The Produce Moms Podcast

"We are going to address our family and consumer sciences teacher shortage and truly work to increase the number of highly qualified teachers that best meet the needs of our schools and community." Kristin Vest (5:49-6:02)

Reno Palombit, CTE Workforce Development Specialist from North Carolina, Melissa Webb, Family and Consumer Sciences Consultant at the California Department of Education and FCCLA State Advisor, and Kristin Vest, Human Sciences and Education Career Field Specialist from the Nebraska Department of Education are all passionately helping recruit, support and retain future FCS educators of America as a part of the USDA grant project and national partnership.

How is the national partnership preparing people to become interested in teaching FCS? Well, when Melissa first joined, the efforts were focused on finding individuals at the state level who were interested in helping out with the teacher recruitment campaign. Melissa created a teacher task force which will be receiving funding this year to promote these efforts. Only two universities in California, one of them being Sacramento State Northridge University, offer the teacher pipeline program for students to get their credentials. The partnership is focused on working with post-secondary colleagues to make sure this mission is happening.

They've put together a promotional video to spotlight the campaign that hopefully will resonate with teachers, administrators and FCS students so they'll start thinking about becoming a teacher.

"By incorporating FCCLA into the subject area, the teacher has now opened a door for that student to achieve and be recognized for their work and accomplishment. These students get to work with industry professionals at various workshop conferences, and also get to be evaluated by industry partners, their own peers and other family and consumer sciences teachers to get feedback and recognition for their work in their class." Melissa Webb (11:18-11:54)

There are a lot of opportunities for college students to get involved with FCCLA by providing training or workshops, going to conferences and sharing with FCCLA members in high school about what college is like as a way of recruiting them into the FCS field.

For Reno, in college, observing and microteaching was really beneficial. What's microteaching? It's when a FCS student goes into the classroom to teach a 20-or-30 minute lesson on a specific topic and debriefs with the teacher to start building their teaching skills.

Reno also believes going to teacher conferences as a FCS college student is a great opportunity to start building a network, get connected to professional communities and hear about job opportunities. He's seen students have great success by taking an extra class or two at a local community college on the particular discipline they wanted to teach since studying FCS can be so wide - there's interior design, childhood development, food, nutrition and so much more!

Another important, but not-so-fun part of the program is fiscal and policy compliance. Each state has their own rules and regulations that govern career and technical education and it's a complex system with many different 'buckets' of money that each have their own regulations.

For example, the food and nutrition program at a school has a certain 'bucket' where funding for the groceries for a food lab comes from, which won't come from federal money. But, let's say a teacher wants to go to a conference to develop more skills, federal money might cover that. Managing these policies is important at a district level to make sure teachers have access to the equipment, supplies and knowledge they need to teach their curriculum.

Just like everyone else, the past year upped the occurrence of burnout and even though the public school system did an incredible job at thriving through the pandemic, many teachers may be close to burnout. In Reno's office, although funds were limited, they sent teachers a tree with a thank you message on Teacher Appreciation Day.

"Some things we've done in our office to support teachers is just making them feel celebrated. In addition to all of the ways we support them at the state level and at the district level, it was important for us this year to celebrate them and show them how much we appreciate them." Reno Palombit (27:49-28:10)

One of the biggest things Kristin does at the Nebraska Department of Education is make herself available to listen to FCS teachers because many of them are a department of one. They don't have other colleagues to bounce ideas off of, get an opinion or lean on for support when they're struggling with something. It's great to be able to provide teachers with solutions as well as give them a safe space to be heard and supported. In California, Melissa was a part of putting on virtual workshops and forums over the past year which gave teachers an opportunity to collaborate, network, learn best practices from one another and share resources with each other.

To help prevent burnout, Reno suggests creating a support network by connecting with professional organizations, and establishing personal boundaries. For example, when he was a teacher, he hated grading, so he didn't take it home because he didn't want to bring that into his home life, but lesson planning, something he loved, was a responsibility he would take home from time to time.

