News Food

By Cindy Mackey

 

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and Five Points Community Farm Market, with help from Dorothy McAuliffe, First Lady of the Commonwealth of Virginia, launched the FNV Mobile Market to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to the Norfolk community. The event, held at the Y on Granby Street, is part of the FNV campaign, launched in the Hampton Roads area earlier this year. FNV is a new brand focused on increasing sales and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The FNV Mobile Market will bring affordable, locally and regionally sourced fruits and vegetables to areas of the community that need it most. In addition to fresh produce, the market will offer cooking demonstrations, live music, teen discounts and a special dollar menu with a selection of fruit- and vegetable-based snacks.

 

“FNV is about all the things that make fruits and veggies fun,” said PHA Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Shadrick Wilson. “Today, we are pleased to support the FNV Mobile Market, which is an important component of the campaign—one focused on getting affordable produce to traditionally underserved areas of the community.”

The FNV Mobile Market will be at the Y on Granby on select Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and every Monday at the Vivian Mason Center at Olney and Church Street from 5 to 8 pm. A complete schedule is available at www.5ptsfarmmarket.org.

 

As First Lady of the Commonwealth, Dorothy McAuliffe has dedicated her efforts to eliminating childhood hunger and improving access to Virginia’s fresh, locally grown agricultural products. “This campaign is important – markets like this one are vital to giving more children and families access to the fruits and vegetables they need to lead healthy and successful lives,” said McAuliffe. “The FNV Mobile Market makes healthy foods more convenient and gives local farmers more local sales opportunities to provide fruits and vegetables to the neighbors in their community.”

“We’re offering a special teen discount for 20% off all fruits and vegetables at the FNV Mobile Market as well as the Five Points Community Farm Market,” said Bev Sell, general manager of Five Points Community Farm Market. “We’re hoping these discounts will make a difference for teens to encourage their friends and families to eat more fruits and vegetables.”

 

Founding supporters of FNV are companies and organizations that believe in the need to market fruits and vegetables in a whole new way. They include: Avocados From Mexico, Bolthouse Farms, The Honest Company, Produce for Better Health, Produce Marketing Association, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sweetgreen, Victors & Spoils, and WWE. In addition to Five Points Community Farm Market, Farm Fresh supermarket is involved in the campaign locally.

 

After its launch this year in the two lead markets—Fresno, Ca. and Hampton Roads—the brand will roll out nationally. In-market activations will include digital, print and out-of-home advertising; sponsorships of youth sports leagues and teams; local business and retail activations; and activations at local events. Additionally, a robust research plan will accompany FNV, measuring sales of fresh, frozen, canned and dried in the lead markets, consumption in both markets as well as nationally, and awareness, recall and resonance testing.