Heinz to Tout Lycopene Benefits

H.J. Heinz Co. (Pittsburgh) and the Cancer Research Foundation of America (CRFA) are teaming up on a new series of print advertisements that promote the health benefits of lycopene. The print campaign supports research which concludes that consuming processed tomato products helps reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease. (See related article)

The print advertisements, which feature a pouring bottle of Heinz Ketchup and lycopene messages, are scheduled for January runs in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, USA Today, Health magazine and Prevention magazine. The new ads illustrate Heinz Ketchup's nutritional message: Processed tomatoes deliver up to five times more lycopene than fresh tomatoes.

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that creates the red coloring in tomatoes and protects the human body's cells from free radicals—highly reactive oxidized molecules that disrupt the body's cell membranes and attack the genetic material within.

All of the advertisements' messages are publicly endorsed by the CRFA, who promotes the consumption of fruits and vegetables, including processed tomato products, to help reduce the risk of some cancers. This concept is driven by the fact that one-third of the 564,800 cancer deaths expected to occur in the U.S. this year are related to dietary factors.

"As an organization, we felt very strongly about aligning ourselves with the messages that Heinz Ketchup is trying to communicate," says Carolyn Aldige, president and founder of the CRFA. "The ultimate goal of all of our programs is to prevent cancer. In order to make that possible, we must educate."

Additional information can be found at www.lycopene.org and www.heinz.com.