Also, don't hang out in the teacher's lounge too long! Make sure you're surrounding yourself with positive people whether that's in person with colleagues and other teachers, or on social media, and check in with yourself and how supported, enriched or uplifted you feel with the people you associate with.

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!

"The great thing about cocktails is they are cultures in a glass. You can learn so much about the history of a place, its people and its traditions just by what you are drinking."

Erin Petrey (5:33-5:41)

Erin Petrey, mixologist, cocktail coach, and longtime cocktail and culture writer for www.bourbonbanter.com, started the pandemic sharing how-to videos on Instagram to teach how to make delicious cocktails at home.

She started with the Old Fashioned, a classic, bourbon-based cocktail that is often made incorrectly. Viewers loved her content and Erin kept pumping out videos. Fast forward to today where she has taught over 3,000 people worldwide, including Fortune 100 companies, law firms, universities, associations and more!

Not only does Erin have a background in International Relations and Anthropology, a passport stamped 36 times, which makes her passionate about the culture and history behind every cocktail, she's equally as driven about making healthy drinks and creating zero waste when it comes to making them.

"I take the same approach to cocktails as I do my cooking: I look around my fridge and see what is going bad first and then I make cocktails with what I'm not necessarily eating right now." Erin Petrey (23:26-23:35)

Everytime Erin learns a new cocktail, she makes sure she learns the history behind it so when she's teaching, she can pass on that knowledge, including the history behind the name, the spirits, the ingredients, and the techniques. For example, bourbon is a uniquely American spirit because in the 18th century, people were given land grants in early colonial America (now Kentucky). They were given title to the land if they raised 40 acres of corn, which meant an abundance of corn liquor! From there, bourbon as a majority corn liquor caught on.

So what does being a cocktail coach entail? In every class, Erin walks students through every step of the process. Not only can you learn how to make a new cocktail, but you can learn new skills, techniques and how to master your own home bar. Erin strives to educate consumers to be more creative thinkers when it comes to creating their own cocktails. A great way to do this - and reduce waste - is to look in your fridge and say "what can I incorporate into a drink that maybe I don't normally incorporate?"

More often than not, that's a fruit or a vegetable!

Did you know that the origin of wine and beer goes all the way back to the Neolithic era? That's when crops became domesticated and there became a surplus of crops. Extra fruits and vegetables would sit out and attract wild yeast strains, which eat sugar and then excrete alcohol.

Erin also teaches on how to moderate calories and sugar with the alcoholic cocktails you're drinking. One of her key concepts is teaching how to lengthen a cocktail, which means adding volume. You can do this by adding soda water (like San Pellegrino or Topo Chico). A typically high-calorie, high-sugar cocktail - like a Mojito or Margarita - can be lengthened with soda water so you feel satisfied and get the flavor without all the sugar. Erin's Margarita uses rich simple syrup, which she makes herself, fresh lime juice and tequila - that's it! Simple, clean and delicious. She also teaches a "choose-your-own-adventure margarita" that adds all sorts of flavor combinations, like one with fresh watermelon muddled with fresh basil (can be alcohol-free)!

Haven't made simple syrup before? It's called simple for a reason! It includes one part sugar to one part water. You can also make a thicker version - called rich simple syrup - by doubling the amount of sugar (two parts sugar to one part water). Something else you can make at home are your own infusions by boiling one cup of water with one or two cups of sugar, adding fresh produce or fresh spices, such as cloves, cinnamon, raspberry, even fennel or bell peppers, letting it simmer for a few minutes and then steeping for 30 minutes after. Infusions are a great, fresh way to add flavor to cocktails, or even iced tea, iced coffee or soda water.

Want to stay away from sugar altogether? Erin says don't be afraid to make simple syrup out of monk fruit extract, Swerve, Stevia or your other favorite sugar alternative. Plus, if you're using fresh produce in your cocktails, the added flavor enhancement it brings means you don't have to rely on needing to sweeten your cocktail too much.

