The Global Conference on Produce Sustainability will wrap up soon, and following evening reception the attendees will head back to their respective places of business.
This United Fresh offered so many great opportunities to learn new things about the industry - whether through the educational sessions, general sessions or conference. I hope you'll take what you learned back and use it to innovate your business.
The mood at this show was upbeat - it appears that people are starting to come out of the economic funk that has been going around, and that's a good sign for buyers and processors.
I'd like to thank the sponsors of the Fresh Cut blog and Twitter feed - Key Technology, Northern Star Engineered Products, Jarvis, Reyco, Heinzen Manufacturing International and FTNON USA. I had the chance to meet with them all to see their new products, and I hope you did too.
Next year's show is moving to New Orleans, so I'll look forward to seeing the industry get back together again for another great show in the Big Easy May 2-4.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Transportation Sustainability
The last breakout session of the Global Conference for Produce Sustainability featured speakers from three produce shippers - Sysco, CH Robinson and OK Produce. Each approach sustainability a little differently, but the end result is eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and reducing costs.
Brady Matoian from OK Produce had an interesting story to tell. He's the CEO of the company now, but he's third generation and before he came on the business was conservative and risk-averse. But Brady, who calls himself a hippie, wanted to clean up and green the company. In 2002, a solar roof was installed that generates 238 kWp and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,800 tons over 30 years. The company had never recycled, either, but with Brady's leadership has reduced the amount of garbage sent to landfills by 94 percent. He's also upgraded vehicles. The sales fleet is made up of seven Toyota Prius hybrid cars and in 2006 he bought 12 new tractors that improved mileage by switching to automatic transmissions and have good aerodynamics. The company also just received a grant that will allow it to purchase 14 new tractors - Volvos that get up to 7 mpg.
Matoian said the sustainable initiatives weren't essential to the company, but they're now part of its DNA and everyone is involved. The takeaway message from many of the sustainability presentations is that companies need leaders that value sustainability and pass that enthusiasm on to employees.
Brady Matoian from OK Produce had an interesting story to tell. He's the CEO of the company now, but he's third generation and before he came on the business was conservative and risk-averse. But Brady, who calls himself a hippie, wanted to clean up and green the company. In 2002, a solar roof was installed that generates 238 kWp and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,800 tons over 30 years. The company had never recycled, either, but with Brady's leadership has reduced the amount of garbage sent to landfills by 94 percent. He's also upgraded vehicles. The sales fleet is made up of seven Toyota Prius hybrid cars and in 2006 he bought 12 new tractors that improved mileage by switching to automatic transmissions and have good aerodynamics. The company also just received a grant that will allow it to purchase 14 new tractors - Volvos that get up to 7 mpg.
Matoian said the sustainable initiatives weren't essential to the company, but they're now part of its DNA and everyone is involved. The takeaway message from many of the sustainability presentations is that companies need leaders that value sustainability and pass that enthusiasm on to employees.
Sustainability at Gills Onions and Crunch Pak
Nikki Rodoni from Gills Onions and Tony Freytag from Crunch Pak spoke about what their companies are doing that is sustainable during the Sustainability in Fresh-Cut Processing session of the sustainability conference.
Gills Onions used to apply the onion waste to nearby fields, but that was becoming expensive. It cost nearly $500,000 a year in labor, transport and liability, so the company built an energy system that uses all the juice from the onion skins to create 600 kilowatts of power. The leftover skin, from 300,000 pounds of waste a day, are sold to cattle farms as feed. The energy system cost $10 million to build, but Rodoni said the payoff was only six years due to state and federal grants and cost savings ($700,000 a year alone from electricity cost savings).
Gills also is working with universities in the area to go zero waste, and already has seen landfill diversions go from 25 percent to 53 percent, and water usage cut by 30 percent. Onion waste was 99 percent of the waste generated by the company, but the company is trying to eliminate the last 1 percent.
