Consumers have a one-stop shop for holiday meal preparation and safe handling tips. The Partnership for Food Safety Education, with financial support from PMA, the National Turkey Federation, the Georgia Pecan Commission and others, created the Holiday Food Safety Success Kit. This Web site with downloadable resources offers much more than food safety tips. Here consumers can find everything they need for a successful holiday meal – recipes, activities for kids, shopping lists, planning guides and more.

Take a look at it – you might find some ideas for your own celebrations – and pass it along to people you know. The kit is free, so be sure to use it in your company’s consumer efforts: your consumer affairs folks, your consumer communications, your employees, a link on your Web site, anything you can think of. It’s a great resource.

Kids love to dip produce. Kids do ask their parents to buy produce they’ve tried at school. And sometimes salad bars in schools don’t work because the kids don’t have a long enough lunch time (I was going to say lunch hour, but the 18 minutes some kids get doesn’t really fit with that phrase).

At “Produce Safety in Schools” workshop hosted by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service October 28, a panel of three school nutrition professionals talked about produce in schools, from school lunch to the fresh fruit and vegetable snack program. From a Maryland school district with 201 schools and 141,000 students to a Mississippi district with six schools and 1,500 students, the women reviewed how they use fresh produce and the impact it has on the school and the kids.

I’ll have more insights from this workshop in days ahead about costs, training, and equipment. Here are a few interesting tidbits about the experience from these school foodservice experts.

• The snack program offers teachable moments when the kids eat the snack and the teachers use the time to talk about nutrition, geography and more. A banana snack was given as the Mississippi school kids boarded a bus for a field trip. As the bus passed a port, a Dole ship was docked there, and the teacher and kids discussed where bananas come from and how they get here. As they cruised on down the road, they saw a Dole truck and talked about distribution after the product comes off the ship.
• In a Michigan school district, they noticed that kids who were exposed to the snack program in elementary school asked for those produce items when they got to middle school – showing a sustained consumption and preference pattern.
• Dip is critical to the success of the snack program, as kids love to dip food into sauces; low-fat ranch dip is the most popular. (As you probably know, the snack program does allow vegetables to be served with a low-fat dip; fruit snacks may not be served with dip.) It’s important that teachers eat the snacks as well, as they are models for the kids.
• In the Michigan district, the salad bar is still very popular with kids, and the cafeterias use ice to keep product cold. In the larger Maryland district, students widely requested salad bars, but interest waned after a couple of weeks. They still use the equipment, but it’s more for “specialty bars” with food themes, such as using the bar for a Mexican lunch with fajita meat and various toppings such as produce, and with enough lettuce that the kids could make a fajita salad if they wanted. In the Mississippi district, the salad bar was discontinued 15 years ago for safety reasons; now the district offers premade salads to students and has a fresh fruit bowl available every day.

And what about time? With 18 minutes to get lunch, eat it and move on, kids have to move fast. The school foodservice pros said that salad bars take time, and kids may not have enough time to wait in line to assemble their food. They also noted that salads – from the salad bar or premade – take longer to eat than other foods because of the amount of time it takes to chew salad. This isn’t something that would ever have crossed my mind, but these women know their logistics – from what it takes to get lunch ready to how students flow through the process. And chewing is a factor. Certainly it’s one we want to encourage – especially chewing fresh produce – but it’s also something they have to consider as they provide nutritious foods for the kids.

Today, USA Today ran a story that offered consumers tips for eating more fresh produce; the story was spurred by the CDC study we talked about a few weeks ago here on the blog that found few consumers are getting the recommended minimum servings of fruits and vegetables. If you’d like to look at the CDC study, visit the consumption page on the PMA Web site.

With produce consumption always top of mind, recently U.S. Apple Association contacted me about adding their programs to a resource page on PMA.com that showcases industry efforts that encourage consumers to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. For members who may not be aware of this page, to help consumers learn more about fruits and vegetables, PMA has compiled lists of its members who offer sections on their Web sites that focus on kids’ content, recipes, educators/parents, and general product information.

In fact, it was these resource pages that led to the PMA and Scholastic partnership that produced the award-winning “Crunch the Numbers” mathematics-based curriculum for third- and fourth-graders (which also provides fruit and vegetable consumption tips). “Crunch the Numbers” was just recently re-launched for this fall. If you’d like to get involved with this, visit the PMA Web site for more ideas.