"Drink curious: always try new things. Don't just drink something because people say you're supposed to drink it or because of the brand. Keep questioning things, trying new things, and new combinations. You might not like everything you try, but you'll be glad that you did." Erin Petrey (35:31-35:50)

Don't think having plenty of cocktails means you have to give up your healthy lifestyle. Erin has plenty of ideas on how to incorporate alcohol and cocktails as a part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Keep your drinks healthier by adding fresh berries, fresh citrus and other fresh produce instead of buying pre-mixed mixers which are filled with added preservatives and sugar. Use your 'ugly' produce, produce that's going bad, scraps or peels you were going to throw out to make cocktails, infusions, syrups, ice cubes and garnishes that will reduce waste and give you a delicious treat!

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!

"As soon as the student steps into their first family and consumer sciences class, oftentimes that teacher can be a pivoting point for the student."

Sandy Spavone (15:29-15:41)

FCCLA is the Family Career and Community Leaders of America which touches over 5,400 family and consumer sciences teachers across the US and connects with students to prepare them for careers with family and consumer sciences work.

FCCLA, formerly known as Future Homemakers of America, is a 75-year-old student leadership group that works hand in hand with family and consumer sciences. They currently have 475,000 youth based in middle and high schools across the United States as well as in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The students that are a part of FCCLA have enrolled in family and consumer sciences courses and wanted to take it one step further with the leadership opportunity while exploring careers they might be interested in and engaging in competitive events.

"Our goal is to help students explore and prepare to be leaders in whatever career they choose in family and consumer sciences." Sandy Spavone (5:52-6:01)

The connection between the FCCLA and FCS is essential. FCCLA isn't a club or an extracurricular activity. The FCCLA is meant to be integrated as a part of the classroom to provide all of the resources and opportunities students need to succeed… resources which are crosswalked with the national standards of family and consumer sciences education.

One of the things that's foundational to FCCLA is their competitive events, which they have over 30 of at different skill levels. The competitive events incorporate project-based learning inside the classroom. It could be anything from fashion design, interviewing for a job, early childhood Teach and Train… there are many points of exploration.

Once a student decides what they are interested in, the competition they want to enter, and what the specifications are, they then develop the project requirements, whether it be creating a portfolio or decorating a cake, and then have the opportunity to compete at a regional and state level. At the state level, they're representing their entire state and then can compete at the national level.

Another thing about family and consumer sciences teachers that goes unrecognized is the safe space and emotional nurturing they give for students. It's in those classrooms that a lot of emotional, social learning happens which inspires so many of those who go into the field that want to be another safe space and caring person for a student and make a difference.

How does a student win and move on to the next level? Their projects are evaluated based on a rubric and they get feedback from evaluators who are typically in the business industry or in the career field. The beautiful thing about these competitive events (unlike others) is it is a safe place to fail! Not only are they learning FCS-related skills, they're also learning about time-management, conflict resolution, communication skills, team leadership skills, and, what kids are most excited about, is the opportunity to win a scholarship through several of FCCLA's partners. In many of the competitions, students have the opportunity to explore different careers, which is good because they can find out, for example, they'd rather be a teacher on a particular topic, not be out in the field of that career path.

Another event called "Say Yes To FCS" was specifically designed to have students who are thinking about becoming an educator go through the process of creating a lesson plan and getting feedback on it. Kids can apply the skills they've learned in the classroom, explore career opportunities and prepare themselves to be successful while also contributing to their communities.

"We just tried to be more intentional about making [Signing Day] a very special event in our state so that our teachers look forward to recognizing their students and so that we can still celebrate their decision to major in FCS education." Kayla Godbey (13:32-13:46)

Signing Day, part of the FCCLA Leadership conference, started in Kentucky and was spearheaded by Kayla Godbey, Kentucky's Program Consultant for FCS. Signing Day is an event that recognizes a student's commitment to FCS Education. Complete with a huge banner similar to an NCAA event, the president of the teacher association pins students on stage who then sign their letter of intent that isn't legally binding, but helps them commemorate, celebrate and welcome them into an FCS profession.

