Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Letter from United Fresh to House Appropriations Committee



May 28, 2014
The Honorable Hal Rogers
Chairman
House Committee on Appropriations
The Capitol, H-305
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Robert Aderholt
Chairman
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug Administration House Committee on Appropriations
2362A Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Nita Lowey
Ranking Member
House Committee on Appropriations
2365 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Sam Farr
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug Administration House Committee on Appropriations
1126 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:
Tomorrow, the Appropriations Committee takes up the Agricultural Appropriations bill brought forward from the Ag Subcommittee last week. On the matter of school meals and implementation of the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, we urge you to support a compromise that gives schools greater support and technical assistance, without gutting the critical nutrition standards through the blanket waivers now contained in the bill.
An essential component of today’s nutritional standards is that school meals must include one-half cup of fruits and vegetables as part of the reimbursable meal. This is a minimal requirement that any of us as parents would support as we strive to help educate our children about healthy meals, just as we educate them in math and science.
We understand why some school leaders have been frustrated. Foodservice staff in our schools are often the unrecognized heroes who work hard to stretch inadequate dollars, often without adequate facilities and equipment such as salad bars, and still deliver quality meals to kids every day.
But since the subcommittee action last week, numerous school foodservice leaders, parent-teacher organizations and even our proud military veterans are speaking out that the solution is not to gut the nutrition standards, but to help schools with technical support. We encourage you to listen to these responsible voices.
The fresh produce industry stands ready to support school foodservice directors in implementing the fruit and vegetable requirements. Serving one-half cup of fruits and vegetables, in ways that kids love and want to eat, is one goal that we are already accomplishing together. We commit to providing school foodservice directors with technical assistance, training in produce procurement and handling, and sharing best practices of what’s working in thousands of schools across the country.
This should not be a partisan issue for rancorous debate. We can all stand together to put the health of America’s children first, while giving schools the technical support they need to comply with these very basic standards. Please do not vote to cut out one-half cup of fruits
and vegetables from school meals. Without at least one serving of a fruit or vegetable, I don’t believe we could even call it a meal.
We urge you to support any amendments in the full Committee that would preserve these critical nutrition standards.
Sincerely,
Thomas E. Stenzel
President and CEO
Cc: Members of the House Committee on Appropriations

Monday, May 19, 2014

FTC Charges Green Coffee Bean Sellers with Deceiving Consumers through Fake News Sites and Bogus Weight Loss Claims


