers and foodservice operators can rely on convenient and affordable frozen fruits and vegetables to foster healthy diets.

“Frozen fruits and vegetables are increasingly recognized by experts as being equal to, and in many cases exceeding, their raw counterparts for nutritional content, making them an ideal option for narrowing the current gap between actual and recommended fruit and vegetable consumption.”

The NAP report card found that the average American’s fruit and vegetable consumption remains far below recommended levels, despite evidence that fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases. In fact, just 6 percent of individuals achieve their recommended target for vegetables, with 8 percent achieving their recommended target for fruit in an average day.

“The findings released today clearly indicate that more work must be done to help Americans improve their diets by increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, a goal that can be achieved with the help of frozen fruits and vegetables,” said AFFI President and CEO Kraig R. Naasz.

“Frozen fruits and vegetables enable families and foodservice providers to stretch limited budgets and offer an invaluable source of year-round access to a variety of foods that provide the nutrition we all need,” said Naasz.

“AFFI and its member companies are working to promote healthy eating through a variety of platforms, including the Frozen Food Foundation, which supports scientific research focused on food nutrition and safety and helps educate consumers through its newly launched website at www.frozenfoodfacts.org,” Naasz said.

“Frozen fruits and vegetables are increasingly recognized by experts as being equal to, and in many cases exceeding, their raw counterparts for nutritional content, making them an ideal option for narrowing the current gap between actual and recommended fruit and vegetable consumption.

“Changing Americans’ eating habits will not happen overnight. The goals set by the NFVA are ambitious and worthy of continued pursuit. Improving Americans’ diets will yield a great many benefits, including reduced rates of obesity-related diseases that reduce life expectancy and place a massive strain on private and public healthcare programs.

“We are committed to helping realize the NFVA’s goals by raising awareness of the important benefits offered by frozen foods, and we look forward to continuing to partner with the NFVA to improve the health of Americans,” said Naasz.

Led by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), the NFVA, of which AFFI is a member, developed a national action plan in 2005 designed to improve public health through increased fruit and vegetable consumption. The 2010 report card was developed to evaluate progress made in meeting the objectives enumerated in the 2005 plan.

The National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance supports the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters public health initiative, which encourages increased consumption of fruits and vegetables in all forms: fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100 percent juice.

For more information, please visit the 2010 National Action Plan online.

The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) is the national trade association that promotes the interests of all segments of the frozen food industry. AFFI works to foster industry development and growth, and advocates before legislative and regulatory entities on the industry’s behalf. For more information, please visit www.affi.com.

The Frozen Food Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering scientific research, public awareness and industry education regarding the nutritional and safety attributes of frozen foods for the benefit of the common good. The Frozen Food Foundation is affiliated with the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), and is a separate entity organized under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For more information, please visit www.frozenfoodfacts.org.

The National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA) is an alliance of public and private partners working collaboratively and synergistically to increase nationwide access to and demand for all forms of fruits and vegetables for improved public health. The Alliance is co-chaired by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), with PBH as secretariat. To learn more, visit www.nfva.org.