Transforming the Marketplace

Sesame Workshop / PMA

2016 Progress Report

Year Committed: 2013

Length of Commitment: 3 years

Select a Progress Report:

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Collaborate over the next two years to help promote fresh fruits and vegetable consumption to kids. Sesame Workshop committed to waive its licensing fees and allow PMA’s community of growers, suppliers and retailers to use Sesame Street Characters to deliver positive messages about fresh fruits and vegetables royalty free.

Verified Results

Implementation Date
March 2016
Reporting Date
August 2016

Commitment Element
PMA will review all requests by eligible suppliers and retailers (PMA members and non-members) for Sesame Workshop Assets for use in the promotion of fresh fruits and vegetables and permit use only on eligible products.
Progress To Date

As of August 2016, 91 suppliers or retailers had made a request to use Sesame Workshop assets to promote 156 unique varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables using 9 different Sesame Street characters.
Implementation Date
March 2016
Reporting Date
August 2016

Commitment Element
PMA will host webinars and podcasts, at a minimum quarterly, to explain the program to interested companies and share best practices.
Progress To Date

Between August 2015 and August 2016, PMA publicized its efforts in 3 press releases announcing sales increases as a result of participation in eat brighter!, 1 video message from First Lady Michelle Obama to attendees of the PMA Fresh Summit conference, 1 conference workshop, 1 web article, and 1 issue of PMA's free online magazine, fresh. It also featured 7 success stories from "eat brighter!" partners on its website. PMA did not host any webinars or podcasts during the reporting period.
Implementation Date
March 2016
Reporting Date
August 2016

Commitment Element
PMA will share with PHA the results over a two-year period from the Performance Start Date, with metrics including number of products given Sesame Workshop Assets through the program, number of companies participating (including eligible suppliers and retailers) and estimated sales impact.
Progress To Date

As of August 2016, there were 57 suppliers with licensing agreements in place, and 66 unique retailers were carrying "eat brighter!" branded produce. PMA regularly conducts self-reported market surveys of "eat brighter!" participants. Suppliers continue to report a 3% sales increase on average after using "eat brighter!" promotional materials, and 68% of respondents reported at least one quarter of increased sales.

Partner Statement

Sesame Workshop

“We are so pleased to see the growth of the eat brighter!™ movement, a collaboration between Sesame Workshop, Produce Marketing Association, and the Partnership for a Healthier America to attract kids to delicious, healthful produce. Suppliers and retailers market more than 100 products through the program, and the support of more than 52 store brands representing 29,000 stores across the United States and Canada ensures a broad reach.

"Eat brighter! aligns with the Sesame Workshop mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, and around our shared goals of promoting healthy choices and eating habits for children aged 2-5 and their families. We are thrilled that the produce and retail industries have embraced this outreach, using characters from Sesame Workshop that kids love and moms trust.”

Produce Marketing Association

“The eat brighter!™ movement, resulting from a partnership between Sesame Workshop, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and the Produce Marketing Association currently includes 83 suppliers and retailers, encompassing 100+ licensed commodities and the support of more than 52 store brands representing 29,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada.

"A number of commodity boards have joined the eat brighter! movement. One of these is Avocados from Mexico, which represents more than 75 percent of the U.S. avocado market.

"In a success story shared with PMA, Avocados from Mexico noted that, by joining eat brighter!, it was able to leverage Sesame Street’s furry friends to engage moms and kids with messaging around the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables, including fresh avocados, and their important role in a balanced diet.

"Additionally, through a supplementary partnership with Sesame Workshop, Avocados from Mexico enlisted Chef Pati Jinich to meet Sesame Street’s Elmo, Cookie Monster and Rosita in the kitchen for a series of videos, including a PSA that was distributed nationwide, in which they share nutritional benefits and fun facts about the avocado.

"Another eat brighter! partner, Sbrocco International, told PMA that the program fit well with its Good 4 U Fresh Fruit® brand, which is a fun, kid-friendly brand that supports health and wellness for youth. They have found that retail customers are starting to create attractive destinations full of healthy eat brighter! fruits and veggies that Moms and kids can be excited about buying and eating. On the consumer side, eat brighter! posts on Facebook and Twitter have proven to be some of the most successful in terms of consumer engagement.

"Due to the success of the program, eat brighter! is scheduled to run through 2018.”