Actress Alison Sweeney Teams Up With GRADUATES(R) from Gerber To Educate Moms About Toddler Nutrition

Actress Alison Sweeney Teams Up With GRADUATES(R) from Gerber To Educate Moms About Toddler Nutrition

- Survey Reveals Toddlers Not Receiving USDA Recommended Amount of Fruits & Vegetables, Moms Cite Lack of Time as Barrier to Providing Nutritious Food; Appropriate Calorie Intake Not Understood-

- 50% of the moms serve vegetables to their toddlers only once a day or less - 43% of moms with toddlers serve fruits to their toddlers only once a day or less - 63% of moms don't know the daily-recommended calorie intake for their toddlers

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Gerber Products Company announced today it is teaming up with actress Alison Sweeney to help educate moms about toddler nutrition. Sweeney, mother of two-year-old son Ben, is the new host of the NBC's hit reality show The Biggest Loser and well-known for her Emmy Award-winning role as Sami Brady on the network's daytime drama Days of our Lives.

"When Gerber shared its findings from a recent survey of moms, I was shocked to learn that many toddlers weren't getting the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables in a day," Ms. Sweeney said. "As the mother of a two- year-old, I'm thrilled at the opportunity to talk to parents about how they can positively affect their toddlers' eating habits, which may impact the food choices they make as adults."

Gap In Moms' Toddler Nutrition Knowledge

The survey, conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates and commissioned by Gerber, found that many mothers of toddlers lack basic nutritional knowledge, such as the USDA recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day and the amount of calories they should feed their toddlers per day.

   According to the findings:   -- 50 percent of moms report serving vegetables to their toddlers only      once a day or less, far lower than the recommended 3 servings of      vegetables per day as outlined by the USDA.   -- 43 percent of moms say they serve fruits to their toddler only once a      day or less, far lower than the recommended 2-3 servings of fruits per      day as outlined by the USDA.   -- 63 percent of moms did not know that the average 9-24-month old needs      approximately 1,000 calories a day - about half as much as the average      adult.   

"Gerber is committed to educating parents about how to provide the best nutritional choices for their children, with the goal of helping to reduce the alarming number of overweight and obese children in America," said Dr. Kathleen Reidy, global vice president of Nutrition and Regulatory Affairs at Gerber Products Company. "Parents can feel good about turning to GRADUATES because our snacks and meals are specially designed for the toddler diet and offer a wide variety of nutritious and developmentally appropriate food choices."

Hectic Lifestyle a Challenge to Feeding Toddlers Nutritiously

The survey results also underscored that moms believe their toddlers' nutrition is extremely important, but sometimes "life" can get in the way.

   -- When provided with a list of factors that influence their choices of      snacks and meals for their toddlers, moms overwhelmingly (91 percent)      say nutrition is most important.   -- However, 66 percent of moms say that "lack of time" or a "hectic      schedule" is the biggest obstacle they face when trying to provide      healthy snacks and meals for their toddlers.   

Ms. Sweeney prides herself on feeding her son nutritious foods, even as a busy working mom. "The survey findings are a good reminder that many moms are looking for wholesome foods for their toddlers. I turn to GRADUATES(R) from Gerber because the meals and snacks are nutritious, convenient, and designed specially for toddlers, not adults. I feel good knowing that the GRADUATES line is helping me feed my 2-year old son the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables everyday."

Nutrition Information for Moms

The survey suggests moms are looking for somewhere to turn for information about which meals and snacks offer the best nutritional choices for their toddlers. In fact, 70 percent of moms agreed with the statement "I wish I had more information about which foods are most nutritious for my child."

Navigating the 'Wobbly World' of toddlerhood isn't a 9-5 job; that's why the Gerber Parents Resource Center is staffed with trained professionals 24- hours a day, 7-days a week, 365-days a year to provide guidance and advice to parents about feeding and caring for babies and toddlers. Call 1.800.4.GERBER or visit http://www.gerber.com/.

About Gerber

Gerber Products Company is part of the Consumer Health Division of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) , and was founded in 1928. In 2002, the Company launched Start Healthy, Stay Healthy(TM), an initiative to educate consumers and professionals on the importance of starting good eating habits early. Gerber encourages parents to lay a foundation of good nutrition for their children. By establishing good eating behaviors early, parents can help their children prevent later life disease like obesity and related diseases. Over the last five years, Gerber's Start Healthy, Stay Healthy(TM), initiative has delivered groundbreaking research, science-based advice and practical feeding guidelines for parents to adopt. For more information, please visit http://www.gerber.com/ or call 1-800-4-GERBER.

About Alison Sweeney

One of daytime television's most recognized actresses and a successful author, Alison Sweeney is the host of the fourth season of NBC's hit reality series "Biggest Loser."

Appearing on NBC's "Days of our Lives" since January 6, 1993, Sweeney has taken her character, 'Sami Brady,' from a rebellious teen to a devoted mother with many detours along the way. Sweeney won the award for "America's Favorite Villain" at the 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards and is a four-time winner of The Soap Opera Digest Awards (1986, '98, '99 and 2001) for the role of "Favorite Villain" and winner for "Favorite Good Girl" in 2001.

Her book, All The Days of My Life (So Far), was published in 2004 to critical acclaim. The book gives audiences a glimpse into Sweeney's personal life by describing her experience as a child actor, life on the set of "Days of our Lives," painful high school memories, and the struggle to lose weight and keep it off.

Sweeney currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Dave, a California Highway Patrol Officer, and their two-year-old son Ben. Sweeney can be seen on "Days of our Lives" weekdays on NBC.

About the Survey

The survey, sponsored by Gerber Products Co. and administered by Penn, Schoen and Berland, was conducted between March 19 and April 1, 2007, via telephone among a representative national sample of 500 U.S. adult women who have children between the ages of 9 months and 3 years. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent at the 95th percentile confidence interval level.

   Contacts: David Mortazavi,             Lindsay Bell, Ruder Finn             Gerber Products Company      Phone: (212) 593-6381             Phone: (973) 593-7460        Cell: (207) 712-1661             Cell: (646) 326-3926         belll@ruderfinn.com             david.mortazavi@gerber.com  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Gerber Products Company

CONTACT: David Mortazavi, of Gerber Products Company, +1-973-593-7460,
Mobile: +1-646-326-3926, david.mortazavi@gerber.com, or Lindsay Bell, Ruder
Finn, +1-212-593-6381, Cell: +1-207-712-1661, belll@ruderfinn.com

Web site: http://www.gerber.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment