The Produce Moms Podcast

"We're trying to understand how different foods and different eating patterns impact anxiety and psychosis disorders."

Dr. Monique Aucoin (5:44-5:51)

Dr. Monique Aucoin is a naturopathic doctor and senior research fellow at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and also one of the leading North American researchers in the field of nutritional psychiatry (the use of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of mental illness).

Not familiar with naturopathy, or confused on what it actually means? Dr. Aucoin says, "naturopathic medicine is a system of healthcare that combines scientific evidence with natural and traditional approaches like nutrition, herbal medicine and lifestyle counseling. Naturopathic wellness aims to address the root cause of illness and to promote wellness."

Sure, we already have social treatments like therapy for mental health, but some people don't find the type of treatment we have available helpful or tolerable, so we need to have other approaches available. Our current medical system isn't reflecting the huge role diet plays in mental health. Offering dietary counseling to people experiencing mental illness is an opportunity to truly improve their health outcomes rather than just using medicine or social therapy. The problem also with our current clinical research is that it doesn't tell us if, for example, someone became depressed because they're eating poor quality nutrition, or they became depressed and as a result started eating poor quality nutrition.

"On an intuitive level, most people know when they eat better, they feel better, both physically and emotionally." Dr. Monique Aucoin (7:08-7:15)

Dr. Aucoin is working with Dr. Laura LaChance to bring scientific evidence to the real world in a way that's understandable and actionable. Most recently, they've put together a patient handout that talks about nutritional factors important for mental health and used lived-in experiences from those that struggle with mental illness in the process. These handouts are helping them speak to healthcare providers and train them on dietary counseling that can only further help their patients.

Ever heard of the term "emotional eating"? It's not just a phenomenon we joke about – it's backed by science, too. A study was performed on animals where they caused the animal a small amount of stress and gave them foods high in sugar and fat, which resulted in a reduction of their levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This may be a great, short-term fix, but long-term the foods we choose when "emotionally eating", for example, can negatively impact our mental health.

Another clinical trial is being performed now to find out whether or not a food is causing a worsening or an improvement to mental health issues. A study called "Smiles" recently showed a large decrease in depression symptoms after 12 weeks of dietary counseling, with a quarter of individuals in the study no longer having depression at all. Dr. Aucoin and Dr. LaChance just received funding to perform their own similar clinical trial with those who have anxiety!

So, if you're struggling with depression, anxiety or other mental health issues, what does Dr. Aucoin suggest you do with your diet? The top three nutritional factors in supporting brain and mental health are eating enough protein, eating anti-inflammatory foods and choosing complex carbs instead of simple sugars. Why? The brain is sensitive to the amount of sugar in our blood. Ever felt "hangry" before? That's because your blood sugar is low (there's a huge overlap between low blood sugar symptoms and mental health sugars). If you then eat something that's high in simple carbs or sugars, it'll disrupt your blood sugar balance even more.

"Steering away from simple carbs and choosing foods that have more fiber can have a huge impact on mental health outcomes." Dr. Monique Aucoin (19:17-19:25)

When you eat complex carbs like foods that are high in fiber, it helps your blood sugar stay stable and well regulated. For example, Dr. Aucoin had a patient struggling with anxiety who had a diet high in foods like white bread, pasta, cookies and candy. By adding more protein and fiber, the patient's anxiety improved tremendously. Protein is important, too, because it breaks down into amino acids which are the building blocks of our body. Most medications we use to treat mental illnesses are focused on increasing serotonin, something your body can make on its own with enough building blocks.

Lastly, people with mental illnesses have increased levels of inflammation in their brain or their body, and one of the significant factors that impact inflammation in the body is our diet. Eating more fruits and vegetables is important because they have a large amount of anti-inflammatory compounds. Getting enough healthy fats, like the omega-3's found in flax and chia seeds, and walnuts, is important. Don't like the taste or have picky eaters? Try hiding them in smoothies! Fish are a great source of healthy protein and healthy fats, too.

Making small adjustments to your diet can help improve your mental health drastically, whether you're someone who struggles with depression and anxiety, or just want a "pick me up" when you're feeling a bit down. Eating healthy and the right nutrition isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. You have to also implement other tools and support, if needed, to boost your mindset.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"Sometimes we think, 'I'm not sleeping, I'm not exercising, I need to eat healthier, I'm stressed', and then we're just even more overwhelmed. Overwhelm does nothing for us."