The amazing thing about a career in family and consumer sciences that was brought up in our previous episode is that the ability to find a job is extremely easy. Students don't have to hunt and go through the pains of going through multiple job applications just to be shut down. There are plenty of positions out there and these jobs are in high demand.

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 quickly learned that physically, we can heal very quickly from anything. I started to become a true believer."

Beth McCarthy Smith (7:10-7:19)

Beth McCarthy Smith, founder of Simplicity Holistic Health, used to consider herself a typical American. Having the occasional martini and burger, wining and dining clients, and not putting much thought into what went in her body was Beth's lifestyle.

But when she and her husband were trying to conceive their second child, she struggled with infertility issues. What did she do? What standardized, Western medicine called for. Beth ended up having six IUIs, nine IVFs, two additional IVFs with a surrogate, surgeries, and four miscarriages. She was taking tens of thousands of dollars worth of drugs every cycle and feeling like there was no end in sight.

"I had what 25% of Americans now have which was an infertility issue. I had one baby no problem, but I had secondary infertility. I did what most people do when we get a diagnosis - we go to the doctor, we stand in line, we do the drugs, we do the surgery, and I had absolutely no difference." Beth McCarthy Smith (3:40-4:05)

Living in Chicago, Beth decided to visit an acupuncturist who let Beth know her blood was too thick and that was causing her infertility. Talk about synchronicity. Five years ago at her very first fertility appointment, Beth was reading an ad that showed (as she calls it) "pretty blood" and "ugly blood". Who doesn't want "pretty" and healthy blood!? But as Beth kept reading about changing your diet in lifestyle in correlation with your blood, she thought "no thanks", and kept going down the path of surgeries, IVF, and more.

After this acupuncturist's comments, she found the same blood doctor from the ad and set forth to change her diet and lifestyle, crying all the way through it. But just after a few short weeks of change, she started feeling healthier, more energized and happier than ever before! Instead of focusing on the child she couldn't have, she focused on how grateful she was for the family she did have. Four weeks later, after continuing to meditate, detox and drink juices, Bhet found out she was pregnant! Three weeks later she thought 'this is the best thing that's ever happened to me'.

"Healing and health is all about the blood and the gut. If you clean the gut and get the gut moving, the blood starts moving, and more oxygen moves through your body. It's amazing what people can do with this healing. We've worked with people with cancer, diabetes, fertility issues, everything under the sun." Beth McCarthy Smith (11:50-12:27)

Much of Beth's story includes the holistic component that comes with healing your body. Beth reminds us that we are so hard on ourselves, and need to learn to find acceptance, forgiveness and reach out for help. Thanks to her shift in lifestyle and mindset, Beth got pregnant with her second child at 39, and without even trying, got pregnant again at 42! This was the miracle and magic of cleansing her body, drinking cold-pressed juices, meditating and getting rid of toxic beliefs, habits and ways of eating.

When Beth moved to Indianapolis, she realized she couldn't get the juices she used to buy retail in Chicago, so she just started making them for herself! First, she opened a colon hydrotherapy center and realized her clients didn't know what to eat or drink afterwards. Beth started making juices at home and bringing them in. Drinkable, simple and craveable is the goal with every Simplicity product. After spending $15 on juices in Chicago that were horrible tasting, Beth only wants to create juices that are as delicious as a bartender would make!

She eventually started selling juices at a local Safeway and now, six years later, Simplicity Holistic Health is now available at Kroger, Fresh Time, market districts, and Whole Foods. To be able to scale in the refrigerated beverage section is an incredible feat because of how competitive the space is.

You can buy Simplicity on their website, at Amazon, and even Saks Fifth Avenue right inbetween the shoe department and cosmetics!