At Crunch Pak there are environmental initiatives - GAPs increasingly include sustainable practices, energy savings, using rail - but the company is focused on social sustainability. The agricultural area the company is based in usually has seasonal fluctuations, but Crunch Pak has grown and created year-round jobs. Education is important to everyone at the company, so it donates $250,000 a year to local schools and charities, because growing the community helps grow the business, Freytag said.
Processing plants can benefit from sustainability initiatives, and even a small effort can result in big savings. Freytag said the installation of a second door into a processing room resulted in an energy savings (because the one door wasn't always opened) and increased efficiency by 20 percent in getting people in and out.
There's always more to be done, but as Rodoni said, "It feels good to do the right thing." These two companies should feel good as a result of the sustainable initiatives they've put in place.
Gills Onions used to apply the onion waste to nearby fields, but that was becoming expensive. It cost nearly $500,000 a year in labor, transport and liability, so the company built an energy system that uses all the juice from the onion skins to create 600 kilowatts of power. The leftover skin, from 300,000 pounds of waste a day, are sold to cattle farms as feed. The energy system cost $10 million to build, but Rodoni said the payoff was only six years due to state and federal grants and cost savings ($700,000 a year alone from electricity cost savings).
Gills also is working with universities in the area to go zero waste, and already has seen landfill diversions go from 25 percent to 53 percent, and water usage cut by 30 percent. Onion waste was 99 percent of the waste generated by the company, but the company is trying to eliminate the last 1 percent.
At Crunch Pak there are environmental initiatives - GAPs increasingly include sustainable practices, energy savings, using rail - but the company is focused on social sustainability. The agricultural area the company is based in usually has seasonal fluctuations, but Crunch Pak has grown and created year-round jobs. Education is important to everyone at the company, so it donates $250,000 a year to local schools and charities, because growing the community helps grow the business, Freytag said.
Processing plants can benefit from sustainability initiatives, and even a small effort can result in big savings. Freytag said the installation of a second door into a processing room resulted in an energy savings (because the one door wasn't always opened) and increased efficiency by 20 percent in getting people in and out.
There's always more to be done, but as Rodoni said, "It feels good to do the right thing." These two companies should feel good as a result of the sustainable initiatives they've put in place.
Sustainability Center Stage
The Global Conference on Sustainability kicked off this morning in a full ballroom at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.
Jeff Dlott, president and CEO of SureHarvest, started the discussion by talking about why sustainability matters in 2010. As leaders in the marketplace (the Amazons and WalMarts of the world) seek to connect to customers in deeper ways - while at the same time consumers have more options about how to express demand, compare and buy - sustainability will continue to be part of the equation. Dlott prompted questions from the audience, many of whom agreed that growers are already sustainable and didn't see then need for sustainability metrics, but others countered that a consistent measure would verify and provide data for continual improvement.
The audience then heard from Hal Hamilton, co-director of the Sustainable Food Lab, Hank Giclas, senior vice president of strategic planning, science and technology for Western Growers Association, and John Keeling, president of the National Potato Council. They spoke about different parts of the Sustainability Index for Specialty Crops, with Hamilton identifying why a comprehensive matrix is needed, Giclas describing the process of forming SICS and Keeling identifying the need for more grower input and his thoughts on the uses of a sustainability program.
The overall theme of the morning's presentations could be described as the need for a consistent sustainability matrix. Having multiple certifications could lead to similar issues as found in food safety auditing, and there could still be questions as to how the data would be shared. But sustainability isn't just something that is pushed down from buyers - it can have a positive effect on the bottom line.
Jeff Dlott, president and CEO of SureHarvest, started the discussion by talking about why sustainability matters in 2010. As leaders in the marketplace (the Amazons and WalMarts of the world) seek to connect to customers in deeper ways - while at the same time consumers have more options about how to express demand, compare and buy - sustainability will continue to be part of the equation. Dlott prompted questions from the audience, many of whom agreed that growers are already sustainable and didn't see then need for sustainability metrics, but others countered that a consistent measure would verify and provide data for continual improvement.
