Download Australian Avocados: education and promotion of nutrition and

Australian Avocados:
education and promotion of
nutrition and health benefits
Lisa Yates
Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian
Marketing consultant
10th Sept 2013
Nutritional values Conference
New Zealand
Overview
Strategy and Goals
Target audiences
Key messages
Sample activities and outcomes
Questions
Strategy and goals
•
•
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Australian Avocados Nutrition program commenced in Oct 2010
Health and nutrition seen as driver to increase consumer demand for
avocados
Australian Industry interested in finding a “nutrition space” that avocados
could own
Strategy and goals
•
Since 2010 the Australian Avocado Nutrition program has evolved
•
Goal: increase demand for avocado but through emotive and rational
means – two pillars
•
Health and nutrition
– the rational reason
– giving permission to eat avocado or recommend avocado
– the reason why we need to eat avocado but may not be why we want
avocado
Target audiences
Who do we want to educate?
• Health professionals: dietitians, fitness leaders, (in the past medical doctors)
• Food regulations and public health sector
• Australian Avocado Industry members
Why them?
•
Market research from 110 Medical Doctors found:
– 1/3 concerned about the fat and calorie content of avocados
– ½ don’t think to recommend avocado specifically – not top of mind - but majority
do routinely recommend F/V
– 71% also said patients needing to lower cholesterol would significantly or
somewhat benefit from eating avocado
•
Health professionals need education too so can actively advocate for
avocados
Target audiences
•
Food regulations and public health:
– FSANZ, National Health and Medical Research Council - Influential
– Develop long lasting policies and guidelines that are used to influence/educate
health professionals and consumers
– Need to ensure avocados are position in best possible light by sharing avocado
research
•
Australian Avocado industry:
– better we all sing from the same hymn sheet
– share the same consistent message
– gain momentum to change word of mouth
Key messages
What “nutrition space” to own?
•
2010/11 – developed a report on the nutrition and health benefits of
avocado as well as develop list of substantiated nutrient content claims
•
2012/13 refined this list further to just two key messages:
– Avocado as a rich source of healthy fats
– Avocado as a source of folate
Why these?
• 80% of the fat in avocados is from healthy monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fat
• Move away from low fat diets to healthy fat diets
• Australian Dietary Guidelines released in Feb 2013
(www.eatforhealth.gov.au)
Key messages
•
ADGs – Guideline 3 (www.eatforhealth.gov.au)
Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol:
a. Limit intake of foods high in saturated fat such as many biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies,
processed meats, commercial burgers, pizza, fried foods, potato chips, crisps and other savoury
snacks.
Replace high fat foods which contain predominately saturated fats such as butter,
cream, cooking margarine, coconut and palm oil with foods which contain
predominately polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats such as oils, spreads, nut
butters/pastes and avocado.
Low fat diets are not suitable for children under the age of 2 years of age
•
Change in paradigm – no longer limiting all fat but only saturated fat and
then important to replace unhealthy saturated fat with healthy unsaturated
fat such as avocado
•
Uniform message healthy fats important for everyone
Key messages
Why folate?
• FSANZ Food Standards Code Transition standard 1.1A.2 – one high level
health claim was approved for folate and reducing the risk of neural tube
defects such as spina bifida
• Avocado is listed as one of only a few primary foods able to use this (wordy)
claim
• “Women of child bearing age need to consume at least 400 micrograms of
folate per day at least the month before and three months after conception.
A diet rich in folate including avocado may reduce the risk of foetal neural
tube defects. Half an avocado contains 59 micrograms of folate 15% of the
required amount.”
•
Doctors market research found:
– 64% didn’t think avocado was an important source of folate
– 29% didn’t know if avocado contained folate
•
Dietitians conference May 2013: Dietitians know green leafy vegetables are
a source of folate but few knew avocado as well
Key messages
Why Folate?
• “Avocado is the other green vegetable that contains folate but tastes better”
• “Avocado important for mums and bubs”
• Extend to “Avocado great first food for babies” since low fat diets not
suitable for under 2s.
Window of opportunity
• Jan 2013 FSANZ gazetted the new Standard 1.2.7 Nutrient, health and
related claims but with a three year transition period
• High level health claim for neural tube defects was changed from “folate” to
“folic acid” – avocados will no longer be able make the claim after Jan 2016.
