Customizable Pitch: Use with your local media throughout the year to secure on-air interviews and/or quotes in local publications.

Dear (Producer),

In a recent study, we found that 4 out of 10 consumers believe that sweetpotatoes are a winter food. We’d like to set the record straight! Available year-round, celebrate the beloved sweet spud with this 52 Ways to Love Sweet Potatoes chart sharing the versatility and health benefits of sweetpotatoes while encouraging families to eat NC sweetpotatoes at least once a week.

Commonly associated with the classic holiday casserole, we encourage you to dig past the marshmallows and candied pecans and enjoy what sweetpotatoes have to offer. These 52 delicious recipes prove that sweet potatoes can transform breakfast, dessert and everything in between. Wonderfully versatile in both sweet and savory dishes, mashed or grilled, in a lead or supporting role – there isn’t a dish where sweetpotatoes don’t fit!

Yes, delicious – but are sweetpotatoes good for you? Don’t let their sweet nature fool you! Sweetpotatoes’ nutritiousness is off the charts, making them a wholesome option for children, adults, diabetics and anyone interested in improving their health. Did you know that:

• • A medium sweetpotato (2 inches in diameter and 5 inches in length) is only about 100 calories when baked in the skin, making sweetpotatoes an ideal food for weight management. It’s the all-natural 100-calorie pack – managing your weight just got easier!

• • When eaten with the skin on, a medium sweetpotato has 100 percent of your daily value of vitamin A.

• Sweetpotatoes are a good source of fiber, which can help you feel full, as well as potassium – a mineral that can help stabilize blood pressure.

I’d like to share this delicious celebration with your hosts/anchors and viewers with some new ideas for NC sweetpotatoes. I have several recipes, as well as simple swaps for a live or taped recipe/cooking segment. Or, I can prepare the recipes ahead of time and talk your hosts through the important nutrients contained in each menu item that contribute to a healthy and satisfying dish.

I will call you in the next few days to explore this segment idea and schedule a date and time.

In good health,

(Name and Title)