The Federal Trade Commission has sued a Florida-based operation that capitalized on the green coffee diet fad by using bogus weight loss claims and fake news websites to market the dietary supplement Pure Green Coffee. Popularized on the syndicated talk show The Dr. Oz Show, green coffee bean extract was touted as a potent weight loss treatment that supposedly burns fat.
The FTC alleged that weeks after green coffee was first promoted on The Dr. Oz Show, the defendants behind Pure Green Coffee – Nicholas Congleton, Paul Pascual, Bryan Walsh, and the companies they control – began selling their Pure Green Coffee extract, charging about $50 for a one-month supply. They marketed the dietary supplement through ads on their own sales websites – with names such as buypuregreencoffee.com, buygreenweightloss.com, greencoffeeweightcontrol.com. The sites featured footage from The Dr. Oz Show, supposed consumer endorsements, and purported clinical proof that dieters could lose weight rapidly without changing their diet or exercise regimens. The defendants also ran paid banner and text ads that appeared on search engines and contained phony weight loss claims.
The defendants made similar claims on websites they set up to look like legitimate news sites or blogs, but were in fact advertisements, and on other “fake news” sites run by affiliate marketers whom they paid to advertise the Pure Green Coffee product, according to the complaint. The fake news sites featured mastheads of fictitious news organizations such as Women’s Health Journal and Healthy Living Reviewed, as well as logos they appropriated from actual news organizations, like CNN and MSNBC.
“Not only did these defendants trick consumers with their phony weight loss claims, they also compounded the deception by advertising on pretend news sites, making it impossible for people to know whether they were seeing news or an ad,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The FTC charged the defendants with false and unsupported advertising claims, including:
that consumers using Pure Green Coffee can lose 20 pounds in four weeks; 16 percent of body fat in twelve weeks; and 30 pounds and four-to-six inches of belly fat in three to five months.
that studies prove Pure Green Coffee use can result in average weight loss of 17 pounds in 12 weeks or 22 weeks, weight loss of 10.5 percent, and body fat loss of 16 percent without diet or exercise.
that certain websites linked to the defendants’ sites are objective news sites with articles written by objective news reporters and that the comments following the supposed articles reflected views of independent consumers.
The FTC also charged the defendants with deceptively failing to disclose that consumers who endorsed the supplement had received it for free and were paid to provide a video testimonial.
The complaint also names as defendants the companies used by Congleton, Pascual, and Walsh to market this operation:  NPB Advertising, Inc., also doing business as Pure Green Coffee; Nationwide Ventures, LLC; Olympus Advertising, Inc.; JMD Advertising, Inc.; and Signature Group, LLC.
Consumers should carefully evaluate advertising claims for weight-loss products. For more information, see the FTC’s guidance for consumers of products and services advertised for Weight Loss & Fitness.
The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 4-0-1, with  Commissioner McSweeny not participating. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division on May 15, 2014.
The FTC is a member of the National Prevention Council, which provides coordination and leadership at the federal level regarding prevention, wellness, and health promotion practices. This case advances the National Prevention Strategy’s goal of increasing the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life.
NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The case will be decided by the court.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Bill Targets Tax Deductibility of Junk-food Marketing



WASHINGTON—When one-third of kids are overweight or obese, should the tax code be subsidizing the marketing of low-nutrition food and drinks to children?  Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest say “no!”  

CSPI, the nutrition and food safety watchdog, strongly supports legislation introduced today by the Connecticut senator that would amend the tax code to prohibit any deduction taken by companies for advertising or marketing through the use of characters, advergames, and in-school promotions of unhealthy foods to children under 14.

The bill, the Stop Subsidizing Childhood Obesity Act, would direct the revenue generated by eliminating such tax deductions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which serves elementary school students in low-income areas.  In 2012, the Federal Trade Commission estimated that manufacturers spend about $2 billion each year marketing food to children.  CSPI estimates that eliminating deductions for such spending could raise $550 million each year—unless companies moved their marketing dollars to healthier fare.  

“Ideally, food manufacturers would not spend any money convincing children to eat foods and drinks that promote obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan.  “That taxpayers indirectly subsidize promoting disease to children doesn’t make any sense.  We hope legislators in both parties join Senator Blumenthal’s effort to close this tax loophole.”

A study by the Institute of Medicine found that food and beverage advertising affects children’s food preferences, diets, and overall health.  Children (ages 2–11) see an average of 13 food- and beverage-related TV advertisements per day (about 4,700 per year), mostly for unhealthy foods.  According to research published in the Journal of Law and Economics, eliminating the deductibility of costs associated with unhealthy food marketing could reduce rates of obesity by five to seven percent, which would mean 700,000 to 1 million fewer obese children.
 

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Census Bureau News -- Modes Less Traveled -- Bicycling and Walking to Work in the United States: 2008-2012