"There is no cheating. There is no falling off the bandwagon. This really revolves around you and each individual person." Beth McCarthy Smith (2:44-2:58)

The beautiful thing about Simplicity is there's something for everyone. Whether you're just starting out with juices or are "hardcore" and have been cleansing or juicing for years, you can find a Simplicity product you'll love. Beth says there's no right or wrong way to drink her juices, but the point is to add in more good to your diet… and more good that you actually enjoy! When you do that you'll naturally crowd out something that probably wasn't the best for your body or digestive system. You can add in juices slowly wherever you're at.

Simplicity's juices are made with whole, fresh produce, and no artificial colors or preservatives. They're also cold-pressed, which may have you wondering how it's possible for them to have an extended shelf life. To keep the juice 'alive', the juice is sent to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it goes into bottles that are first put in water at 90,000 PSI (pounds per square inch) for 120 seconds, which takes the pressure down to sea level and kills all pathogens in the bottle. That's the cold pressure process and what gives the 'alive' juice a longer shelf life. On top of it, the juice pulp is kept and fed to livestock, making the company waste free along with using 100% recyclable bottles.

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!

"We have found through research that the majority of states are recording a significant shortage in family and consumer sciences teachers to be able to fill the void within the classroom."

Dr. Carol Werhan (7:05-7:18)

Dr. Carol Werhan and Alyson McIntyre-Reiger are both former family and consumer sciences teachers who are now passionately doing all they can with the FCCLA to help put an end to the national teacher shortage, specifically with FCS educators. Where is this shortage coming from?

Carol started research a few years ago to identify where the teacher shortages are, and also determine ways to increase the number of students going into secondary education and working on recruiting. Even though there's a shortage of educators, there doesn't seem to be a shortage in interest of students enrolling in family and consumer sciences courses. What does Carol think is at the root of our teacher shortage? For one, in the United States, there's a downplay of respect for the teaching profession across the board, whether we're talking about pay rate, respect or classroom size. This is a vast contrast to 50 or more years ago when parents used to encourage kids to go into teaching and educating as a highly respected career.

There's also a misperception of how available the job is. Carol regularly meets with students at Purdue University who are interested in "people-centric" sciences, like being a family and consumer sciences teacher, but they usually have the assumption that there aren't any jobs. In actuality, plenty of students are getting jobs as a family and consumer sciences educator months before they graduate college. On that same note, just within the past two months, Alyson has even seen seven different programs looking to hire a new teacher… not a teacher to replace someone that has left or retired, a new staff member because of growth of their program.

"We know from career exploration that sometimes people don't make a career choice because they don't know anything about it." Dr. Carol Werhan (18:20-18:27)

If there's such great interest from students, why is there a shortage? For one, underserved schools are struggling to get educators in the door. Unlike the 1950's-1980's when graduates would go to where the jobs are, students now have the availability to locate a job wherever they want to go. Carol says most students like to go back and teach in the area where they grew up.

There is an opportunity for underserved or rural communities to take a "grow your own" approach to finding educators. Some schools are agreeing to give high school graduates the first rights to a job when they finish college. In Indiana, for example, there's a scholarship program from the Commission for Higher Education that will help pay the tuition for students who are interested in teaching as long as the student agrees to teach for five years.

Did you know there are only around 3.2 million teachers available to serve 98,000 of the public schools in the United States?

Alyson has played a huge role in a grant through the USDA which was inspired by the teacher shortage, especially in the Northeast/New England area of the United States, which is lacking teacher preparation programs. The USDA instigated the grant after seeing a shortage of family and consumer sciences educators as a way to try and recruit, prepare and support new educators.

How are colleges trying to support the preparation of family and consumer sciences educators? Colleges like Purdue and most states have programs that help someone transition their degree from, for example, nutrition or child development, into family and consumer sciences. If someone is interested and has an overlapping or similar background, these programs will support them in that transition.

