May '11 PR Rankings Issue - Odwyerpr.com

REPORT
Food industry taps firms for $50 million PR push
Food industry trade groups
the Grocery Manufacturers
Association and the Food
Marketing Institute have
tapped three PR firms to guide
a $50 million industry campaign
highlighting new “front of
pack” nutrition labeling.
By Greg Hazley
Omnicom’s BBDO New York,
along with independent PR firms
Edelman and FoodMinds, won a
competitive pitch for the year-long
campaign to build public awareness of
the industry’s effort to put more information
about packaged foods in front of
the eyes of consumers.
The new labeling has been called
Nutrition Keys, a voluntary, industrystandard
labeling system to be displayed
on the front of food and beverage
packages that highlights data like
calories, fat, sugars and fiber content,
among other information.
Pamela Bailey, President and CEO of
24
MAY 2011 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM
GMA, said an “exhaustive selection
process” was carried out to hire the
three firms.
BBDO will also work with sister
firms Integer, PHD and Proximity.
Bailey said the goal of the Keys initiative
is “providing consumers — especially
busy parents — with the information
they need to make informed decisions
when they shop.”
Point-of-purchase displays, advertising
and PR and digital/social media are
all expected to play a part in the effort.
FMI president and CEO Leslie
Sarasin added in a statement: “We are
committed to improving the health and
nutrition of our customers, and have
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In response to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, the trade groups that represent U.S. food
and beverage manufacturers have devised the “Nutrition Keys” labeling system, a series of black
and white icons revealing nutritional content to be displayed on the front of foods and beverages.
gathered some of the best minds in the
business to help construct a creative and
successful consumer education campaign
that will reach consumers at the
point-of-purchase and help them
achieve a healthy diet.”
Inspired in part by First Lady
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign,
as well as the specter of FDAimposed
guidelines, the food industry
said in January that it was implementing
a voluntary plan to display nutrition
data more prominently on food packages.
The new labels are slated to appear on
approximately 70% of food products by
next year.
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