Dr. Christopher Mohr (24:07-24:17)

Dr. Christopher Mohr, PhD R.D., is one of the world's leading nutrition and mindset experts and he's got a lot to say when it comes to "Minding your Melon". He's consulted for clients like Under Armour, Reebok, Clif Bar, Gatorade, and was the consulting Sports Nutritionist for the Cincinnati Bengals. He's even spoken at the White House and to the CIA thanks to his incredible expertise!

Dr. Mohr is no stranger to mental health. Sure, you can practice all the "wellbeing" steps in the world, but if you aren't handling stress properly, you won't reap the benefits of all your "wellbeing" hard work. One thing Dr. Mohr is concerned about in regards to stress is our children. Not only have they grown up in an era of constantly being connected digitally, they've experienced a large amount of radical changes in a short period of time with the pandemic and virtual schooling, causing a heightened sensitivity.

Even as adults, we're always connected to a device and lack the quiet time we need to refresh, relax and reenergize. If you're mentally stressed out, it's going to impact all other areas of your life and can turn into a vicious cycle of burnout. As we know, stress can turn into not being able to sleep well and get the rest you need, eating foods that aren't healthy for you, which turns into weight gain, which can cause self-esteem issues, and then the cycle just continues.

"If we're not making sleep a priority (in quality and quantity), that can play a big role in overall stress and mental health struggles." Dr. Christopher Mohr (11:15-11:26)

Whether we like it or not, stress is unavoidable. There's constantly different shoes we have to fill, hats we have to wear, and uncontrollable variables being thrown at us (like a pandemic) that we have to deal with. Now, we're living in an era where it's common to work from home or have a hybrid work situation, on top of always being connected through a device, there's never enough time to shut down, disconnect and decompress from the day.

Did you know 60% of people say their stress level is at an all-time high, and many of those people were claiming to be at the level of burnout?

This is why boundaries are important, which can be difficult if you're in a field like farming, for example, where your job truly is 24/7. Farmers' boundary issues with work go beyond receiving an email at 11 p.m. and choosing to answer or ignore it. Farmers have to deal with their profit growing in the ground almost all year round, while fighting unforeseen variables Mother Nature throws at them. Plus, there's labor issues, diseases, and so many other things out of a farmer's control. Dr. Mohr likens farmers to first responders – they're both always working and if they don't work, we don't eat!

For farmers and anyone else dealing with stress, Dr. Mohr suggests making a list of controllable stressors and uncontrollable stressors. There are always going to be things we deal with that are out of our control, but what is in our control is how we respond to those stressors. When it comes to your health, you do have control over what you put in your body, how and when you move it, and taking baby steps in the right direction.

"Worrying about things that we have no control over does nothing more than increase our stress and worry when we can't do anything about it anyway." Dr. Christopher Mohr (20:33-20:42)

It's important to identify the pieces in your life you can control and the things you can't, so you can then decide how to respond to them. Knowing the harmony that's created between taking care of your sleep, diet and exercise habits in conjunction to mental stress, take just one baby step in the right direction with any area you're struggling with. That might mean you commit to eating one piece of fruit a day, or making it a non-negotiable that you're in bed by 9 p.m. (with your phone off!) every night.

Also, don't hesitate to talk to someone like a licensed therapist or counselor about your stress. There are plenty of professionals who will understand your unique situation and can help you discover improvements you can make to better your mental health. Boundaries, non-negotiables and understanding what you can and can't control are all great takeaways to "Mind your Melon" and take care of your mental health! For more great tips, advice, coaching and beyond, find Dr. Mohr's website at www.mohrresults.com.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"My dad had the mindset that this isn't just a profession, this is my identity. If I'm not a farmer, what else am I going to do?"

Marshal Sewell (15:19-15:28)

For the month of May, we're doing a special series called "Mind Your Melon" and focusing on mental health awareness for the agriculture industry. Marshal Sewell, Strategic Account Manager and Mental Health "AG-vocate" for Bayer Crop Science, and fifth generation farmer, knows first hand the compounding stressors that deplete a healthy mindset while working on a farm.

Fall of Marshal's senior year of high school was one of high stress. Like most seniors, he was trying to enjoy his last year of school, but also figure out what to do with his life. At the same time, his family and other local farmers were seeing issues with the plant quality of their winter strawberries. Local college researchers identified that there might have been diseases in the fields from the nursery the plants originated from. Marshal's family tried to stay positive, but hardly got any strawberries out of that winter's harvest.

"With no clue what to do and faced with this nursery borne disease, my dad didn't see a way out and chose to take his own life. That was my indoctrination into mental health," Marshal says.

