Nestle USA has unveiled its “Balance Your Plate with Nestle” education campaign to help consumers build nutritious, convenient meals. The announcement was made during a luncheon presentation at the Consumer Federation of America’s 36th Annual National Food Policy Conference on Monday.
The goal of “Balance Your Plate” is to help consumers enjoy the foods they love, while encouraging the consumption of more fruits and vegetables, according to a news release. 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.”
Using frozen prepared foods as the foundation of a meal has many advantages, the release says. A frozen entree can be just as nutritious as a homemade one. Likewise, frozen entrees can help reduce food waste by not preparing more than you need. Additionally, frozen foods help consumers know what’s on their plate. Frozen entrees feature ingredient labels whereas most restaurant foods do not.
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 and portioned meal experiences. 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 here.
