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RETAILERS HAVE PICK OF NEW WEB SITE CROP

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- With the launch of www.eatmorebananas.com by the International Banana Association here, the population of consumer-direct produce Web sites continues to grow on the Internet as more and more retailers and shoppers begin to use these links for information and ideas.The debut of the site follows by only a few weeks the launch of aboutproduce.com, created by the Produce Marketing Association,

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- With the launch of www.eatmorebananas.com by the International Banana Association here, the population of consumer-direct produce Web sites continues to grow on the Internet as more and more retailers and shoppers begin to use these links for information and ideas.

The debut of the site follows by only a few weeks the launch of aboutproduce.com, created by the Produce Marketing Association, Newark, Del., and the Produce for Better Health Foundation, Wilmington, Del., which runs the national 5 A Day campaign.

For supermarket operators, linking food-related Web pages to their own home page is one of the most effective ways not only to promote their store, but to fulfill their obligation as educator of food and health, retailers told SN.

Several major retailers, including Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif., Randalls and Tom Thumb Markets, Houston, Texas, now have Web sites that contain a link to aboutproduce.com, providing consumers with as much education and helpful information as possible on the world of produce.

According to Caren Epstein, spokesperson for Hannaford Bros., Scarborough, Maine, the supermarket includes a link for aboutproduce.com on its Web site as a consumer source for valuable statistics and information.

"It is a service that we provide for our customers that presents them with knowledge and information they may not be able to find elsewhere, and that perhaps we cannot provide ourselves due to time and space limitations on our own site," said Epstein.

Tim Debus, vice president of IBA, said the organization is in the process of connecting with certain supermarkets to have eatmorebananas.com become a hyperlink on retail Web pages as they continue to update and develop the site.

"As access to computers and the Internet becomes more available and more common, it becomes easier to reach people through this medium and inform them of what we have to offer," said Debus.

The eatmorebananas.com page provides nutritional information, current news and business information about bananas, and even asks consumers logging on as to what their favorite aspect of the popular fruit is.

"We wanted to make the site very easy to look at and sort through, and wanted to get people to interact with it and feel comfortable," said Debus. "Having it appeal to consumers immediately upon their first look was very important to us."

The Web site also offers shoppers the convenience of one-click access to sites of the seven IBA member banana companies, such as Del Monte, Chiquita and Dole, allowing consumers to check out prices, sourcing information and other aspects of the industry. IBA's eatmorebananas.com also provides buyers, retailers and members of the media a service through which they can be e-mailed constant updates on the status of the banana industry, including news and upcoming events.

"In order to keep people coming back to the site, we need to have original content and update it constantly," said Debus. "We want to show that we know the banana marketplace and that we're on top of what is happening all the time."

Debus also emphasized the need for simplicity when developing a consumer-direct produce Web site, which keeps those consumers who are not as "computer savvy from getting intimidated or discouraged" while visiting the site.

"We wanted to make it physically engaging and attractive, with sharp images and efficient links," said Debus. "At the same time, we designed it a way that would minimize the amount of scrolling people have to do."

The Web site's graphics and information are mostly contained to single screens, with all aspects of the page viewable upon one glance, which Debus said allows consumers to concentrate on what is in front of them rather than forcing them to scroll down for more text.

As for the future of consumer-direct produce Web sites, Debus said that as years go by, more generations of people will use the Internet as their No. 1 source of information, and that retailers and organizations have no choice but to keep up.

"Eventually, nearly every consumer age group will be on-line," said Debus.