Bayer and Dollar General have partnered on a campaign to help K-12 school districts around the country provide nutritional support for kids and their families outside of traditional school hours. Through this partnership, students receive a coupon for fresh produce, redeemable at local Dollar General stores that now offer fresh fruit and vegetables. The collaboration was also developed to coincide with National School Lunch Week, October 9-13, which celebrates the importance of a healthy school lunch and the role of school nutrition professionals to provide well-balanced meals to students throughout the United States.

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Bayer and Dollar General Partner to Increase Access to Fruit and Veggies, Celebrate National School Lunch Week (Photo: Business Wire)

“When we think about children’s nutrition, we recognize that schools and those involved in the daily preparation and delivery of nutritious and delicious meals are the true stars in helping to reduce childhood hunger,” said Inci Dannenberg, president Bayer Vegetable Seeds. “We can’t achieve Bayer’s mission of ‘Health for All, Hunger for None’ alone, so partnerships like this are critical to breaking down barriers and helping families, beyond the school, access nutritious choices for their kids.”

As one of the country's largest life-sciences companies with leading businesses across health and nutrition, Bayer is committed to tending to the communities to help increase access to health and nutrition. Bayer and Dollar General are offering families 50% off any one fresh produce item ($5 or less) and $2 off any Bayer Flintstones™ Vitamins through November 30, 2023.

With approximately 75% of the U.S. population located within five miles of a Dollar General store, the company is committed to addressing food insecurity and increasing accessibility to nutritious foods. As of Q2 2023, DG offers fruits and vegetables in more than 4,400 stores with plans to offer produce in more than 10,000 total stores over the next several years, with a meaningful number of them in the current United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defined food deserts.

“Dollar General’s mission is Serving Others, and we understand millions of Americans and their families rely on us to provide convenient access to affordable and nutritious foods. Through our unique store footprint DG is able to make a difference in helping address hunger in our hometown communities,” said Emily Taylor, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Dollar General.

Connections to schools giving out the 100,000 coupons were facilitated in collaboration with the International Fresh Produce Association, a trade association for the fresh fruit and vegetable industry, which works with leading school nutrition programs across the country and advocates for increasing children’s access to fresh fruit and vegetables at school.

School districts and organizations receiving the produce coupons are in Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

While the health benefits of fruits and vegetables are many, only one in ten adults in the United States is getting enough produce in their daily diet. Across the globe, 60 to 87 percent of adults are falling short of the recommended daily intake. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends adults consume a minimum of 400 grams or five servings of fruits and vegetables per day to lead a healthy and nutritious life.

“We are pleased to be part of this creative collaboration,” said Andrew Marshall, wholesaler-distributor relations and external partnerships, International Fresh Produce Association. “Together, we’re supporting a new opportunity to make fresh produce more readily available in communities, while also highlighting the important role that schools and school nutrition professionals can play to reach children and families with fresh produce.”

About Bayer: Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of 50.7 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About Dollar General: Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG) is proud to serve as America’s neighborhood general store. Founded in 1939, Dollar General lives its mission of Serving Others every day by providing access to affordable products and services for its customers, career opportunities for its employees, and literacy and education support for its hometown communities. As of August 4, 2023, the company’s 19,488 Dollar General, DG Market, DGX and pOpshelf stores across the United States and Mi Súper Dollar General stores in Mexico provide everyday essentials including food, health and wellness products, cleaning and laundry supplies, self-care and beauty items, and seasonal décor from our high-quality private brands alongside many of the world’s most trusted brands such as Coca Cola, PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, General Mills, Hershey, J.M. Smucker, Kraft, Mars, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Learn more at DollarGeneral.com.

About the International Fresh Produce Association: The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) represents companies from every segment of the global fresh produce supply chain. IFPA exists to advocate, connect, and guide our members’ prosperity and through our Foundation for Fresh Produce, our vision is to grow a healthier world by changing the trajectory of human health. We believe the produce industry has the potential to provide solutions for many of the world’s greatest health and economic challenges – especially those surrounding nutrition and hunger. The Foundation focuses on improving the appeal of fruits and vegetables as an integral part of people’s diets, supporting the development of infrastructure and supply chain solutions that provide easier access, and establishing strategic alliances that enable children and families to form healthier eating habits. More information at www.freshproduce.com.

THE FLINTSTONES: © & TM Hanna-Barbera. (s23)

Bayer and Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2023 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.

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