IPC ends relationship with fitness expert
Published: September 2, 2014 10:56AM
Last changed: September 2, 2014 10:57AM
The Idaho Potato Commission has ended its business relationship with fitness and nutrition expert Denise Austin.
EAGLE, Idaho — The Idaho Potato Commission has ended a business partnership spanning more than a decade with fitness and nutrition expert Denise Austin.
Austin was chosen as the organization’s official spokesperson in 2003.
IPC President and CEO Frank Muir said his organization is prioritizing its Great Big Idaho Potato Truck, which has been traveling the country raising awareness about Idaho spuds and the tour’s philanthropic partner, the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. IPC is certified by AHA as being heart healthy.
“In recent years, the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck has been so successful, and we have to find a way to balance the budget,” Muir said. “We’ve put more funding toward the truck and leveraging our connection with the American Heart Association, which also drives home our nutrition message.”
Austin has authored several books on nutrition and exercise and starred in a host of fitness videos. When IPC first brought her on board, Muir said she was “probably the most iconic female exercise expert out in America.”
“We thought she was the ideal spokesperson to help turn the tide and turn all of the negative and incorrect nutrition information about potatoes,” Muir said.
Muir said Austin starred in several advertising campaigns during the ensuing years, emphasizing that potatoes are loaded with potassium, fiber and vitamin C and contain no fat and cholesterol.
“She was able from a credible standpoint to deliver those messages,” Muir said.
—John O’Connell
http://www.capitalpress.com/20140902/ipc-ends-relationship-with-fitness-expert
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