State tourism bureau wins top award for "Year of Food" campaign

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's "Year of Food" campaign has been named the nation's top tourism drive by the National Council of State Tourism Directors, Gov. Bob Riley announced Tuesday. ...

The campaign, which began at the end of 2004 and stretched through 2005, included a cook-off contest among 60 chefs, a food products promotion in more than one thousand grocery stores in partnership with the Alabama Grocers Association, and a stamp featuring a tomato logo used to mail information to media.

State tourism director Lee Sentell said a brochure listing favorite dishes in dozens of Alabama towns was the most popular feature, with some 400,000 copies of "100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die" being distributed.

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Mississippi is America's fattest state, with 29.5 percent of adults obese and a further 36.4 percent overweight, based on data from 2003 to 2005. Alabama is second with 28.7 percent of adults obese and West Virginia third at 28.6 percent.