Small Victories in the Vegetable Industry

Growers can now breathe a sigh of relief. Last month, a federal judge in San Francisco issued a nationwide preliminary injunction stopping the government from enforcing the No-Match rule. The No-Match rule originally was scheduled to go into effect in September, but a federal judge granted a request for temporary injunction to postpone implementing the regulation. According to reports, this order remains in effect until a suit from labor unions challenging the rule goes to trial next year or until a higher court intervenes.

This story began in August when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced its plan to require growers and employers to take additional steps to protect themselves from liability when notified that the Social Security Administration (SSA) is unable to match an employee’s name and social security number to its records. The burden this rule would have placed on growers would have been huge,   as the guidelines would have required employers to resolve the discrepancies within 90 days of SSA notification. Thankfully, that bullet has been dodged — for now.

Promote Yourself

With growers not having to worry about matching Social Security numbers at the moment, they now can get back to the business of growing and promoting their fresh produce. Because so many kids (and adults) are overweight in this country, the issue isn’t going to go away any time soon. As a result, the health message associated with eating fresh fruits and vegetables is needed now more than ever.

New York’s Pride of New York program has always been at the forefront of promoting healthy foods. Last month, a message was sent to kids in the state about the New York Harvest for New York Kids Week. This week-long celebration took place Oct. 1 through 7 and encouraged nutritious food choices among children, while promoting and supporting New York growers.

This year, however, the Pride of New York program has partnered with Aramark, an international company specializing in food services, to assist public schools and universities in purchasing local Pride of New York produce and other perishable products. Aramark’s K-12 Farm-to-School program is promoting fresh and nutritious locally grown produce through a series of events and activities. Last year, Aramark piloted this program in 19 New York school districts, which sourced approximately 12% of their fresh produce from local and regional farms.

This is just one example of what growers and industry can do to get the message out to families and children about making healthy food choices. What is your state doing to encourage kids to eat their veggies? Send me an e-mail ([email protected]) and let me know.

And where do these healthy foods originally come from? It all starts with the varieties that are grown. To help growers pick the varieties that are bursting with flavor or have an excellent disease package, please check out this year’s Vegetable Variety Showcase. You won’t be disappointed.