After going through this tragedy and seeing his family struggle to overcome, plus knowing the regular farm-related stressors they had to deal with, Marshal was set on trying to identify ways to overcome this and help farmers manage their stress before it's too late. After Hurricane Georgia hit, the Georgia Farm Bureau reached out to Marshal and asked him to share his story, hoping it will help raise awareness and show there's hope after difficult times and tragedy. This turned into a catalyst for him to do more advocacy work and of course, after COVID-19 hit and things became even more stressful, Marshal's been on a mission to get farmers talking honestly and openly about their mental and emotional state.

"How do we, on a farm level, manage risk and mitigate stress and difficult times, and what can we be doing more proactively even outside of the farming community to prepare ourselves for challenging times?" Marshal Sewell (10:17-10:35)

People who aren't in the agricultural industry don't understand the insurmountable amounts of stress on farms. There's disease, weather changes, regularly occurring contagion, financial issues and so much more that can happen when running a farm, and there's never an end in sight. Farmers don't have the opportunity to pause, take a break to recharge or go on a "vacation" from these stressors. It's compounding and only comparable to what someone in law enforcement or a Navy SEAL might go through.

Not only is there the issue of trying to be proactive in handling these issues, but getting farmers to talk about their mental health stressors openly and freely. Marshal was recently speaking to a potato farmer who deals with stress all day and doesn't want to unload it on his family when he comes home – he wants to spend time with them. He goes to the farm the next day and deals with a brand new set of stressors, compounding on the day before. But eventually, he needs to open up to someone, whether it be his family or an outside resource.

Marshal likes to relate this to farm equipment. You wouldn't go spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a brand new John Deere tractor just because your current one needs some TLC. Instead, you'd do routine maintenance on it, and the same thing goes for our minds and bodies which are the only things capable of operating the tractor in the first place. If we take care of ourselves actively and regularly with simple habits like getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, eating plenty of healthy, fruits and vegetables, and getting in daily, active movement, we can stay health physically, mentally and emotionally which helps us better handle stress when it happens.

"What's the difference between a piece of equipment and our bodies and our minds, which are arguably the most valuable resource and piece of equipment at that operation, whether you're a farmer or not. We've got to do routine maintenance." Marshal Sewell (21:32-21:46)

Another important key to our mental health is some form of "mindfulness", a taboo word in the agricultural industry. Journaling, meditating, prayer… all of these are ways to give yourself the silent reflection needed to bring peace to your mind and come back to the present moment, rather than letting stress ruin your mental health. Lori recommends the book Miracle Morning and former Produce Mom's guest Sarah Frey's book The Growing Season – both which we'll be giving away on our Instagram! Do what you can each day to create these healthy habits and, if you know someone in the agriculture industry, pass along this episode so they can feel encouraged to take care of their mental health.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"If we're robbing these neighborhoods of those green spaces, we're robbing them of their health as well."

Bryan O'Donnell (9:31-9:38)

What does planting trees have to do with helping reduce the daily food insecurity 38 million people around the world experience? Not only is there a huge correlation between communities that are low-income food deserts and a lack of trees, but just by planting one fruit tree you could be feeding families healthy produce for over 50 years!

Kroger's public charity called the Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation (founded in 2018) supports organizations and innovators across the country who share the same vision of helping everyone around the world have access to affordable, nutritious food. They've connected with the Arbor Day Foundation, who's helped plant and distribute 500 million trees in over 50 countries to help bring shade, food and beautify communities who need it most. The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is also on the same mission, planting fruit trees in communities around the world with the goal of planting 500 million trees in the next five years.

Arbor Day may not be something you pay too much attention to, but trees can help solve so many of our issues, from sustainability challenges, carbon emissions, creating communities free of hunger, eradicating heat waves, developing resilient communities, beautifying spaces and so much more! An issue that correlates to food insecure or food desert communities are "heat islands", areas of cities that lack trees or green spaces. As we know, heat waves exacerbate other natural disasters and increase health issues (even death). With enough trees in these areas, some cities cool down by up to 10 degrees, and the trees also clean air, provide oxygen, absorb carbon and clean the water where it's needed most.

"More and more we're having the conversation about climate changes and all the different things trees actually have solutions for. We're seeing where once trees might have been a 'nice to have' in the neighborhood and we're realizing they're actually a 'must have'." Bryan O'Donnell (5:51-6:04)

The work the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is doing is making incredible strides towards reducing food insecurity by planting fruit trees around the world. Arborist James Kaechele, part of the FTP, reminds us just how incredible it is to think how someone, for example, brought fig tree seeds all the way from their home in Italy, immigrated here, and planted a fruit-producing tree in his backyard of Queens, New York that has been feeding people for decades. The FTP has worked with the Havasupai Tribe located at the base of the Grand Canyon to help create the first town in the country where every family has a fruit tree in their backyard.

