Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

KIND Snacks Urges FDA to Redefine “Healthy”



Company, with Support of Nutrition Experts Petitions U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Update Guidelines Established 20+ Years Ago



 KIND Snacks, with support from leading nutrition, public health and public policy experts, has filed a Citizen Petition urging the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to update its regulations around the term healthy when used as a nutrient content claim in food labeling. http://dnr.vnr1.com/2015/11/30/KIND_Snacks

KIND Founder and CEO Daniel Lubetzky explains that wholesome and nutrient-rich foods like almonds, salmon, olive oil and avocados cannot be labeled as healthy because of these foods inherent fat content.

The petition also reflects the importance of eating whole foods and foods made with wholesome and nutrient-rich ingredients as part of a healthy dietary pattern.

Currently, the FDA mandates that the word “healthy” only be used as a nutrient content claim to describe individual foods that contain 3 grams or less total fat and 1 gram or less of saturated fat per serving. Fish and meat must have 5g or less total fat and 3g or less saturated fat per serving to use healthy as a nutrition content claim.

The policy effort, which cites evidence from multiple nutrition studies and current federal Dietary Guidelines, is supported by a number of leading health and wellness experts including Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPhD, Dean, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts; Sara Baer-Sinnott, President of Oldways; and Connie Diekman, Registered Dietitian and former President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

‘Food Science Fun’ Connects Students to Science



WASHINGTON, D.C., December 1, 2015 – The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has launched a new resource on its My American Farm educational site aimed at connecting students to the science of food and food production.

“Food Science Fun” is a new guide that contains 10 activities related to food science. The guide is designed to equip volunteers and professional educators with powerful tools for facilitating a food science day camp, or activities at a fair, other special event or in the classroom.

The resources contained in the guide were pilot-tested at several science day camps in California and Indianapolis. Nearly 3,000 students were reached during the testing period.

The “Food Science Fun” guide can be downloaded for free on the Fairs and Events Hands on Activities page on My American Farm.

The My American Farm educational resource is a special project of the Foundation. The site and resources are made possible through the generous support of title sponsor DuPont Pioneer. To take advantage of the free My American Farm resources, games and activities, visit www.MyAmericanFarm.org.

TCA and Rolling Strong to Launch Driver Wellness Program


 
Beginning January 2016, carriers will have a cost-effective way to boost driver health and retention

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The trucking industry is losing many professional truck drivers to the health problems that arise from a sedentary lifestyle. That’s why the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) is partnering with Rolling Strong, a leading authority on driver wellness, to offer a new driver wellness program that will launch in January 2016.
TCA Wellness, powered by Rolling Strong, will provide every participant with access to thousands of health-check stations across the country, annual bio-screenings, and a driver-centric smartphone app with practical, tested-in-the-field guidance about nutrition and exercise on the road. They will also receive unlimited phone support from TCA-approved, CDL health-coaches who are specifically trained to work within the difficult limits that professional drivers experience every day.
“The studies are alarming… drivers are gaining weight, not exercising much, and developing serious problems like sleep apnea and diabetes,” said Keith Tuttle, TCA’s chairman. “This, in turn, undermines their ability to work, meaning less money to provide for their families. From the trucking industry’s standpoint, it means fewer drivers and more recruitment costs. We see Rolling Strong as an innovative solution; their approach not only boosts driver health and fosters driver-retention, but also delivers an unprecedented return on investment for users.”
The new wellness partnership will provide trucking companies with the means to establish a customized, in-house wellness program that exactly matches their needs and perfectly fits their available budget. The baseline program, as outlined above, will cost TCA members less than two dollars per driver, per month. Non-TCA-members and state associations are also welcome to participate, at a slightly higher cost.
An exciting part of the new wellness partnership will be “Rebuilt,” a program designed by Rolling Strong that is tailored to drivers who fail their CDL physical or receive a short-term DOT certification card. “Rebuilt” has an 85 percent success rate for getting medically disqualified drivers back on the road within 30 days. “Rebuilt” is home-based and can commence on the very day following a medical examiner’s decision to take a driver off the road. It includes daily coaching, in-home exercise equipment, a special 28-day food supply, and, when necessary, medical referrals. In addition, the required re-testing is a covered expense.
Covenant Transport, a long-time TCA member based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been working with Rolling Strong for some time and is very pleased with the results of their “Rebuilt” program. According to Joey Hogan, company president, “It is no exaggeration to say that Rolling Strong has added thousands of dollars to our bottom line over the last few years. In the present trucking economy, it can cost $8,000 to put a new driver behind the wheel, and many of us are turning away business and parking tractors because we just don’t have the drivers. The team at Rolling Strong has kept an impressive number of drivers on the road who would otherwise have been lost to us.”
Debbie Sparks, TCA’s vice president of development, agrees. “The truck driver shortage only gets worse when we lose experienced people because of health problems — especially when certain medical conditions can potentially be avoided with the proper intervention. TCA is really looking forward to helping our members save valuable professional truck drivers via the ‘Rebuilt’ initiative,” she said.
For carriers experiencing high turnover, an effective tool can be intervention during orientation, with a health-syllabus specifically designed for new drivers. Companies with an older workforce, who are seeing increased failures on CDL re-certifications due to BMI, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels that are too high, may need to become part of the distribution mechanism for a Healthier Meals option. As a safety net, carriers can utilize the TCA Wellness monitoring and pre-physical program that will flag problems before a disqualification occurs. In short, Rolling Strong’s account executives will work with risk management and human resources staff to develop exactly the right wellness regime for each participating company.
“Our driver wellness tools make a real difference,” said Bob Perry, aka "The Trucker Trainer,” the founder of Rolling Strong, and executive director of TCA Wellness, powered by Rolling Strong. “We have developed a comprehensive solution  that makes a trained CDL wellness coach available at major terminals for three or four hours per week. This face-to-face interaction can greatly enhance driver health and support driver compliancy. I’m pleased that driver health is being recognized by a well-respected transportation organization such as the TCA. This partnership allows us to stay true to our core mission: to provide professional drivers with simple lifestyle changes to maintain their livelihood and get home safe to see their families!”
To learn more about TCA Wellness, powered by Rolling Strong, contact tcawellness@rollingstrong.com. To stay up-to-date on TCA Wellness, powered by Rolling Strong as it is unveiled in January, please visit www.truckload.org and follow the organization on Facebook—www.truckload.org/Facebook—and Twitter—www.truckload.org/Twitter.