"You can be your industry's number one recruiter just by the way you carry yourself." Lori Taylor (24:56-25:00)

Become a Teacher Day is a yearly event held in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis where 32 universities are able to come and set up booths to inform and recruit students about a career path as a teacher. Just this last year Become a Teacher Day had its biggest year yet by putting 650 students into the pathway of teaching. The focus is kept on sharing with students what they need to know about entering the education field. College students also attend to share their insights on what the journey is light, set expectations and paint the picture of what it is like in and out of the classroom.

Instead of having to visit colleges individually, students get access and information to 32 different programs, helping universities get in front of the students they want to target and helping students shorten the timeline of deciding to become an FCS teacher. Carol also says they try to encourage current FCS teachers at the middle or high school level to talk about why being a family and consumer sciences educator is a great career. She hears many students talk about how they want to be like their FCS teacher and have that same passion, so having teachers share in detail acts as a seed planting recruitment mechanism.

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!

"Our company is not just about making our products. What we really stand for is having a chance to have an impact."Stephanie Paxton-Johnson (18:47-19:11)

There's a product that you've interacted with countless times, that's probably in your home right now, and plays a very important role in food safety throughout the entire food supply chain, reducing food waste, our carbon footprint, ending human trafficking and so much more!

What product are we talking about? Kwik Lok, the global leader in bag closures (y'know, the plastic ones that keep your bags of potatoes, apples, lemons, and onions sealed).

Kwik Lok was started by co-owner Stephanie Paxton-Johnson's grandfather Floyd Paxton when he invented this type of closure in the 1950s. What gave him the idea? Floyd was working in the apple industry in Washington state and there wasn't a way to close apples in their bags to be shipped. Stephanie's father took over from Floyd and was the president for over 51 years, taking the company from a small business in Yakima, Washington to a global company located in over 100 countries, with six plants and over 300 employees!

Sadly, in 2015, Stephanie's father passed away, but her and her sisters took over, making them the third generation to run this family business.

"Our closure really provides safety. It helps with traceability because people can put on the closure exactly where the item was grown, which can really help out in the world today." - Stephanie Paxton-Jackson (7:12-7:27)

A simple, common closure you probably rarely think about is making a huge, global impact. Stephanie and her sisters are committed to making the world a better place and at the core of their business is reliability and safety. First off, the Kwik Lok helps reduce food waste. How? When you are closing your produce bag safe and securely with a Kwik Lok, you're lessening your food waste which inturn helps lessen the negative climate impact we see from food waste.

During the height of COVID-19, Kwik Lok was able to help with restaurants that were forced to shut down and repackage their excess produce and give it to those in need. One great example of this was Kwik Lok's ability to assist Northwest Harvest who collects and distributes 50 pound bulk bags of potatoes, onions and apples. Kwik Lok offered two of their machines to break those bags down into a household size (around 2-5 pounds) to get it to those in need. Otherwise, all of that produce would have gone to waste!

Did you know that less than one percent of third-generation owned businesses survive?

And yet Stephanie Paxton-Johnson and her sisters are growing a global company that's determined to be a part of the solution in reducing our carbon footprint. They debuted their Eco-Lok two years ago which is made with a starch resin that's predominantly made from corn and potatoes. This allowed them to use 20% less plastic in each closure, which is lessening the carbon footprint and manufacturing impact. How do you know if your bag of produce has a regular Kwik Lok or Eco-Lok on it? That's a decision left up to each individual company. One of their greatest companies, Franz Bakery, uses the ecolock and has the name written on the product, along with Dave's Killer Bread.

"We're really excited because we're just about to sign and certify that all of our products are 100% free from human trafficking." - Stephanie Paxton-Jackson (15:57-16:07)

Stephanie and her sisters pride themselves on being committed to always being intentional with their company's decisions and to always be innovating in a way that's good for our planet. Stephanie considers their philanthropic initiatives to be very strategic in helping the values they have. By being able to certify Kwik Lok's products are 100% free from human trafficking, they're asking their suppliers to commit to the same values and are making a strong stance as to what's required when working together. They also recently signed for responsible labor practices.