But we just don’t highlight consumption efforts on the PMA Web site; we also share members’ sustainability stories too. Recently here on the blog we talked about Coast Produce and its involvement with So Fresh Market in Los Angeles, California to improve the health and nutrition of a community that didn’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. On PMA.com, there is an entire section devoted to sustainability success stories. In addition to the success stories, we also have sustainability research and resources that look at trends to the small and large steps that can be taken to help increase your company’s return on investment.

If your organization is a PMA member and you have content related to increasing consumption and nutrition or if you have a sustainability success story (in video or written format), please let me know and I’ll be in touch with details on how you can be linked to on PMA.com.

A couple weeks ago I wrote about a CDC study that showed U.S. states are not meeting fruit and vegetable consumption goals. I recently learned of a Nestle study which has found that about 25% of older infants, toddlers and preschoolers do not eat a single serving of fruit on a given day, and 30% do not eat a single serving of vegetables.

On the positive side, the study also found that fewer infants are consuming sweets or sweetened beverages. Seventeen percent of infants age six-to-eight months, consumed a dessert, sweet or sweetened beverage on a given day versus 36 percent in 2002 (the last time the study was conducted). A similar change was seen for children age nine-to-11 months old, with 43 percent in 2008 versus 59 percent in 2002 consuming any dessert, sweet or sweetened beverage.

Not surprisingly, French fries are still the most popular vegetable among toddlers and preschoolers. However, among older babies there were improvements, and French fries are no longer ranked in the top five vegetables among infants age nine-to-11 months, compared to the 2002 study, when French fries ranked among the top vegetables in the diets of older infants on a given day.

As the parents of a one-month old, my wife and I have made changes in the foods we shop for and meals we make at home because as our daughter gets older, it’ll likely be our eating and nutrition habits that will have the most influence on what and how she eats. Granted, we’ve got some time before we’re all sitting at the table enjoying a home-cooked meal together but getting an early start on increasing our own produce consumption will help shape her habits and tastes in the years to come.

Late last month I spoke to a great group of members from Minnesota and Wisconsin at PMA’s Fresh Connections: Minneapolis. We talked about sustainability and what it means – both as an issue and as an innovation-driver and a bottom-line contributor. I shared some of the sustainability stories we feature on our web site. And then those attending also shared some of their sustainability experiences. We’re committed to providing a forum for discussion of industry issues. When it comes to sustainability, sharing stories is a great way to spread the word and encourage each other to do more: because it’s the right thing to do and because it contributes to the bottom line.

We also had a great sustainability session at Fresh Summit that focused on return on investment from sustainability activities. We’ll have several new stories to post on the Web site in the near future, so keep checking. And please send us your sustainability stories as well.

Fresh Connections is a great way for smaller groups of PMA members to get together, network, and discuss some of the compelling issues we face. Check out the next events coming up – might be in your area: Charlotte, North Carolina, November 3 on traceability; Guadalajara, Mexico, November 12-13 on a range of topics; and San Antonio, Texas, on December 8 on consumer trends and the economy.

Sometimes when studies of produce consumption in urban areas are undertaken, researchers find “food deserts” – places where consumers just don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Recently Coast Produce helped to dry up one of these “deserts” by supplying fresh produce to So Fresh Market, a new open air market located at a local church parking lot. Interestingly, the owner of Coast Produce, John Dunn, started a new entity, Fresh Hope, LLC, to pursue this and other similar opportunities to create access and promote consumption of fruits and vegetables. Fresh Hope is the parent company of So Fresh Market.

Previously, Coast Produce Company donated fruits and vegetables to the church’s summer youth enrichment program and, from there, the organizations established a relationship. I spoke with Coast President Jin Ju Wilder about So Fresh and she noted that, in addition to providing peak-of-the-season produce, the market taps into local talent – from the fresh foods being prepared to the helpful and friendly staff working under the tents to live music or dance performances by local artists. Also, shoppers can talk with produce experts to get information and answers to questions.

According to Jin Ju, the in-market produce experts are very knowledgeable about all aspects of fresh produce – growing, harvesting, nutrition and, most importantly, taste. She added that the experts “rove throughout the market’s produce tents, providing advice and samples to patrons. By giving customers a taste of and information about new produce items, we hope we will encourage repeat visits and spark ‘word of mouth’ about something we are very passionate about – fresh, great tasting fruits and vegetables!”