The audience then heard from Hal Hamilton, co-director of the Sustainable Food Lab, Hank Giclas, senior vice president of strategic planning, science and technology for Western Growers Association, and John Keeling, president of the National Potato Council. They spoke about different parts of the Sustainability Index for Specialty Crops, with Hamilton identifying why a comprehensive matrix is needed, Giclas describing the process of forming SICS and Keeling identifying the need for more grower input and his thoughts on the uses of a sustainability program.
The overall theme of the morning's presentations could be described as the need for a consistent sustainability matrix. Having multiple certifications could lead to similar issues as found in food safety auditing, and there could still be questions as to how the data would be shared. But sustainability isn't just something that is pushed down from buyers - it can have a positive effect on the bottom line.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
United Fresh Product Awards
Awards were handed out Thursday afternoon for the Best New Products at United Fresh 2010. Winners were selected by ballot.
The Best New Packing/Packaging Equipment Award went to Giro Pack for its Ultrabagger.
The Best New Food Safety Solution Award went to YottaMark for its VoiceCode system.
The Best New Fruit Product Award went to Chiquita's Fresh and Ready Avocados.
The Best New Vegetable Product Award went to Ready Pac Foods Bistro Bowl Salads.
Congratulations to the winners.
The Best New Packing/Packaging Equipment Award went to Giro Pack for its Ultrabagger.
The Best New Food Safety Solution Award went to YottaMark for its VoiceCode system.
The Best New Fruit Product Award went to Chiquita's Fresh and Ready Avocados.
The Best New Vegetable Product Award went to Ready Pac Foods Bistro Bowl Salads.
Congratulations to the winners.
Fresh-Cut Research, Take 2
The food safety pavilion at United Fresh 2010 offered researchers the chance to talk about projects, and some had implications for processors.
Charles Forney with the Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre in Kentville, Nova Scotia, spoke about the impact that packaging films can have on the taste of fresh-cut apple slices. The research group looked at perforated versus solid film bags and looked at the chemical effects of the bags and each treatment was judged by a taste panel. The Gala apple slices in the perforated bags had higher levels of esters, the flavor compounds. The taste panel found apples in perforated bags to have a fruitier aroma, a fruitier taste and were sweeter, despite there being no change in soluble solids.
Trevor Suslow from the University of California, Davis, spoke about some of the lessons learned from GAP field research. Some of the findings provided data to support what people already believed, but the research has also challenged how crops are grown and harvested. Suslow's Top 10 findings are:
1. Irrigation metrics need revision.
2. Waterborne E. coli dies quickly in soil.
3. Waterborne salmonella survives in soil.
4. Contamination near the time of harvest is riskier.
5. Uniform contamination does not result in uniform survival.
6. Gaseous chlorine dioxide is an effective surface treatment.
7. Sample size must be larger than 25 grams.
8. LGMA no-harvest zone 'metrics' work.
9. Systemic uptake from root structure is not plausible.
10. Sometimes test-and-hold prevents disasters.
Charles Forney with the Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre in Kentville, Nova Scotia, spoke about the impact that packaging films can have on the taste of fresh-cut apple slices. The research group looked at perforated versus solid film bags and looked at the chemical effects of the bags and each treatment was judged by a taste panel. The Gala apple slices in the perforated bags had higher levels of esters, the flavor compounds. The taste panel found apples in perforated bags to have a fruitier aroma, a fruitier taste and were sweeter, despite there being no change in soluble solids.