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014
Biking to Work Increases 60 Percent Over Last Decade, Census Bureau Reports
Many U.S. cities are seeing an increase in bicycle commuters, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. Nationwide, the number of people who traveled to work by bike increased roughly 60 percent over the last decade, from about 488,000 in 2000 to about 786,000 during the 2008-2012 period. This is the largest percentage increase of all commuting modes tracked by the 2000 Census and the 2008-2012 American Community Survey.
Today the Census Bureau also released a new commuting edition of the interactive map Census Explorer, which gives Web visitors easy click-and-zoom access to commuting statistics for every neighborhood in the U.S. It also shows how commuting has changed since 1990 at the neighborhood, county and state level — including how long it takes to get to work, commutes longer than an hour, and number of bikers. This edition of Census Explorer uses statistics from the American Community Survey, the best national source of commuting statistics down to the neighborhood level.
“In recent years, many communities have taken steps to support more transportation options, such as bicycling and walking,” said Brian McKenzie, a Census Bureau sociologist and the report’s author. “For example, many cities have invested in bike share programs, bike lanes and more pedestrian-friendly streets.”
While bicyclists still account for just 0.6 percent of all commuters, some of the nation’s largest cities have more than doubled their rates since 2000. Portland, Ore., had the highest bicycle-commuting rate at 6.1 percent, up from 1.8 percent in 2000. In Minneapolis, the rate increased from 1.9 percent to 4.1 percent.
The report also looks at the number of people who walk to work. After steadily decreasing since 1980, the percent of people who walk to work has stabilized since 2000. In 1980, 5.6 percent of workers walked to work, and that rate declined to 2.9 percent by 2000. However, in the 2008-2012 period, the rate of walkers remained statistically unchanged from 2000. Among larger cities, Boston had the highest rate of walking to work at 15.1 percent.
The report, “Modes Less Traveled — Bicycling and Walking to Work in the United States: 2008-2012,” highlights the trends and socio-economic and geographic differences between motorized and nonmotorized commutes. This report — the Census Bureau’s first focusing only on biking and walking to work — is one of many that examines specific aspects of commuting, including workplace location, working from home, long commutes and specific travel modes.
Biking to Work Highlights
The West had the highest rate of biking to work at 1.1 percent, and the South had the lowest rate at 0.3 percent.
Among large cities, Portland, Ore., had the highest bicycle-commuting rate at 6.1 percent.
The median commute time for those who bike to work was about 19.3 minutes.
Men were more likely to bike to work than women were. The rate of bicycle commuting for men was more than double that of women, 0.8 percent compared with 0.3 percent.
Those with a graduate or professional degree or higher and those with less than a high school degree had the highest rates of biking to work, at 0.9 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
1.5 percent of those with an income of $10,000 or less commuted to work by bicycle, the highest rate of bicycle commuting by any income category.
African-Americans had the lowest rate of biking to work at 0.3 percent, compared with some other race or two or more races who had the highest rate at 0.8 percent.
Walking to Work Highlights
The Northeast showed the highest rate of walking to work at 4.7 percent of workers.  Several of the places with high rates were “college towns,” including Ithaca, N.Y., where about 42.4 percent walked to work.  The South had the lowest rate at 1.8 percent. Among large cities, Boston was one of the highest walking-to-work cities at 15.1 percent.
Workers living in core cities walked to work at a rate of 4.3 percent, compared with 2.4 percent for workers in suburbs.
The median commute time for those who walk to work was 11.5 minutes, and they left their home at later hours than other modes.
Men walked to work at a rate of 2.9 percent compared with 2.8 percent for women.
Those with less than a high school degree had the highest rate of walking to work at 3.7 percent, followed by those with graduate or professional degrees at 2.7 percent.
8.2 percent of those with an income of $10,000 or less walked to work, the highest rate of walking to work by any income category.
Asians and workers of some other race or two or more races had the highest rate of walking to work at 4.0 and 4.2, respectively.
About the American Community Survey
The figures in this release come from data collected from questions in the Census Bureau’s 2008-2012 American Community Survey. The questions asked include:
•         How did this person usually get to work last week? If this person usually used more than one method of transportation during the trip, mark (X) the box of the one used for most of the distance.
•         How many people, including this person, usually rode to work in the car, truck, or van last week?
•         What time did this person usually leave home to go to work last week?
•         How many minutes did it usually take this person to get from home to work last week?
Organizations use the statistics from this question to design programs that ease traffic problems, reduce congestion and promote carpooling. In addition, police and fire departments use the statistics to plan for emergency services in areas where many people work. The American Community Survey provides local statistics on a variety of topics for even the smallest communities.
Ever since Thomas Jefferson directed the first census in 1790, the census has collected detailed characteristics about our nation's people. Questions about jobs and the economy were added 20 years later under James Madison, who said such information would allow Congress to “adapt the public measures to the particular circumstances of the community,” and over the decades allow America “an opportunity of marking the progress of the society.”