"We're able to work with these awesome, local community folks who are hungry, literally, for more fresh produce, and they're going to do all kinds of things to make sure those trees get watered and cared for for the decades to come." James Kaechele (22:39-22:53)

James mentions the most difficult part of creating orchards or AgriParks (like in Fishers, Indiana) is the initial step of transporting and planting trees to these communities. The funding and partnership work from Kroger's Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation is playing a huge role in making this movement possible. Customers who shop at Kroger are able to donate to the foundation which is helping develop urban orchard projects and ensure the communities that need trees the most are receiving them. Trees provide essential shade, beautification, food, resilience and are a great way to educate and bring people together, enjoying nature and each other.

"I think what's so cool is that for years and years to come, way past my time on this beautiful Earth, we will be able to see the benefits of this project and see the importance of something that we have taken for granted – trees." Ali Berman (27:13-27:30)

It's incredible to realize all the problems that can be solved simply by planting, nurturing and growing more trees! From climate change to natural disasters, to food insecurity and bringing communities together, the work each of these organizations is doing to create clean, healthy, natural spaces around the world is essential to our livelihood for generations to come. Think about how incredible it would be if food insecurity was no longer an issue and gorgeous orchards or gardens were available in every single community, no matter where they're located? Planting trees that are culturally-native to each area is important too, as well as educating people on how to take care of their green spaces so they keep giving back.

You can donate to the Zero Waste Zero Food Foundation at your local Kroger checkout or visiting https://zerohungerzerowastefoundation.org/! Celebrate the 150th Arbor Day with your friends and family by enjoying your local park, finding a way to get involved with a community garden and hugging a tree (even if you never have before)!

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Melissa Martinelli (6:06-6:11)

When you hear the word "whey", you probably think of whey protein powder, right? There's so much more to whey than that, which is why Melissa Martinelli created Superfrau, a sparkling, bubbly, functional whey beverage made from fresh, upcycled whey that comes from the greek yogurt fermentation process. Superfrau drinks are jam packed with vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, amino acids and so much more!

Melissa got her start as an immigration lawyer focusing on deportation defense and asylum law. Her husband introduced her to Austria's second most popular drink, where he's originally from, that's made of liquid whey and fresh juice. Skeptical, Melissa tried the drink and was shocked at how refreshing and invigorating it was. Intrigued to learn more, she found out that 90% of milk from cheese and 66% of milk from yogurt ends up as liquid whey.

It was about 40 years ago larger cheese makers started manufacturing dry powder and concentrate of whey protein, but smaller cheesemakers haven't had an outlet for their liquid whey. On top of it, because the pH of yogurt is lower and more acidic, you can't dry it and turn it into a powder. Melissa founded Superfrau in 2018, creating her first prototype by the summer of 2019, and with the help of a Pepsi grant in early 2020, she made the drink shelf-stable (decreasing waste and making it more sustainable) and you can now purchase it at select Whole Foods and Urban Outfitters in the New England region and online.

"I think our timing is quite good because I'm not sure the consumer would have been ready for our products if kombucha hadn't come out before." Melissa Martinelli (10:33-10:44)

Melissa's on a mission to redefine her whey as a "coproduct" rather than a "byproduct", which is a term often associated with waste. Since one of the biggest causes of forced migration is climate change and contributors to climate change, it's no surprise Melissa leaped into creating something that's upcycled and focused on sustainability. Melissa is part of the Upcycled Food Association, an association that is focused on the impact we make on the environment and reducing the food waste in our supply chain. Upcycled Food Association also certifies entire products and singular ingredients, so if you see the UFA Certified seal on a product, you know the company is doing a great job at reducing food waste and using upcycled ingredients. Melissa's Superfrau certainly makes the cut since 98% of her product is upcycled whey!

Even Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine" was prescribing his patients to drink liquid whey 2,400 years ago, which goes to show how powerful and historically healthy liquid whey is.

The great thing about Superfrau is it doesn't have the often vinegar-y taste health drinks like kombucha have, and is still a great, healthy alternative to soda or cravings for something bubbly. Melissa describes Superfrau as slightly sweet, slightly tart, and the only sugar included are naturally occurring sugars. Superfrau adds a lactase enzyme to the drink, so if you're lactose intolerant you don't have to worry! Each bottle has 3 grams of protein, is filled with vitamins like Zinc, Vitamin B12, B6 and B3, and electrolytes like sodium, magnesium and phosphorus. Superfrau is a great recovery drink and comes in three, delicious flavors: cucumber lime, pineapple ginger, and peach mango, with a fourth flavor launching this summer.