Trevor Suslow from the University of California, Davis, spoke about some of the lessons learned from GAP field research. Some of the findings provided data to support what people already believed, but the research has also challenged how crops are grown and harvested. Suslow's Top 10 findings are:
1. Irrigation metrics need revision.
2. Waterborne E. coli dies quickly in soil.
3. Waterborne salmonella survives in soil.
4. Contamination near the time of harvest is riskier.
5. Uniform contamination does not result in uniform survival.
6. Gaseous chlorine dioxide is an effective surface treatment.
7. Sample size must be larger than 25 grams.
8. LGMA no-harvest zone 'metrics' work.
9. Systemic uptake from root structure is not plausible.
10. Sometimes test-and-hold prevents disasters.
Fresh-Cut Research Projects
A full ballroom at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas heard about two interesting research projects that could have implications for the fresh-cut produce industry.
Alan Lefcourt with USDA's Agricultural Research Service presented his team's work on a laser imaging system that could one day be mounted to a tractor that would drive through a field and identify fecal material on the soil and plants, as well as areas that animal intrusions. The system will need to be interactive, adjustable, allow for false positives, be able to detect one fecal deer pellet and keep a complete visual record.
So far, Lefcourt's system uses a laser with expansion optics and a gated camera to record the exposure times. The laser system is currently in the lab stage, but the next stage will be to take it out into the field on a cart to see if it works.
While such a system would be expensive, and potentially slow, Lefcourt said there are adjustments. If a company only wanted to look for feces on the soil, a less expensive system could be used. Also, if it were only to be used in low ambient light, then a lower power diode laser could be used. And since the system uses florescence, it could be used to detect other problems, such as water stress and nitrogen stress.
"This will make this much economically viable to do all those things at the same time," Lefcourt said.
Mark Morgan from Purdue University also presented his work on gaseous chlorine as a kill step in produce. On April 25, a gaseous chlorine system went into production for use in bulk aseptic storage vessels. It's also being used in storage vessels. But it's not approved for food contact, so Morgan's research is looking at ways to commercialize it and find ways to get it approved by USDA and FDA.
In lab tests, gaseous chlorine dioxide effectively reduced pathogens on some fresh produce items. Depending on time and concentration, as much as a 7 log reduction could be reached. In some items, like leafy greens, the concentration needed to kill pathogens damaged the product, so it's not an effective treatment for all produce. Tomatoes, on the other hand, had effective control at much lower concentrations than other items, likely a result of the skin, Morgan said.
A gaseous chlorine dioxide system is being scaled up to test it in-line in food production, but there are additional measures that had to be taken because it is toxic at low levels.
Morgan said future research on gaseous chlorine dioxide could focus on a system for sanitizing pallets of produce, which would require forcing the gas through the crates like in an ethylene system.
Alan Lefcourt with USDA's Agricultural Research Service presented his team's work on a laser imaging system that could one day be mounted to a tractor that would drive through a field and identify fecal material on the soil and plants, as well as areas that animal intrusions. The system will need to be interactive, adjustable, allow for false positives, be able to detect one fecal deer pellet and keep a complete visual record.
So far, Lefcourt's system uses a laser with expansion optics and a gated camera to record the exposure times. The laser system is currently in the lab stage, but the next stage will be to take it out into the field on a cart to see if it works.
While such a system would be expensive, and potentially slow, Lefcourt said there are adjustments. If a company only wanted to look for feces on the soil, a less expensive system could be used. Also, if it were only to be used in low ambient light, then a lower power diode laser could be used. And since the system uses florescence, it could be used to detect other problems, such as water stress and nitrogen stress.
"This will make this much economically viable to do all those things at the same time," Lefcourt said.
Mark Morgan from Purdue University also presented his work on gaseous chlorine as a kill step in produce. On April 25, a gaseous chlorine system went into production for use in bulk aseptic storage vessels. It's also being used in storage vessels. But it's not approved for food contact, so Morgan's research is looking at ways to commercialize it and find ways to get it approved by USDA and FDA.
In lab tests, gaseous chlorine dioxide effectively reduced pathogens on some fresh produce items. Depending on time and concentration, as much as a 7 log reduction could be reached. In some items, like leafy greens, the concentration needed to kill pathogens damaged the product, so it's not an effective treatment for all produce. Tomatoes, on the other hand, had effective control at much lower concentrations than other items, likely a result of the skin, Morgan said.