PMA believes sustainability is represented by the three “Ps”: planet (that is, environmental issues); people (social/labor issues); and prosperity (economic success). Efforts like Coast’s highlight how to work with local organizations to improve the health of the community it lives and works in. Kudos to Jin Ju and her team for their work on this admirable effort. If you have a sustainability story to share, please let us know.

OK, so maybe the USDA hearings on the proposed National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement don’t have the drama of a Law and Order episode, but it was fascinating to see and be part of a hearing on the topic in Syracuse, New York, on October 20. PMA is part of the proponent group, and I testified in support of the agreement.

Unlike the television dramas, there were no clear-cut sides. Certainly we had the proponent group and the opposition. But when individuals testified, for the most part they were not entrenched, dogmatic, or loaded for bear. Proponent witnesses, while supporting the agreement overall, talked about their concerns about specific pieces. And the opponents, when cross-examined, often praised underlying concepts of the proposal even though they could not support the proposal.

Today is the final of seven hearings on the topic, and I imagine it will follow the same path. What has impressed me through this process are the civility, transparency, and thoroughness of the process. It remains to be seen whether the marketing agreement will move forward. USDA will consider the testimony it has received during the past month.

PMA continues to support the concept. Having a risk- and science-based food safety program driven by industry with government authority sets a level playing field for the leafy greens industry that will enhance both food safety and consumer confidence.

According to a global study released by Synovate, some six in 10 grocery shoppers across 10 international markets, including the U.S., would go out of their way to shop “green.” This drive-to-green trend is being led by 86% of Russian respondents and 85% of Malaysians. Interestingly, Dutch consumers weren’t that interested in “green” retail trends because environmentally friendly products and policies (e.g. fewer plastic bags) have been in place for ten to twenty years in small stores and around five years in chain stores in the Netherlands.

Also, across the 10 markets surveyed, 79% of respondents found the idea of recycling facilities in supermarkets and grocery stores interesting. Ninety percent in Brazil agreed it was a good idea, followed by 89% in Serbia, and 88% in Malaysia.

As U.S. supermarket operators continue to look at how sustainability fits into their business models, there are a number of ways to go “green” – whether it’s through asking shoppers to reuse or recycle their plastic bags, reducing energy costs through changes in lighting fixtures and properly loading refrigerated cases to maximize airflow in and on product, or through working with supply chain partners on new packaging or buy local campaigns.

If you’ve undertaken sustainability in your business and have a success story to share, please let us know. We’re always looking for new sustainability success stories for the PMA Web site.

Today in Syracuse, New York, the USDA is holding a public hearing to consider its proposed national leafy greens marketing agreement. This hearing is one of many USDA scheduled for our industry to bring its real-world expertise and science to the agency as it considers the proposal. Among those testifying during today’s hearing are Bill Pool of Wegmans Food & Pharmacy, Inc.; Maureen Torrey of Torrey Farms; Jeff Kubecka of Kubecka Farms; Brian Reeves of Reeves Farm; and PMA’s Kathy Means.

We’d like to thank all witnesses for taking time out of their busy schedules to participate, and a big thank you to Bill for bringing retail buyer insights to USDA. Also, many thanks to Hank Giclas of Western Growers for his tireless efforts in attending every NLGMA hearing to ensure that proposal supporters have an opportunity to testify.

Kathy will share her insights from the hearing process in a blog post later this week. If you’d like to learn more about what’s happened at the hearings, visit the USDA Web site for transcripts and video of the proceedings. To take a look at Kathy’s testimony, visit the PMA Web site.

We’ve written a lot about what PMA envisions as good federal food safety activities, and it was refreshing to see some of those reflected in a speech Mike Taylor gave Sept. 22 to the PulseNet and OutbreakNet Meeting in Snowbird, Utah. Taylor, who is senior adviser to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, visited with the commissioner and PMA on a tour of local family farms in Delaware just a few days prior to this speech.

In the speech, he called for an increasing focus on risk-based prevention of foodborne illness, strong partnerships with CDC and state health agencies, increased federal funding in support of state and local capacity for outbreak response, improved information collection and sharing, and better coordination and decision-making.

At PMA we get a lot of our work done through partnerships, and it’s good to see this type of work ethic moving forward at FDA. We recently wrote about FDA welcoming Leanne Skelton, a produce expert from USDA, to a six-month assignment as FDA works on produce rules.