"The first thing you'll say when you pop open a can of Superfrau is, 'wow that smells good!" Melissa Martinelli (11:47-11:54)

Not only is Superfrau a great alternative to soda, sugary recovery drinks, alcoholic beverages, or not-so-palatable health drinks, it's great for the environment too. Being certified by the Upcycled Food Association, a certification process that rigorously analyzes the entire supply chain process of a product or ingredient lets you, the consumer, play a major role in reducing food waste in our supply chain and having a positive impact on the environment. You can enjoy your next bottle of Superfrau from select Whole Foods in the New England region, or shopping online at www.drinksuperfrau.com.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"Beko is the Tesla of home appliances! The way you have brought technology and sustainability into real time solutions for homeowners and moms like me is amazing."

Lori Taylor (32:43-33:02)

In 2018, we started the tradition of celebrating a brand that's doing a remarkable job of making sustainability a priority and more accessible for all of us in our home kitchens for Earth Day. There's no better company to celebrate this year than Beko Home Appliances, a company awarded as the Most Energy Efficient in 2022 and Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award (for the third time) from Energy Star! One of the fastest growing brands in Europe and fresh into the U.S. market for four years, and the first home appliance brand to be honored by the EPA every year since, Beko has everything from nutrient-saving kitchen appliances, refrigerators that preserve food for longer, and dishwashers that actually clean the corners of your casserole dishes.

Beko prides themselves on "already having done what others are talking about" when it comes to sustainability and energy efficiency. For example, their dishwasher uses less water than any other dishwasher on the market today, creating a new, revolutionary way of washing dishes. Their dishwasher has a self-cleaning filter (did you know you were supposed to clean your dishwasher's filter!?), a casserole dish "section" to clean those pesky, caked-and-baked casserole dish corners, and a height-adjustable third rack so you don't have to waste water hand-washing your pasta pots!

As if their dishwasher wasn't incredible enough, their refrigerators, EverFresh and HarvestFresh technology will blow your mind. The Beko refrigerators have a proprietary crisper drawer technology that sucks out the ethylene gas (naturally occuring gas by all fruits and vegetables) using just air filtration. They also have created their own, unique lights that mimic sunlight, completely tricking your fruits and vegetables to continue photosynthesis, keep the vitamin content and protect the nutrient value!

"Just how cooking your fruits and vegetables can change the nutrient makeup, you can have nutrient loss as your fruits and vegetables age and get closer to the rotten stage." Sazi Bugay (18:06-18:16)

Beko has been a household name for decades in Europe, where it's common to always buy produce fresh and frequently, but in the USA, our purchasing habits veer towards doing our grocery shopping once a week, which is where part of our waste problem comes from. Beko wanted to find a way to tackle this issue without using additives, which is where their HarvestFresh and EverFresh technology came from. HarvestFresh is available in their current appliances and EverFresh will be on the market later this year, along with updates to their dishwashers and washing machines which use steam to save water!

Did you know the average family throws away $1,600 worth of food on an annual basis? On top of that, 40% of everything that's harvested on the farm goes to waste and the lion's share of that occurs at the household level.

One of Beko's main focuses is to reduce their carbon footprint which is why, for example, the plastic tub in their washing machine is made with reused, crushed or recycled bottles. That combined with many of the pain points we have as homeowners in our own desire to be sustainable makes Beko one of the best-in-class, energy efficient companies to date. Beko's oven is another great example of this, which they are launching later this year. The double-wall oven uses proprietary air movement technology along the width and cavity of the oven that reduces preheat time.

"Beko is a purpose-driven global company and our focus is all about creating a healthier planet. We know that with the health of our planet we have health and wellness for all. Our focus will remain to bring forth products made with sustainable materials, to continue to have best-in-class energy efficiency judged by the EPA, and to continue to bring products that help eliminate water waste." Zach Elkin (36:31-37:06)

As moms and leaders of our household, it's hard to feel like you're doing a "good job" at being sustainable when things like your appliances add to our carbon footprint in a way you can't control. With Beko, not only will your food last longer and your dishes will be cleaner, you'll be reducing waste (and your water bill) without having to do anything at all! Plus, who doesn't want fresher, crisper, healthier, more vitamin and nutrient-packed produce you don't have to throw out in a few days!? Beko is also focused on making sure all of their appliances are affordable, which is why you'll never see them head-to-head price-wise with other top of the line appliances out there. Find out where you can purchase on of Beko's incredible refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, washing machines or appliances at: https://www.beko.com/us-en/in-stock and make your home as sustainable as possible.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"You should feel proud that this is the county you live in and these are the incredible things we bring to the market."

