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The National Peanut Board Signs on as March of Dimes Sponsor
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., MARCH 28, 2001 – The National Peanut Board has signed an agreement to become a March of Dimes national corporate sponsor of WalkAmerica, it was announced by the March of Dimes today.
"We’re enthusiastic about this partnership with the National Peanut Board," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes, " and pleased to welcome the nation’s peanut farmers as a national sponsor for WalkAmerica 2001. Because of our shared interest in good nutrition this is a natural fit with our mission to give all babies a healthy start in life." The sponsorship is a two-year, $2.5 million agreement. Both the National Peanut Board and the March of Dimes will be working together to increase awareness of the importance of folic acid to women of childbearing age.
Peanuts are a good source of folate, the natural source of the B vitamin folic acid, which can reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord when taken in sufficient amounts before conception and during the earliest weeks of pregnancy. The March of Dimes recommends that all women of childbearing age take a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic daily, as part of a healthy diet containing foods naturally high in folic acid. One ounce of roasted peanuts contains 25 mcg of folic acid, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich provides 76 mcg.
The Atlanta-based National Peanut Board was formed in 2000 and is run by the American peanut farmers to promote the health benefits and consumption of U.S. grown peanuts. It is supported by all peanut farmers in the U.S. Peanuts are grown in: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia; and in six minor peanut producing states: Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The Board is chaired by Murray Campbell, a peanut farmer in Hopeful, Georgia.
The National Peanut Board is a research and promotions board that works on behalf of all U.S. peanut farmers. The board’s funding is approximately $10 million, which provides funds to develop domestic and export advertising and promotion programs. It also funds research to reduce production costs, explore nutrition research and investigate potential ways to mitigate peanut allergies. The board may enter into cooperative agreements with peanut product manufacturers to promote U.S. peanut products.
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