A gaseous chlorine dioxide system is being scaled up to test it in-line in food production, but there are additional measures that had to be taken because it is toxic at low levels.
Morgan said future research on gaseous chlorine dioxide could focus on a system for sanitizing pallets of produce, which would require forcing the gas through the crates like in an ethylene system.
Super Sessions
The United Fresh Super Sessions - with four concurrent tracks for retail/foodservice, grower shipper, wholesaler/distributor and fresh-cut processing - all offered show attendees the chance to learn about their specific market segments and interact with the board members representing their part of the industry.
After an introduction from Ron Midyett of Apio Inc. and chairman of the fresh-cut processor board, Ali Leon from Ready Pac discussed the preliminary data from the 2010 United Fresh Issues Scan. The figures appear to have improved over the last two, with convenience still perceived to be higher for fresh-cuts than whole, frozen or canned items. The health and food safety perceptions of fresh-cut items could use some improvements, but there are positive signs. According to the study, affordability perceptions increased 9 percent from last year.
Des Ferris from Ireland's Nature's Best Limited filled in for Paddy Callaghan and provided some of the strengths and weaknesses of fresh-cut products in Ireland and the UK. The industry there has been particularly hard on processors as customer buying habits have changed. People still enjoy fresh-cuts for convenience, portability, protection of the packaging, new variations and complete meal offerings, Ferris said, but the segment is hurt by item cost, taste deterioration, lack of knowledge about where or when items were prepared, waste from packaging disposal and lack of personal variations to items.
Processor members then had the chance to ask Leon, Ferris, Jan Berk of San Miguel Produce and Phil Gruzska of Grimmway Enterprises about the Issues Scans data and earlier comments, as well as provide comments on the direction the board should be taking. Questions on clamshell versus flexible packaging, local produce, environmental attributes of fresh-cuts and organics led to great discussions from many processors.
Dennis Christou from Del Monte Fresh presented the company's advances in vending machines. Fresh Cut covered this new marketing a few months ago, but Christou offered new perspectives on the approach.
Check back later for updates on the fresh-cut technology session and updates from the show floor and sessions there.
After an introduction from Ron Midyett of Apio Inc. and chairman of the fresh-cut processor board, Ali Leon from Ready Pac discussed the preliminary data from the 2010 United Fresh Issues Scan. The figures appear to have improved over the last two, with convenience still perceived to be higher for fresh-cuts than whole, frozen or canned items. The health and food safety perceptions of fresh-cut items could use some improvements, but there are positive signs. According to the study, affordability perceptions increased 9 percent from last year.
Des Ferris from Ireland's Nature's Best Limited filled in for Paddy Callaghan and provided some of the strengths and weaknesses of fresh-cut products in Ireland and the UK. The industry there has been particularly hard on processors as customer buying habits have changed. People still enjoy fresh-cuts for convenience, portability, protection of the packaging, new variations and complete meal offerings, Ferris said, but the segment is hurt by item cost, taste deterioration, lack of knowledge about where or when items were prepared, waste from packaging disposal and lack of personal variations to items.
Processor members then had the chance to ask Leon, Ferris, Jan Berk of San Miguel Produce and Phil Gruzska of Grimmway Enterprises about the Issues Scans data and earlier comments, as well as provide comments on the direction the board should be taking. Questions on clamshell versus flexible packaging, local produce, environmental attributes of fresh-cuts and organics led to great discussions from many processors.
Dennis Christou from Del Monte Fresh presented the company's advances in vending machines. Fresh Cut covered this new marketing a few months ago, but Christou offered new perspectives on the approach.
Check back later for updates on the fresh-cut technology session and updates from the show floor and sessions there.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Educational Sessions, Day 2
The educational sessions have wrapped up for the day at United Fresh 2010. This year, there were four educational session areas on the trade show floor - fresh-cut processor, wholesale distributor, grower/shipper and foodservice/retail - plus a traceability demonstration center and a food safety demonstration center.