Anna Genaschi (23:03-23:10)

Anna Genaschi, Director of Communications for the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, is always looking for opportunities to educate farmers, ranchers, growers and consumers alike about their local food sources and, while getting a salad one day with her coworker from a local fruit stand, she said, "wouldn't it be great if we could take an inventory of all the restaurants in our county and see who is sourcing locally and find a way to give them a shout out?"

From there, the Farm Bureau Foodies video series was born! The Farm Bureau Foodies' series is released every other month and highlights local farmers, growers and ranchers in Stanislaus County and the restaurants that support them. Their first episode highlighted the local dairy farmstead Fiscalini Cheese (this is where cows stay alive, are milked and delicious cheese is made right on the property) that's over 100 years old!

This might not sound that important, but it's educational resources like this that help diminish the spread of misinformation that's one of the biggest threats to our domestic agriculture. For example, Anna's mom gave her a call after watching a news story that claimed harvesting almonds kills bees. Anna explained to her mom that bees aren't even in the almond orchard at the time of harvest! Instead, bees join the orchard during bloom in February and almonds aren't harvested until late August to early September. The second episode of Farm Bureau Foodies even talks about how bees leave almond orchards healthier than before, and the interesting science behind why.

"The number one thing in my opinion that's a threat to our domestic agriculture is the misinformation that's out there and the misunderstanding of what life and the practice is on the farm." Anna Genaschi (24:23-24:37)

Organizations like the Farm Bureau serve as a catalyst for change and improvement, as well as a safe space for their members (our farmers) to share their ideas, best practices, assembly task forces, and decide how to make the necessary changes and improvements to our agriculture industry. Creating a series that speaks to consumers is extremely beneficial for this because there are a lot of regulations farmers are up against that affect their ability to attain and sustain the labor they need to thrive. Labor laws and water regulations are the two top issues both Anna and Lori agree our farmers and growers are fighting against, and we need more voters to use their voice and advocate for what's going to keep our farmers, growers and ranchers successful.

"Farm security and food security is national security and the only way we have food security is if we have profitable farmers." Lori Taylor (15:28-15:35)

The goal of the Farm Bureau Foodies' episodes is to, of course, entertain and educate consumers, but also instill a sense of pride. When you find out what your local county grows, the incredible history and hard work that goes into production and the unique, delicious meals local restaurants can create because of it, how could you not feel proud? Many people don't know that their favorite restaurant meals are sourced locally, or what goes into making that sustainable process possible.

"We have transparency. We have nothing to hide, we are doing things in a way that we believe are our best practices and we're not trying to hide anything about what's happening on the farm." Anna Genaschi (24:06-24:17)

The Farm Bureau Foodies' series is just getting started and has already created some great episodes you don't want to miss! Your mouth will be watering when you watch the first episode of some delicious shrimp and grits made with Fiscalini bandage wrapped cheddar cheese. Their second episode features Roberts Ferry Gourmet with a delightful milkshake that uses almond (or as the locals say "ammon") butter. Watch and subscribe to the Farm Bureau Foodies' series at: https://www.facebook.com/FarmBureauFoodies/.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"It's a safe assumption to make that [sexual harassment] is happening in your workplace."

LeAnne Ruzzamenti (14:05-14:09)

The Equitable Food Initiative is raising awareness for sexual harassment prevention in the month of April and, thanks to them, all companies across the Agriculture industry have access to a phenemonenal sexual harassment prevention training and toolkit that's helped transform company culture at businesses like GoodFarms, one of the brands under Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce.

Sexual harassment is an uncomfortable issue to talk about, but thanks to initiatives from the EFI (which started decades before Hollywood's "#MeToo" movement), more and more business have the tools to create trust, build open lines of communication and properly handle cases of sexual harassment that previously were never spoken about.

Not yet familiar with the Equitable Food Initiative? The EFI is a skill building and certification organization that focuses on workforce development to create healthier workplaces and safer food by engaging farm workers in new and different ways in their work. They help train growers and workers to create new forms of communication and collaboration that's most conducive to a healthy working environment. The EFI also works with retailers by helping them understand what those industry requirements are that growers like Good Farms are meeting and exceeding those. This ends up helping consumers so have a barometer for comparing fresh produce brands and grocery retailers.

Some studies show that 99.8% of people who experience sexual harassment at work never file a sexual harassment charge, and in the farming industry that can be especially true. Because of the nature of the work, employers and employees can be left at risk because workers are spread out and can be easily isolated. Many workers are under the supervision of just one person and that person might have the majority power in the working relationship, like controlling shifts in the quality of work. Plus, a large majority of the worker population speaks a different language which can make it difficult for them to know about certain policies and how to get help if they need it.

