Dee Baker Amos
American Heart Association
(214) 706-1467

Go Red Your Heart Will Love You For It

Ocean Spray and the American Heart Association Encourage Women to Love Their Hearts This February

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, MA (January 30, 2006) Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S., however, women who understand their risks of heart disease, and know the steps to prevent it, are better equipped to avert this serious—and mostly preventable—threat to their health.  That’s why Ocean Spray is supporting the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement to increase awareness of heart disease and to inspire women to take charge of their heart health.

Go Red For Women provides the knowledge and tools to empower women to make positive health changes in their lives that could help reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke. To further support women’s cardiovascular health, Ocean Spray will provide $250,000 in support of the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement during February 2006.

In addition, select Ocean Spray products are certified by the American Heart Association’s Food Certification Program, which identifies foods as being heart-healthy and low in saturated fat and cholesterol.  Ocean Spray products certified by the American Heart Association include Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail, Cran-Grape® Grape Cranberry Juice Drinks, Premium 100% Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, Premium 100% White Grapefruit Juice and Craisins® Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries, Craisins®  Cherry Flavor Sweetened Dried Cranberries and Craisins® Orange Flavor Sweetened Dried Cranberries.

“Ocean Spray is committed to helping fight the battle against heart disease by continuing to support awareness, education, and research that will help women and their families live healthier lives,” said Ken Romanzi, Senior Vice President and Domestic Chief Operating Officer at Ocean Spray.  “We’ve just scratched the surface to better understand the cranberry’s role in maintaining heart health and look forward to finding out what this little wonderberry can do.” 

Eat Red, Drink Red
The Go Red For Women movement encourages women to love their hearts by eating a healthy diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’s important to choose foods that are full of flavor, texture and different colors that satisfy the senses and provide a nutritious punch.  The healthy goodness of the cranberry is the perfect solution for getting more fruit into the diet with a variety of products that add delicious, robust and refreshing taste to everyday meals. Choosing from a variety of Ocean Spray cranberry products such as fresh cranberries, whole berry and jellied cranberry sauce, Craisins® Sweetened Dried Cranberries, and the full line of Light Juice Drinks provides healthy benefits and can liven up any meal or healthy snack.

It’s not hard to reduce your risk for heart disease. Start today with small, simple actions like these:

• Celebrate with a checkup. Let each birthday remind you that it’s time for an annual checkup and a talk with your doctor about how to reduce your risk for heart disease.
• Get up off the couch. Step, march or jog in place for at least 30 minutes most days of the week – you can even do it while watching TV.
• Quit smoking in four steps. Can’t go cold turkey? Cut the number of cigarettes you smoke each day in half; then cut that number in half; cut in half again; finally, cutting out the habit completely!
• Become a salt detective. Check out the Nutrition Facts panel on packaged foods to see how much sodium (salt) is contained in the product. Aim for a total intake of no more than 2,300 milligrams, or about a teaspoon of salt, per day.
• Focus on nutrition. Keep healthy snacks such as raw veggies, dried fruits like Craisins® Sweetened Dried Cranberries and whole grain cereals within reach.

About Go Red For Women
Go Red For Women captures the energy, passion, and intelligence of women to work collectively to wipe out heart disease - the number one killer of women. Since 2004, the American Heart Association has fostered Go Red to grow from a grassroots campaign into a vibrant national movement. Using the simple moniker "Love Your Heart," Go Red For Women aims to mobilize women, men, celebrities, healthcare providers and politicians to embrace and elevate the cause of women and heart disease. For more information about Go Red For Women, please call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278) or visit GoRedForWomen.org

About Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 650 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as more than 100 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed 75 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America’s leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2005 gross sales of about $1.4 billion.