PLEASANTON, Calif. — In an effort to promote Open Nature, its new line of 100% natural foods, Safeway is using Facebook to determine "America's Most Natural City."
Through Sept. 16, consumers can visit www.Facebook.com/Safeway and vote for one of 15 cities where Safeway and its divisions have a significant presence in the community. The cities include: Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson and Washington.
Fans can vote up to 100 times, not only for their favorite city, but to increase their own odds of winning a year's supply of Open Nature foods. Fans are encouraged to post to their own Facebook wall to urge their friends and neighbors to also vote for their city and list the characteristics that deem their city worthy of the title.
The winning city will be awarded with 25 picnic tables, sectioned off from the 305-foot Douglas-fir table built in celebration of Open Nature; the table recently broke the Guinness World Record for the World's Longest Picnic Table.
Safeway will also donate $20,000 to the winning city's local parks and recreation organization to aid with maintaining their park facilities, which have come under pressure from federal budget cuts. Everyone who votes will have the opportunity to win a year's supply of Open Nature foods.
"When we developed Open Nature, we listened to our customers to help us define what natural should mean when it comes to their food," said Nancy Cota, vice president of innovation, consumer brands at Safeway, in a statement. "We heard what they were looking for in natural foods, it's now time to hear what they think makes their city the most natural city in the U.S. Whether it's their parks, outdoor activities or their promise to be environmentally friendly, we want to reward that city's commitment to being natural. Local parks and recreation departments across the country told us they need support due to budget cuts and we want to step up and make a difference."
