Gourmet News

United Fresh Start Foundation Connects Chicago Produce Members with Local School District

Published September 30, 2016

On Wednesday, September 28, the United Fresh Start Foundation organized an opportunity for salad bar donors from the Chicago area to visit several schools in East Aurora School District 131. The group had an opportunity to observe students using their new salad bars and learn about the district’s other innovative programs that are increasing students’ access and consumption of fresh produce at school and at home.

“The leaders in this school district have shown that they are fully invested in the health and wellbeing of the children and families in their community,” said Andrew Marshall, Director of Programs and Partnerships for the United Fresh Start Foundation. “They have rallied parents, teachers, local government, nonprofit and community partners to support multiple nutrition strategies, including school salad bars, that are increasing students’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We were honored to learn about their work and share their efforts with local produce industry partners.”

Prior to the start of the 2016-17 school year, the East Aurora School District 131 (EASD 131) received nine new salad bars with more to be delivered in the months ahead. These contributions were made possible by the following produce companies and individuals, as part of the Foundation’s Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative:

JAB Produce/Jack Keller Co.
Mark Harrison, Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc.
Potandon Produce
Potatoes USA
Strube Celery & Vegetable Company
Lisa Strube, Rob Strube and Sue Hunter, Strube Celery & Vegetable Company

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The Foundation worked with local school foodservice officials to arrange visits to Benavides Kindergarten Center and East Aurora High School. At each location, the industry members met with the principal, teachers and community partners, to better understand the ways in which health education, and access to fresh fruits and vegetables, are incorporated throughout the school environment.

Michigan Students to Join First Lady for Fall Harvest

Published September 30, 2016

Two elementary students – Xavier Purches and A’Layia Howard – from Freeman Elementary School, Flint Community School District, in Flint, Michigan, will join First Lady Michelle Obama at the annual fall harvest of the White House kitchen garden on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

Xavier, a 5^th grade student, and A’Layia, a 4^th grade student will represent Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools at the White House event. They also will help White House chefs prepare fruits and vegetables and eat their creations. Two of only 22 kids in the entire country invited to participate, Xavier and A’Layia will be joined by students representing other Let’s Move! initiatives.
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To help improve child nutrition and mitigate exposure to lead, Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools donated salad bars to 19 schools in Flint, Michigan, this year including Freeman Elementary School, every school in Flint Community School District and four other Flint school districts. Good nutrition plays a pivotal role in helping children limit the effects of exposure to lead. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, including those rich in calcium, vitamin C and iron, such as dark green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, kiwi, and melons, is especially important. The salad bars offer a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day at school lunch and help children increase their fruit and vegetable consumption.

Organic Trade Association Names New Board Members

Published September 30, 2016

Melissa Hughes, General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs for dairy cooperative Organic Valley, has been re-elected as President of the Organic Trade Association’s Board of Directors by fellow board members as part of the association’s 2016 general member election. This is the third year in a row for Hughes to serve as OTA President after being re-elected by OTA membership to serve her second three-year term on the board.

“I am honored by this vote of confidence from OTA membership and from my fellow board members,” said Hughes. “The organic sector has many challenges to tackle, and organic has to have a voice at the table to effectively address those challenges. OTA’s hard work has given us this voice, and I’m optimistic we’ll continue to help organic strengthen and advance.”

Other officers announced at OTA’s Annual Meeting held September 21 in Baltimore include Kim Dietz of J.M. Smucker Company as Vice President—USA, Sarah Bird of Bhakti Chai as Secretary, and Tony Bedard of Frontier Co-op as Treasurer.

In the recent election, Leslie Zuck of Pennsylvania Certified Organic was also re-elected, while Doug Crabtree of Vilicus Farms was elected to his first term on the board.

The OTA Board selected Marci Zaroff of Under the Canopy to fill an appointed term, and Ryan Benn of Alive Publishing Group Inc. has been appointed for another year by the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) to represent Canadian interests on the OTA Board for a one-year term.

Completing the board are Samantha Cabaluna of Earthbound Farm, Jesse Laflamme of Pete and Gerry’s Organics, David Lively of Organically Grown Company, Melody Meyer of UNFI, Kelly Shea of WhiteWave Foods and Perry Clutts of Pleasantview Farm.

“The diversity of the OTA Board reflects the diversity of OTA membership,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of OTA. “Our board members are all visionaries, as is every member of OTA. We have laid out an ambitious plan for organic for the next 15 years, and I know our board will get us closer to achieving that vision.”
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OTA thanked departing board members Rick Collins of Clif Bar & Company and Dag Falck of Nature’s Path for their contributions while on the board.

OTA is a membership organization, and its trade members have the opportunity to nominate and elect members of the board of directors. OTA elections are held in rotating cycles with new members serving three-year terms. In 2017, there will be three elected and two appointed seats. Anyone interested in adding their name to the slate should contact OTA.

Also during OTA’s Annual Meeting, Carmela Beck of Driscoll’s received OTA’s 2016 Member of the Year Award. This special recognition, driven by OTA staff and endorsed by OTA’s board, was created to honor a truly engaged member.

AnnualMeeting_Carmella(1).jpg Over the years, Beck has proven to be a world-class member of the trade association. Each year, she leads Hill visit teams as part of OTA’s Policy Conference and is an enthusiastic supporter of Organic PAC. She has been an Annual Fund volunteer, and a valuable contributor on the international front, joining an OTA mission to Mexico to educate the Mexican government, industry and consumers on the U.S. organic industry and the National Organic Standards Board. She has been an active participant in OTA-led trainings with the Mexican SAGARPA and SENSICIA agencies, and co-presented with OTA at Expo Orgánico, Mexico’s largest organic-only event.

“Driscoll’s has been a long-term OTA member and I have been an active member since 2010. Driscoll’s Organic Program has grown to 15 percent of our business and will only continue to dramatically increase in the coming years. As OTA members we have relied heavily on the OTA for its leadership, expertise, advocacy, education, marketing and messaging capabilities,” said Beck. “I am very honored by this recognition, and I look forward to continuing our collaboration and our life’s work.”

OTA’s Annual Meeting and the annual Organic Leadership Awards dinner this year were held at the Columbus Center in Baltimore in conjunction with Natural Products Expo East. The event drew hundreds of OTA members to pay tribute to outstanding OTA members and to celebrate the strongest growth in OTA membership in five years. A total of 216 organic farmers and organic businesses have joined OTA in the twelve months since the 2015 awards dinner. OTA membership now represents more than 8,500 organic businesses and operations in every state of the union, from small organic producers to major growers, from local family-run organic operations to nationwide companies.