At the first session at the fresh-cut processor track, Drew McDonald from Taylor Farms and Trevor Suslow from the University of California-Davis, discussed new rapid testing techniques and how having a plan that incorporates the right test method will help when a presumptive positive occurs.
"People tend to trust the negatives and question the positives, and that's what we don't want to do," McDonald said.
At the retail/foodservice learning area, Kim Eifler, director of purchasing for Darden, discussed the regulatory pressures on the foodservice industry. Her advice for the industry was to offer all the information on what's in a restaurant's food, for example, through a website. Restaurants also cold offer alternative fresh options, practice portion size control, offer nutritionally balanced dishes that are flavor driven, focus development on health, be food allergy conscious and become involved in school nutrition and education.
Jim Gorny, senior advisor for produce food safety for FDA, spoke at the food safety demonstration center about FDA's reportable food registry, which went online in September. From Sept. 8-Jan. 10, there were 651 actual reportable events through the portal, with the No. 1 cause being undeclared allergies. Only 7 percent of the reports were for produce items in the very limited sample, Gorny said.
Finally, in the traceability demonstration center, a large gathering of attendees heard from suppliers and buyers about GS1 traceability implementation. The deadline for turning G10 numbers over to buyers has passed, but retailers are finding suppliers aren't ready, and some suppliers have found their retail partners aren't ready. The industry needs to work together to implement the Produce Traceability Initiative, because if businesses don't move on to the next milestone, there's the chance that traceability will become a federally mandated issue, instead of a voluntary, industry-led program.
The final hours of the trade show today feature beer and wine on the show floor for a networking happy hour. Stop by the Fresh Cut booth to meet managing editor Scott Christie, advertising manager Marnie Draper or publisher Matt McCallum.
At the first session at the fresh-cut processor track, Drew McDonald from Taylor Farms and Trevor Suslow from the University of California-Davis, discussed new rapid testing techniques and how having a plan that incorporates the right test method will help when a presumptive positive occurs.
"People tend to trust the negatives and question the positives, and that's what we don't want to do," McDonald said.
At the retail/foodservice learning area, Kim Eifler, director of purchasing for Darden, discussed the regulatory pressures on the foodservice industry. Her advice for the industry was to offer all the information on what's in a restaurant's food, for example, through a website. Restaurants also cold offer alternative fresh options, practice portion size control, offer nutritionally balanced dishes that are flavor driven, focus development on health, be food allergy conscious and become involved in school nutrition and education.
Jim Gorny, senior advisor for produce food safety for FDA, spoke at the food safety demonstration center about FDA's reportable food registry, which went online in September. From Sept. 8-Jan. 10, there were 651 actual reportable events through the portal, with the No. 1 cause being undeclared allergies. Only 7 percent of the reports were for produce items in the very limited sample, Gorny said.
Finally, in the traceability demonstration center, a large gathering of attendees heard from suppliers and buyers about GS1 traceability implementation. The deadline for turning G10 numbers over to buyers has passed, but retailers are finding suppliers aren't ready, and some suppliers have found their retail partners aren't ready. The industry needs to work together to implement the Produce Traceability Initiative, because if businesses don't move on to the next milestone, there's the chance that traceability will become a federally mandated issue, instead of a voluntary, industry-led program.
The final hours of the trade show today feature beer and wine on the show floor for a networking happy hour. Stop by the Fresh Cut booth to meet managing editor Scott Christie, advertising manager Marnie Draper or publisher Matt McCallum.
Two Nevada Schools Welcome Salad Bar Donations
Two Nye County, Nev., schools will receive salad bars donated by United Fresh Foundation, The Vollrath Co. and Cambro Manufacturing Co., at the close of the United Fresh Show in Las Vegas. Both companies are preferred suppliers of the United Fresh salad bar program.
