Celebrity Campaign Promoting Fruits and Vegetables Comes to Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia

Local athletes including Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal, Washington Mystics' Elena Delle Donne, and Washington Capitals' T.J. Oshie in your Giant Food store today

News provided by

Partnership for a Healthier America

Jan 25, 2019, 09:12 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A national celebrity campaign featuring local sports icons including T.J. Oshie, Bradley Beal, and Elena Delle Donne promoting fruits and vegetables launches today in Giant Food stores across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

The FNV campaign (which stands for "fruits and veggies"), developed by Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), was created to bring the power of marketing and celebrity endorsements to change the way children and young adults think about fruits and vegetables to inspire healthier eating as part of a broader effort to reduce obesity and the chronic conditions associated with it like diabetes and heart disease.

"I have a feeling that Bradley Beal has more influence than I do on even my son when it comes to eating broccoli," said Nancy E. Roman, PHA President and CEO. "The power of sports and celebrity will outrank even grandma when it comes to shaping the food culture we need to ensure the next generation of children and young adults live healthier lives."

The FNV campaign will be implemented in more than 164 stores across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. As part of the partnership with PHA, Giant Food also collaborated with Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) to include locally relevant athletes.

"Giant is proud to launch FNV through our partnerships with PHA and MSE to help encourage children to lead healthy lifestyles built on balanced eating," said Gordon Reid, President of Giant Food. "We have a longstanding history of leading and supporting programs and initiatives that promote healthy choices, including Guiding Stars, so the FNV campaign is a natural continuation."

Since its launch, FNV has recruited more than 85 celebrities and athletes, including actors Kristen Bell, Jessica Alba, and Regina Hall, a native of Washington, D.C., as well as Golden State Warriors Point Guard Stephen Curry. The campaign in Giant Foods will feature hometown heroes Washington Wizards' Guard Bradley Beal, Washington Mystics' Elena Delle Donne, and Washington Capitals' T.J. Oshie.

"We are proud to partner with Giant Foods and PHA on this important topic, and we are fortunate to have three terrific role models in Elena, Bradley, and T.J. to help spread this message in the DMV," said Hunter Lochmann, MSE Chief Marketing Officer.

Today, 9 in 10 children don't eat enough fruits and veggies, and less than 1 percent of the $2 billion spent on advertising food and beverage products to youth each year is spent on healthier options. Launched nationally in 2015, FNV has garnered millions of media impressions and 7 out of 10 people reported eating more fruits and vegetables after seeing the campaign.

Learn more about Giant Food and its partnership with PHA by visiting www.ahealthieramerica.org.

About Giant Food: Giant Food is headquartered in Landover, Md. and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. Giant Good employs approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 154 full-service pharmacies. For more information on Giant, visit www.giantfood.com.

About FNV: We're on a mission to get the world to eat more fruits and veggies. Fresh, frozen, canned and dried — The Partnership for a Healthier America has united every type of fruit and veggie under one awesome brand: FNV. With a dash of playful creativity and boatloads of passion, FNV is harnessing the power of marketing to promote fruits and veggies in the same way big brands market their products. We have amazing partners and celebrities who support us, but we need you too. Stand with FNV and share your love for fruits and veggies. Find FNV online at www.teamFNV.com, on Instagram at @teamFNV, on Twitter at @teamFNV, Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamFNV.

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation's youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with—but independent from— former First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation's most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.ahealthieramerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.

SOURCE Partnership for a Healthier America