"You see women who will leave jobs. You see both men and women who are reluctant to refer family and friends to work in an organization that has harassment issues. When you're in an industry like food and agriculture where we have a dire labor shortage, you really want to ensure your working conditions are safe and healthy and have a reason to be attracting and keeping talent, not driving them out the door." LeAnne Ruzzamenti (12:19-12:47)

Amalia Lommel, Director of Social Responsibility at Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce (or as Lori likes to call her "the OG of the social responsibility space for fresh produce"), started the social responsibility program at Andrew & Williamson first by taking the partner owners of GoodFarms out into the field sand speaking to every different crew about EFI. Each crew was asked to nominate a representative to be the liaison for learning about the EFI program. The workers were skeptical, wondering things like if they had anything to gain from this, or if they'd be retaliated against by a supervisor, for example, if they volunteered for this program.

"We needed to teach everybody within the sexual harassment standards and the labor laws what their rights are, what their responsibilities are, and that it's your responsibility to report and your right to be safe and not harassed." Amalia Lommel (19:22-19:41)

At first, Amalia would ask women "how are you doing? How are you feeling?", and their response was always "fine". No news is good news, right? Amalia soon realized she wasn't communicating and building trust with workers in the right way so she could break the barrier and offer a safe space for them to speak up about what they were encountering. Eventually she began to hear about sexual harassment issues and claims after consistently using the communication tools from the EFI training.

Since putting the EFI program into place, there's been a great shift culturally at Andrew & Williamsons GoodFarms. More and more women are in decision-making roles, and women are arriving to the farm through their H2A program, a guest worker program where people from Mexico are invited to come work in the United States. Women now feel more comfortable to ask for promotions, volunteer for leadership positions and are speaking up about harassment issues they used to keep quiet about.

"If you take away the shame and retaliation and fear and you applaud people when they come forth with an issue, I think that's a beautiful first step." Amalia Lommel (39:51-40:01)

What can other businesses in agriculture address sexual harassment in their own organization? The EFI partnered with a University of Washington professor to create a sexual harasment prevention curriculum designed specifically for the Agriculture. The training took six years to develop and 72 stakeholders in the process including human rights organizations, state and federal agencies, grower associations, legal experts and more. This program is now free and completely available online! The course is self-guided through videos to watch, and available to order as an in-person hard copy as well! Find out more about this free program at www.equitablefood.org/harassment.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"Produce waste is a trillion dollar problem."

Lori Taylor (13:58-14:00)

Food waste is something we're all guilty of here in the United States. Have you ever tasted an apple from your recent trip to the grocery store and felt it tasted tired? You probably threw out the rest of them without a second thought. But did you know in the United States, 40% of fruits and vegetables grown end up in the garbage?

This is something that Seth Shumate, CEO and co-founder, and Andy Tudor, Director of Marketing and Business Development of Yumbrella are working hard to change. Yumbrella is a company replacing the wax covering we're used to seeing on our fruits and vegetables with an all-natural, transparent, odorless, tasteless coating that uses only common food ingredients and extends shelf life by protecting fruits and vegetables. Even better and what sets the Yumbrella liquid coating apart from wax is it dissolves in two seconds under running water!

How did Yumbrella get started? Seth's co-founder Richardos was taking a cab from school in Beirut, Lebanon and the driver, who happened to be an apple farmer, was complaining that he had to throw his apples out that year because cold storage was too expensive (Lebanon's electricity rates are often higher than Hawaii's because they need to import their fuel). A month later, Richardos was looking at the film form around the edge of his mom's casserole dish and got the idea to create a food-based coating, using nature's natural processes, to slow down spoilage and preserve fruits and vegetables when they're at their best.

"We envision Yumbrella being a truly global solution because the energy payback is what's so extraordinary. That means it'll be more affordable for smallholder farmers up to big packing groups in the United States." Seth Shumate (15:09-15:13)

Why haven't consumers heard about this technology yet? Yumbrella's first focus was to work with growers and packers and make sure they saw the value in it. They wanted to show growers the quality of preservation Yumbrella's product provides, but also that it slows down the respiration of fruit so growers won't lose 30% of what they purchase to weight reduction and produce shows up to retailers already being hydrated. Yumbrella's team is doing what they can to be transparent by sharing their incredible story on their website and going on podcasts like The Produce Moms, but considering consumers will spend less than one second looking at an information placard on display, they're leaving it up to retailers to inform the consumer how they'd like.