• We need to raise the awareness of folate in avocado now
• After Jan 2016 we use general level health claim about folate around
importance of folate during pregnancy
• *Folate found in food, folic acid found in supplements and fortified foods –
we absorb 100% of folic acid, 50% of folate
Activities and outcomes
Key messages can be used: labels, stickers, websites, fact sheets, social media
Highlights from the 2012/13 Nutrition program:
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Fitness professionals webinar
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Trade exhibitions
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Blogs and website
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PR blogger activity - healthy snacks for toddlers
Fitness professionals (FPs)
NRF Nutrient Rich Fitness webinar
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2011 - free evening seminar: with Matt O’Neil sports dietitian and avocado canapes
developed by chef Alan Brown from AUT Dept Culinary Arts
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Well received but half registered FP delegates unable to attend due to changes in
work schedules and travel problems
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2012 - changed the event to an evening webinar on weight management - less time
investment, no limits to attendance due to location, GotoWebinar able to record it for
later download from youtube but no chef inspired food experience
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Held Feb 26 before any of the other FPs conference started in 2012
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Promoted via advertisement in Fitness Australia’s email news and previous delegates
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Incentive: Fitness Australia CEC point after taking an automated test online with a
80% pass mark
Webinar results
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Evaluation via pre and post knowledge survey and CEC Quiz
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367 registered with 162 attending the live webinar and another 225
taking the ProProfs CEC quiz after watching the webinar online
Results of the surveys found:
FPs who attended recommended avocado to more clients following the
webinar
FPs ate more avocado themselves following the webinar (95% vs 62%)
FPs who attended scored better in the surveys after the webinar than before
79% thought the webinar software was very good/excellent although some
problems with sound on the night.
96% FPs attending said they would recommend to a colleague
Results: pre and post surveys
Avo are 50% fat-false
120%
Avo not for Weight loss
diets-false
Avo and carotenoidstrue
Avo low in Vit E-false
100%
80%
60%
40%
Avo rich in folate-true
20%
Want weight loss can
eat avo daily-true
0%
Pre survey
Post survey
Trade exhibitions
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•
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Over 2011 and 2013 attended 6 health professional
conferences
Medical Doctors
– GPCE Sydney and Melbourne
– GPRA (General Practice Registrars Association)
annual conference
Dietitians Association of Australia – 2012 and 2013
Key messages
• Doctors - “Refer a Dad” a men’s health program aim at
women to encourage their men to have a tune up at the
doctors – like servicing their car – posters and avocado
shaped business card
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Dietitians – folate for healthy mums and bubs and
healthy fats for healthy hearts
•
Collated names to sign up to our health professional
database
The Daily Spread Blog and website
The Daily Spread
• 50 weekly blogs on a range of topics
housed on the website with bimonthly more
scientific based blogs for health
professionals
• http://blog.avocado.org.au/
• Regular web content boosts SEO
•
Most popular topic – “Why Low fat diets
don’t work” with 11,514 views
Health Professional section of Avocado website
• www.avocado.org.au/health/blog.aspx
• Houses 130 avocado research abstracts
• NRF webinar
• Refer a Dad
PR health bloggers activity – toddler snacks
A review of toddler snacks available in supermarket with nutritional analysis
and why avocado is the better snack
Resulted in a number of “mummy” blogger articles
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http://www.mouthsofmums.com.au
http://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler-nutrition/healthy-foods-for-toddlers.aspx
http://www.babiesandtoddlers.com.au
http://www.authorrebeccamugridge.com
http://sunnycoastkids.com.au
http://cooking4family.com/
Thanks and Contacts
Thanks to
• Joseph Ebbage – Marketing Consultant
• Duncan Sinclair – Horticulture Australia
Lisa Yates
[email protected]
+61 422 735 718
QUESTIONS?
Plans 2013/14 still to be approved
Continue to promote our healthy fat and folate messages to our key audiences
Update our resources and website in light of new Food Standard 1.2.7
Fortnightly blogs rather than weekly
Expand to Social media – facebook and twitter – run an avocado “tweet up”
#EatKit
Dietitians Association of Australia partnership arrangement incl trade exhibition
Fitness professional trade exhibitions – FILEX conference and ESSA
conference
Health professional webinar