J.G. Johnson Elementary School and Manse Elementary School, both in Pahrump, Nev., accepted the donations at the trade show today. Both schools have more than 450 kids in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, which provides each student with a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every day.
Lorelei DiSogra, United Fresh vice president of nutrition and health, said the salad bars are "evidence-based strategies" to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in school-aged children.
NatureSeal also donated one additional salad bar to a Nevada school, which was called a "godsend" by the school's principal.
J.G. Johnson Elementary School and Manse Elementary School, both in Pahrump, Nev., accepted the donations at the trade show today. Both schools have more than 450 kids in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, which provides each student with a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every day.
Lorelei DiSogra, United Fresh vice president of nutrition and health, said the salad bars are "evidence-based strategies" to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in school-aged children.
NatureSeal also donated one additional salad bar to a Nevada school, which was called a "godsend" by the school's principal.
Fresh Produce in NYC Schools
This morning's breakfast general session began with an introduction of the incoming United Fresh board of directors, with Stephanie Smith, CEO of River Point Farms, Hermiston, Ore., the chairman. She encouraged United Fresh members to become involved in the association to help influence policymakers, and support the association's school salad bar initiative.
Smith's goal is to raise $3 million in funds over the next three years to donate salad bars to low-income and rural schools, and so far $500,000 has already been donated to fund the first salad bars at schools in Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Nevada. United Fresh also has made a commitment to the New Orleans school system, so that attendees at next year's trade show can see the program in action.
Smith then read a letter from First Lady Michelle Obama, who said she supported the goals of the association and its members in improving the health of children by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and making access to fresh food easier.
The New York City school system is an excellent example in how fresh produce can be used in schools. Eric Goldstein, head of food and transportation for the New York City school system, and Jorge Collazo, executive chef for School Foods, spoke about what they are doing to increase consumption and access in elementary through high school students.
The School Foods department serves 205,000 breakfasts free everday and 860,000 total meals a day at more than 1,700 schools. The staff of almost 10,000 serves 1.1 million school students.
One of the primary initiatives Goldstein introduced was self-serve salad bars, which are not reimbursed by federal programs that support the food program. The city supports the program, however, and Goldstein said without that support the salad bars would not be as widespread as they are now. Federal stimulus funding is supporting the hire of two chefs to focus on salad bar merchandising.
Other programs that Collazo and Goldstein have implemented to increase fresh produce access include getting rid of vending machines that sell candy and fundraisers that sell candy. Within the next few weeks, fresh produce vending machines will be installed in a pilot program in 20 schools, and the system also is launching "Student Celebrations," a birthday and special event catering service that offers sliced apples and baby carrots instead of cupcakes.
The school system is able to do a remarkable job serving fresh produce on $1 a day per child, and Collazo and Goldstein encouraged United Fresh members to make their voices heard to provide more federal dollars in the next Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
The last speaker of the morning session was FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Food Michael Taylor. He spoke about the need for industry input in food safety initiatives and the unprecedented time we are in, where consensus in society is in favor of improving the food safety system. He said FDA should be a prevention-oriented food safety system, should be based on science with targeted research efforts, should be comprehensive from farm to fork and importers should be held to the same standards and food produced in the United States - not testing at entry but pushing food safety back through the pipeline.
The trade show opens in a few minutes, so check back for updates on new equipment and products throughout the day.
Smith's goal is to raise $3 million in funds over the next three years to donate salad bars to low-income and rural schools, and so far $500,000 has already been donated to fund the first salad bars at schools in Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Nevada. United Fresh also has made a commitment to the New Orleans school system, so that attendees at next year's trade show can see the program in action.
Smith then read a letter from First Lady Michelle Obama, who said she supported the goals of the association and its members in improving the health of children by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and making access to fresh food easier.