Wednesday, May 7, 2014

FMI names store manager finalists

ARLINGTON, VA – MAY 7, 2014 – The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) announced today FMI’s 15th-annual Store Manager Award finalists. Four grand prize winners will be selected from among the 10 finalists on Wednesday, June 11 during FMI Connect, the new annual FMI Show, in Chicago.

The Store Manager Award finalists are recognized for their work to achieve positive sales growth and customer satisfaction in their stores during the past year. Nominations were judged on the following criteria:
Leading, mentoring and motivating associates;
Communicating company goals and store milestones to associates;
Executing innovative in-store programs and/or special events that improve overall customer service and community relations; and
Improving the financial performance of the store.
One grand prize winner will be chosen from each of the four categories:
Category A (1 – 49 Stores)
Larry Hack, Martin’s Super Markets #16 in Granger, Indiana
Jeffery Iwamuro, Potash Markets on Clark Street in Chicago, Illinois
David Tutorow, Martin’s Super Markets # 17in Elkhart, Indiana
Category B (50 – 199 Stores)
Kate Allred, Lowes Foods #161 in Clemmons, North Carolina
Chris Turner, Brookshire Grocery Company in Ruston, Louisiana
John Wild, Family Fresh Market - SpartanNash in River Falls, Wisconsin
Category C (Over 200 Stores)
Randy Kruse, Ames No. 2 Hy-Vee, Inc. in Ames Iowa
Dough Malenoski, King Soopers, a division of The Kroger Co. in Littleton Colorado
Ray Waldrop, BI-LO in Rock Hill, South Carolina
Category D (International retailers – companies operating outside North America):
George Katsifolis, Alfa Beta Kalamata 3, a company of Delhaize Group in Kalamata, Greece
Each finalist will receive two complimentary registrations for FMI Connect and three nights of hotel accommodations in Chicago. The four grand prize winners will each receive a $1,000 prize and a crystal award.
The FMI Store Manager Awards presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, 3:00 – 4:30 pm in the Grand Ballroom at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. The awards will be presented during the last 30 minutes of the Culture Rules: Putting People First and Building a First-Class Team session.

Grocery Manufacturers Association Responds to “Fed Up” Movie






WASHINGTON, DC—The Grocery Manufacturers Association today released the following statement from President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey in response to the film “Fed Up:”
                     
“Our companies have been trusted by generations of families to provide products that are safe, nutritious, affordable, time-saving and well-balanced. This is a responsibility that we take seriously and will never forget.

“We are encouraged by the fact that, earlier this year, CDC studies found childhood obesity had been reduced by as much as 43 percent. But we are constantly focused on moving forward and creating more healthful, affordable options that allow all consumers to make food choices that are right for their children and families.

“Unfortunately, Fed Up provides an inaccurate view of the packaged food industry.  Rather than identifying successful policies or ongoing efforts to find real and practical solutions to obesity, it adopts a short-sighted, confrontational and misleading approach by cherry-picking facts to fit a narrative, getting the facts wrong, and simply ignoring the progress that has been made over the last decade in providing families with healthier options at home and at school.

“Reducing obesity requires everyone to do their part. For the food and beverage industry, this means constantly working to provide consumers—especially parents—with healthier options and the information they need to make choices that are right for their families.
                                                     
“We will continue working across the food industry and with all stakeholders to provide America’s families with food products that are safe, nutritious, affordable, time-saving and well-balanced.”