"We think Yumbrella is a very exciting story to tell with its sustainability aspects and washability and the fact that you're getting a better tasting piece of fruit which means you're going to end up throwing away less of what you actually buy. These are all super positives. We love telling this story." Andy Tudor (17:20-17:41)

Oftentimes when someone hears about something being sustainable, they think it'll be more expensive, which isn't the case with Yumbrella. For example, when packers repackage apples, they use new boxes and new materials, which is costly and wasteful. Each apple takes up its own water and own energy, so with less throwaway happening, the ROI for everyone across the produce supply chain is phenomenal.

"This is a tool for us. This is great, it helps us manage our inventories and the apple is just as if it came off the packing line to the consumer so there's no degradation over the supply chain." Andy Tudor (7:52-8:09)

Remember, you're automatically getting a better product when you purchase one that's sprayed with Yumbrella instead of wax. When your produce is "covered by fresh", it's covered in something completely natural that has locked in the condition of the fruit or vegetable from the time it was applied. The shelf life is extended, your produce will taste better and it washes off in two seconds under running water!

Healthy, organic, safe, sustainable… What's not to love about Yumbrella? You can find out more about this powerful solution to ending food waste by visiting www.yumbrella.com.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

"I really want the consumer to understand the true cost of producing a product. I think with more education they'll know what they're investing in and will be willing to pay more for a quality product they know has a positive impact in the world."

LeAnne Ruzzamenti (14:09-14:26)

The annual Farm Worker Awareness Week, which falls along Caesar Chavez's birthday and along the same time when fresh fruit and vegetable production moves back to the U.S., is an important week to honor the daily contributions that farm workers make to our food system. We truly wouldn't have access to the quality supply of products we enjoy without our farm workers who are invisible to us as consumers.

LeAnne Ruzzamenti, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Equitable Food Initiative, was raised on a family-owned apple farm in the Hudson Valley and has been in agriculture her whole life. Joining the Equitable Food Initiative in 2016 was an opportunity for her to share her passion for sharing stories that highlight the people behind our food. The EFI is a certification organization focused on workforce development and engaging with farm workers directly to create healthier workplaces and safer foods.

For example, the EFI works with growers like Misionero (the company behind Earth Greens, Garden Life and Green Wave Farms) to help train workers and create communication and collaboration that works across the entire team, and they also work with retailers so they can understand different levels of social responsibility. It's the small, unnoticed tasks that happen every day the EFI is shining a light on for the agricultural industry and consumers.

"We know what it takes to get fresh and healthy food on our table, but most consumers probably don't think too deeply into the supply chain. It's really important to show our appreciation for these men and women who are the backbone of our food system and also to call on the agricultural industry as a whole to better educate consumers about where their food comes from and all the hands that are responsible for it." LeAnne Ruzzamenti (9:51-10:17)

Nicole Minnich-Zapata works as the Marketing Director for Misionero, the company that brings you your favorite organic and conventional salads and salad kits, lettuces, bagged vegetables under brands like Earth Greens, Garden Life and Green Wave Farms. Nicole attests to what a huge part EFI plays in all areas of the business. For example, one of the concerns Misionero was hearing from employees was that the parking lot was too dark at night when they left from their second shift. This led the company to putting in new lighting in the parking lot, and making other changes like adding more paid time off and new bathrooms.

"I think Farm Workers Awareness Week should be spent dedicating and honoring the hard-working people that support getting food from the farm to the table, which is essential especially in the hard times we've gone through recently." Nicole Minnich-Zapata (12:17-12:28)

Misionero has been EFI certified for over three years and just recently has started a new pilot program called The Producing Reduce Program, a zero waste initiative that launched six months ago, and a Work Process Skills pilot program which focuses on the upskilling of employees, reviewing all operation processes and adding input for areas of improvement – specifically around professionalizing agriculture workers and identifying areas of leadership opportunities for new and current employees.

"As we think about sustainability, how we treat our people and take care of that human capital is a huge part of a sustainable movement in a sustainable agriculture system." Lori Taylor (18:20-18:31)

You can support the Equitable Food Initiative as a consumer by looking for third party certification labels on the goods you buy like fruits, vegetables, seafood, coffee and tea. When you do your part by buying these products that are verified by audits to meet labor standards, you're making a huge difference! You can also get involved through social media and follow updates through the EFI website (www.equitablefoodinitiative.org) to start learning about each brands' process and companies you're buying from. Learning about each of these farmworkers' stories and how they're contributing to our greater food system will warm your heart and give you the valuable connection to your food resources that we're all looking for.

How to get involved

• Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
• Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!