Nestlé launches 'Balance Your Plate' education campaign, toolkit for health professionals

WASHINGTON — Nestlé USA today unveiled its new "Balance Your Plate with Nestlé" education campaign to help consumers build nutritious, convenient meals and offer a toolkit to healthcare professionals in guiding their customers to make healthier meals. The announcement was made during a luncheon presentation at the Consumer Federation of America's 36th Annual National Food Policy Conference.

The goal of "Balance Your Plate" is to help consumers enjoy the foods they love, while encouraging the consumption of more fruits and vegetables. By providing tips and tools, the campaign shows how individuals and families can quickly assemble high-quality balanced meals using frozen prepared entrees as the "center of the plate."

Consumers can use menu models included in the "Balance Your Plate" toolkit and find suggestions on how to round out each frozen entree with vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy needed to create balanced, perfectly portioned meals. Each daily meal plan included in "Balance Your Plate" meets energy and nutrient goals for a standard 2,000-calorie diet, based on recommendations from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The toolkit also provides suggestions to reach 1,800- and 1,500-calorie diets. A free, downloadable "Balance Your Plate" toolkit can be found at NestleUSA.com/Balance for health professionals working in clinics, hospitals, drug and grocery store settings, among others, who can play a key role in counseling consumers and teaching the fundamentals of sound nutrition, as well as raising awareness of ChooseMyPlate.gov, a USDA-sponsored website for healthy eating and the Dietary Guidelines for Eating, which sets the recommended standards for a 2,000-calorie diet per day.