The New York City school system is an excellent example in how fresh produce can be used in schools. Eric Goldstein, head of food and transportation for the New York City school system, and Jorge Collazo, executive chef for School Foods, spoke about what they are doing to increase consumption and access in elementary through high school students.
The School Foods department serves 205,000 breakfasts free everday and 860,000 total meals a day at more than 1,700 schools. The staff of almost 10,000 serves 1.1 million school students.
One of the primary initiatives Goldstein introduced was self-serve salad bars, which are not reimbursed by federal programs that support the food program. The city supports the program, however, and Goldstein said without that support the salad bars would not be as widespread as they are now. Federal stimulus funding is supporting the hire of two chefs to focus on salad bar merchandising.
Other programs that Collazo and Goldstein have implemented to increase fresh produce access include getting rid of vending machines that sell candy and fundraisers that sell candy. Within the next few weeks, fresh produce vending machines will be installed in a pilot program in 20 schools, and the system also is launching "Student Celebrations," a birthday and special event catering service that offers sliced apples and baby carrots instead of cupcakes.
The school system is able to do a remarkable job serving fresh produce on $1 a day per child, and Collazo and Goldstein encouraged United Fresh members to make their voices heard to provide more federal dollars in the next Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
The last speaker of the morning session was FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Food Michael Taylor. He spoke about the need for industry input in food safety initiatives and the unprecedented time we are in, where consensus in society is in favor of improving the food safety system. He said FDA should be a prevention-oriented food safety system, should be based on science with targeted research efforts, should be comprehensive from farm to fork and importers should be held to the same standards and food produced in the United States - not testing at entry but pushing food safety back through the pipeline.
The trade show opens in a few minutes, so check back for updates on new equipment and products throughout the day.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Jeb Bush Keynotes
United Fresh Las Vegas kicked off with an opening general session this afternoon. The full ballroom at the Venetian hotel heard from a number of industry representatives updating attendees on things like the graduation of the leadership class, outgoing chairman, The Packer Produce Person of the Year and a statement from United Fresh President Tom Stenzel.
But the star of the show was former governor of Florida Jeb Bush. His candid discussion of the state of the U.S. economy hit home for many. He discussed a five-point plan for fixing the country, which focused more on American ingenuity and hard work and less on government intervention. His point on immigration reform - creating a guest worker to address the needs of agriculture - drew a round of applause from attendees, which Bush acknowledged as one of the few crowds he speaks to that would respond that way.
The show gets into full swing tomorrow with a breakfast general session followed by the opening of the trade show and the industry-specific educational sessions on the show floor. Follow FreshCutMag on Twitter for updates from the show floor or check back here for updates throughout the day.
But the star of the show was former governor of Florida Jeb Bush. His candid discussion of the state of the U.S. economy hit home for many. He discussed a five-point plan for fixing the country, which focused more on American ingenuity and hard work and less on government intervention. His point on immigration reform - creating a guest worker to address the needs of agriculture - drew a round of applause from attendees, which Bush acknowledged as one of the few crowds he speaks to that would respond that way.
The show gets into full swing tomorrow with a breakfast general session followed by the opening of the trade show and the industry-specific educational sessions on the show floor. Follow FreshCutMag on Twitter for updates from the show floor or check back here for updates throughout the day.
Fresh Cut booth 720
Fresh Cut booth all set up and ready to go. Visit us tomorrow when it opens at 11. #720
-- Post From My iPhone
-- Post From My iPhone
Monday, April 19, 2010
Las Vegas - T minus 24 hours
United Fresh Las Vegas kicks off tomorrow afternoon with the opening general session featuring keynote speaker Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, son of President George Bush and brother to President George W. Bush.
Fresh Cut will be there, posting updates from the educational sessions and trade show throughout the show. You can also follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/FreshCutMag) or on Facebook (search for Fresh Cut).
Fresh Cut will be there, posting updates from the educational sessions and trade show throughout the show. You can also follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/FreshCutMag) or on Facebook (search for Fresh Cut).
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