USDA Promotes Health Benefits of Coffee

Posted on: 2016-01-15 10:04 AM

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the USDA jointly published the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans last week.

And while the goal of the Dietary Guidelines, according to the USDA, is to promote health, prevent chronic disease and to help people reach and maintain a healthy weight, the most significant finding for Coffee Service Operators was that the USDA/HHS Committee stated that moderate coffee consumption – three to five cups daily – is associated with a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with a possible protective association for those at risk for Parkinson’s disease.
 
Now how often does that happen?  That the U.S. Government makes a positive statement about vending, OCS or micro markets.  Eric Dell at NAMA could likely answer that question off the top of his head, by my guess is "rarely, if ever!"
 
So, what are you doing about marketing/leveraging this new finding to the benefit of your business?  Are you:
 
 

• Posting something on your website about it? 
• Or sending an email blast that teases the news with "a link for more information" to your website (it's always a good idea to have an excuse to draw your targets to your website)?
• Sending out a brief but well-crafted email blast to your customers and prospects? (And why not offer your help in communicating this information to their employees or customers?)
• Creating a "special edition" of your company's customer newsletter -- if you wait until the next edition is published, the news may be stale by then...
• Contacting your local media with this news, but localizing it in some way so it appears relevant to reporters and editors in your community?
• Writing a long-form post (like this one) for your LinkedIn profile?
• Posting a link on your company's Facebook page to a well-written news article or the Guidelines themselves?
• Writing an entry for your personal or company blog about it?
• Tweeting about it to your company's followers (and including a link, like above)?
• And, if you're just not that high-tech yet, at least send a letter or some form of communication alerting your customers to this landmark finding.

Bottom Line:  You only have a narrow window to leverage this news to enhance your business and making you look like a thought leader in the Coffee Service industry.  Don't let that window close on you by not taking action!