Teaching doctors about cooking is a great way to help them deliver branded health messages to consumers.  Why not create a series of cooking sessions at a corporate test kitchen?  The University of Massachusetts Medical School is now offering physicians the chance to test their skills in the kitchen, with cooking classes geared toward them. The [...]

Brands looking for partnerships or fitness sponsorships may want to consider this:  Obstacle races like the mud run series, entitled the Warrior Dash, have exploded in popularity over the last decade. Growing in just two years from one event and 2,000 participants, this year, 650,000 Warrior Dashers have competed in 33 events, from Florence, Ariz., to New South Wales.  [...]

 What a great way to get consumers to adopt better4you habits and eat more fruits and veggies!   Boston Medical Center is giving its patients prescriptions to its food pantry, where they can get free fresh fruits, vegetables and meats to help their health and healing process at home. The pantry, which gives out more than 20 tons [...]

Shamona Harnett, a writer for the Winnipeg Free Press makes some interesting predictions around fitness for 2012.    Good food for thought for Better4You brands when considering partnerships or PR campaigns.  Fitness programs geared towards overweight adults:  Gyms, fitness trainers and instructors will work to make people of all sizes and fitness levels feel comfortable in a [...]

A chance to market better4you snacks?  Four in 10 Americans opt for a nosh during the day instead of eating three meals and 55 percent say they reach for a snack in lieu of dinner.  The Rethink Your Snack Survey, commissioned by Snack Factory’s Pretzel Crisps, finds that the younger folks skip a meal and choose a snack when [...]

Smartphones are ringing it up at the grocery store as supermarkets are using apps to to help shoppers compare prices and create shopping lists.   The investment in smartphones is minimal, says Agata Kaczanowska an analyst with IBISWorld, and will help build store loyalty.  Modiv Media teamed with Stop and Shop to start a pilot program in [...]

What a great idea for a better4you brand to sponsor!  Iowa is setting a great example of mobilizing its citizens to improve overall health and meet a five year goal of making the state the healthiest in the nation.   Iowa created the “Start Somewhere Walk,” in which tens of thousands of Iowans all around the state [...]

Great article from Grist for brand marketers to read about how reformers like Michael Pollan are affecting Wal-Mart.

Ann Zimmerman of The Wall Street Journal writes a disturbing article that claims the economy is creating lasting damage for brands as consumers who trade down during the recession may never come back.  “Buffeted by high unemployment, heavy debt loads, falling home values and high food and gas prices, these shoppers have been whipped into a permanent state [...]

Brands are using apps for all sorts of messaging.  Now there’s a free iPhone app for consumers who are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle or diet.  NutriScanner 1.0 offers nutrient information from any standard NLEA label.  Supermarket shoppers can scan and review nutrition info on the label including serving size, calories, carbohydrates, fat, protein, and weight.  A simple [...]