Do It For The Children

In last month’s column, I wrote about the United Fresh Produce Association’s trip to Capitol Hill in September as part of its Public Policy Conference. Among the hot topics industry leaders presented to legislators were the same things you’ve been reading about in this magazine the past few months: food safety, labor reform, and proper implementation of the Farm Bill.

There was one more area of discussion, one that is perhaps more important than any other. One of United’s big pushes this year is the 2009 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, which supports child nutrition programs such as School Lunch and Breakfast, the Department of Defense Fresh Program, and Women, Infants and Children. Specifically, United and its members are hoping to accomplish the following:

    • Enact a National Salad Bar policy for every school cafeteria
    • Provide grants for the purchase of equipment such as refrigerators and salad bars
    • Increase USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service purchases of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables
    • Double the funding for the Department of Defense Fresh Program.

I don’t need to tell you why this is so important. With obesity rates among children rising to unprecedented levels, improving access to fresh fruits and vegetables in school lunches and breakfasts is perhaps the most effective way to increase children’s consumption. In order to accomplish this, the industry must not only ensure there is necessary funding; it must also develop promotional programs that reach the best audience.

Targeting Children And Parents

There are two specific questions that I think need to be answered in order to achieve this goal. The first relates to children: How do you get them interested in eating more fruits and vegetables? It’s true that much of the recent advertising programs for produce have been aimed at children, including partnerships with Disney, Nickelodeon, and others. But when a child at school is faced with the choice of eating from a salad bar or a vending machine stocked with candy and chips, that’s an uphill battle for sure.

The solution United offers is to serve fruits and vegetables that kids want to eat: fresh-cut products, visually appealing (and in some cases creatively colored and shaped) vegetables, etc. That is certainly a good start.

The second question concerns parents: How do you get them involved in making sure their kids eat enough fruits and vegetables? One example might be to aim more of these promotion programs at adults, particularly in supermarkets, where food shoppers are stretching their dollars tighter than ever. In the schools, parents should also be well informed of these salad bar-type programs.

A Final Thought On Nutrition

During United’s meeting in September, there was a scheduled debate between representatives from the Obama and McCain campaigns. One of these individuals (I won’t say who they represented) made the comment that he was not surprised at the decision of some members of Congress who vetoed the Farm Bill, since it contained “pork money for non-farming activities such as nutrition programs.” I was quite surprised he made that statement in a room full of people whose way of living is based on making sure that everyone, especially children, eats a proper amount of fruits and vegetables. This is one “pork” program that deserves a place at the table.