BACKGROUND

Food manufacturers have taken significant proactive steps to provide consumers with the right information and options to allow them to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
                                                                                                               
Child Nutrition

Full-calorie soft drinks were voluntarily removed from schools and total calories available from beverages in schools have been cut by 90 percent in the last decade.
                                                               
The food industry supported the 2010 Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, which directed the USDA to implement new school nutrition standards to ensure school lunches are nutritious and well balanced. These new school nutrition standards, introduced in 2012, where the first major change in school nutrition standards in more than 15 years and included the following reforms:

Ensured both fruits and vegetables are offered to students each day
Increased consumption of foods that are rich in whole grains
Eliminated full-fat milk options
Limited calories based on the age of children to ensure proper portion size
Increased focus on reducing amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium offered in school meals.

Since 2002, food and beverage companies have contributed more than $130 million in grants to nutrition and health-related programs in hundreds of communities across the United States.

Working through the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), we voluntarily adopted strict nutrition criteria so that 100 percent of CFBAI participants’ ads seen on children’s programming now promote healthier diet choices and better-for-you products.
o A December 2012 report by the Federal Trade Commission affirmed that the food industry’s self-regulatory program is working. [FTC.Gov, 12/21/2012]

Healthy Options and Informed Choices

In January 2011, to help parents make informed decisions when they shop, we began putting key nutrition information on the front of food and beverage packages through our Facts Up Front program.

In 2009, food and beverage CEOs formed the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation to marshal all available resources in an effort to reduce obesity, especially childhood obesity. Through the HWCF, the food industry successfully removed 6.4 trillion calories from the U.S. marketplace since 2007.
o This reduction in calories surpasses the calorie reduction needed to meet the federal government’s Healthy People 2020 childhood obesity reduction goals by nearly 22 percent.
o Additionally, since 2002, the food industry has introduced more than 20,000 new product choices with reduced calories, fat, sodium and sugar.
                                                                                                   

Thursday, May 1, 2014

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Completion of National Wetlands Database and Interactive Mapping Tool


Most comprehensive data set yet of wetlands in U.S. states and territories will aid developers, city planners, regulators in advancing wetland conservation, economic development
To coincide with American Wetlands Month, which begins May 1, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is announcing the completion of the most comprehensive and detailed U.S. wetland data set ever produced, capping a 35-year effort by the Service to map the extent of the nation’s wetlands.
The Wetlands Inventory Mapper (http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/Mapper.html) has digitally mapped and made publically available wetlands in the lower 48 states, Hawaii and dependent territories, as well as 35 % of Alaska. It is an invaluable aid to landowners, developers, government planners and permitting authorities, conservation organizations and academic institutions in their collective efforts to ensure wetland conservation and inform economic development.
“The completion of this wetland dataset marks a significant milestone in national efforts to conserve wetlands in the United States,” said Gary Frazer, the Service’s Assistant Director for Ecological Services. “Wetlands are critical ecosystems that support an astounding diversity of plant and animal life, and provide essential ecological services; yet wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. This online mapper is a key tool in the ever-more challenging quest to maintain the health of our wetland habitats and the biodiversity they sustain.”
Wetlands provide habitat for thousands of species of fish, wildlife and plants, and act as nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish of commercial significance. They also provide important ecological services such as flood control, water filtration and the supply of groundwater, and they provide recreational and wildlife viewing opportunities for millions of people.
Wetlands are facing numerous, ongoing challenges, such as agriculture, development and resource extraction, as well as sea level rise, increasing storm severity and drought due to climate change.
Between 2004 and 2009, the reported average annual rate of wetland loss in the coastal watershedswas 80,160 acres. This demonstrates that the target of “no net loss” of wetlands in coastal areas is not yet being achieved.
To access the wetlands data and mapping tool, and learn more about the National Wetlands Inventory, visit: http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/index.html.