Blog

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday September 10, 2018 Article originally appears in the August 30, 2018 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator. It has many names - low literacy, readable, plain/clear language (my preference, reader-friendly) but one goal - communicating clearly. We often point to the reading level of our audiences as the reason to write below a certain reading level - writing at or below 8th grade for the U.S. public but lower reading levels may be more appropriate for your audience. Here are 2 compelling reasons for clear communicatio (...)

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday August 20, 2018 Article originally appears in the August 16, 2018 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator. Think you know about online food shopping? If you think fees, membership dues or speedy delivery are the only factors to consider, read on! (Note: This article doesn’t address meal delivery services, a topic covered previously.) Overview >>>Are grocers solving the e-commerce riddle? Only 2% of grocery sales come from online sources yet there’s a lot of activity. If it seems like every grocery (...)

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday August 8, 2018 Article originally appears in the August 2, 2018 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator.  It’s that time of year when many states hold their state (or county) fair. Deep-fried foods often make the headlines yet there are enticing and healthful food choices. It’s not all about just telling people to avoid high calorie/fat/sugar foods at the fair. I was pleased to read other strategies suggested similar to attending a party or buffet (look at everything and choose a few items), eat slowly and mi (...)

Posted by: Mary Beth Anderson, Learning ZoneXpress on Monday August 6, 2018 Thanks to everyone who joined the Learning ZoneXpress team for the Dialogue Now session, “Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign!” at the 2018 SNEB Conference in our home state of Minnesota. For those of you who missed it, Learning ZoneXpress consults with clients worldwide to create customized, high-impact signs with images and messages to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Custom banners, posters, shelf signs, lawn signs, and supporting handouts are used in all kinds of settings from s (...)

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Thursday July 26, 2018 Article originally appears in the July 19, 2018 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator. The USDA discontinued SuperTracker on June 30, 2018. Begun in 2011, SuperTracker had 27 million users including registered dietitian nutritionists, students and others. Functionalities included tracking daily food and physical activity as well as analyzing recipes or menus. Why was the tool discontinued? USDA recognized that currently there are many available tools. More @ https://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertr (...)

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Thursday July 5, 2018 Article originally appears in the July 5, 2018 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator. Multiple social media (SM) platforms are new opportunities to reach new audiences...AND more work. Do not despair, it doesn’t have to be that way. What is repurposing? Reformatting existing content so it can be used in different ways or for different audiences. Consider ways to repurpose your online content effectively and more easily for use across many platforms with the ideas and resources below. **10 way (...)

Posted by: Rachel Daeger, CAE, IOM on Monday July 2, 2018 The App Quality Evaluation tool (AQEL) allows nutrition professionals to quantitatively evaluate apps. This evaluation is helpful when deciding which apps might be most appropriate for your clients or program audiences.  This validated tool provides a method of scoring apps based on the following areas: Behavior Change Potential Support of Knowledge Acquisition Skill Development Function App Purpose In addition to these 5 scores, 2 additional scores are calculated based on t (...)

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday June 25, 2018 Article originally appears in the June 21, 2018 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator. There are many articles about the changing food environment. This one focuses on three aspects of a changing food environment that caught my attention recently: 1) a dizzying array of food flavors especially in the snack food sector (consumers demand individualization/customization of their food with more flavor choices); 2) food availability in more and more venues as the line between meals and snacks blurs; an (...)

Posted by: Rachel Daeger, CAE, IOM on Monday June 18, 2018 The SNEB 2018 Annual Conference is just a few weeks away and we are excited to see everyone in Minneapolis! We recorded a 30 minute webinar this week to help you prepare for your conference experience. You can view the recording here. Have a question not answered in the webinar? Send an email to info@sneb.org. (...)

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday June 11, 2018 Article originally appears in the June 7, 2018 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator. If you’re not familiar with alternative meats it’s time! After all, White Castle recently offered one - the Impossible Burger - this past April at some locations. Before starting, here are a few terms... **Cellular agriculture - producing agriculture products from cells in a lab **Lab-grown meat/clean meat/cultured meat - meat produced from animal cells ‘grown’ in a lab Background/major ‘players (...)