What's next for Kwik Lok? They will be debuting some up-and-coming innovations at future trade shows and Stephanie's middle sister just took over as chairman of the board! Make sure to look for the Eco-Lok label on all bagged produce items you purchase, and remember the women behind those tiny closures making a huge impact.

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!

"We really want to solve this mission. We can make the supply chain efficient and not have to exist in this space, but to do that, it requires having everyone be aware of what's going on and why we need to care about it."Rani Zimand (6:04-6:20)

Jacob Dudley, a student at the University of Wisconsin Madison studying economics and environmental studies, and Rani Zimand, a student at the University of Washington studying food systems, nutrition and health, are both co-leaders for the Farmlink Project. More than a project, this is a movement that was started by college students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help fight food insecurity through repurposing surplus produce.

When COVID-19 hit and many food suppliers, like restaurants, were forced to shut down, the crops that farmers had planted to supply those restaurants didn't have anywhere to go. On one hand, there were huge lines at food banks, but on the other, farmers were throwing away all their produce. Farmlink originally aimed to make the supply chain more efficient, but now they're on a mission to solve this problem completely, so much so it even says on their website their goal is to put themselves out of business!

The Farmlink Project got started with founders James and Aiden who saw what was happening and just felt helpless. They rented a U-Haul pickup, grabbed some eggs from a farm and drove it to their local food bank. After that, they were off to the races.

"I could not resist the opportunity to get involved with Farmlink, last summer. It really gave me a sense of agency when a lot of it was lost to the pandemic." Jacob Dudley (3:19-3:30)

How does The Farmlink Project work? The organization contacts farms across all 50 states and has quickly become a nationwide organization thanks to their start online. First, the farms team, which Ronnie is a co-leader of, is the first point of contact with all farms and producers in the network. They do the initial outreach and managing of current relationships and partnerships on the production end. After connecting with someone who might have a surplus or unmarketable produce, a price point and donation agreement will be negotiated, then passed off to the logistics team. The logistics team finalizes the deal and organizes the transportation, and then passes it to Jake's team, who places the food.

The project, which involves 99% fresh produce, but on the rare occasion milk and eggs, is continually doing research to keep up-to-date data on unemployment rates, food insecurities and calculating the distance food has to travel to make sure it's ending up in locations that need it the most. The relationship will be developed and eventually handed off to the logistics team.

It's truly astonishing what the project has been able to accomplish. For example, it took only one month for the project to move one million pounds of produce. At the end of 2020 they had moved 20 million pounds and as of March 11th, 2021, they've moved 27,301,053 pounds worth of fresh produce. All of that has been possible with a team that's made up of 90-95% full-time volunteers that are college students!

The Farmlink even partnered with Chipotle for a Roundup campaign where anyone that ordered on Chipotle's app were able to round up their order amount to the next dollar which would be donated to the Farmlink Project.

"While 27 million is a huge number and hard to wrap my head around, it's just a drop in the bucket. Over 70 billion pounds of produce is wasted in the United States each year, over 20 billion of that is on the farm level and we have a long way to go." Rani Zimand (21:35-21:51)

There's plenty of ways to get involved even if you aren't able to volunteer full-time. The first way is through Farmlink's weekly power hours which involve researching and calling farms to see if they have produce to donate. Other indirect ways include volunteering at a local food bank or farm, and if you don't have time but still want to get involved, you can donate or set up your own fundraising campaign on The Farmlink Project's website. Of course, you can always follow and share their content on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to stay up to date and spread the word about this great mission.

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!

"Our family and consumer sciences professionals are on the front lines solving some of society's most pressing issues."Dr. Lori Myers (3:06-3:14)

When you think of family and consumer sciences, you might recall your middle school or high school home economics class and learning things like how to cook, sew or the importance of the nutrition pyramid. But this umbrella of education is so much more than that.

As Dr. Lori Myers, Senior Director with the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, puts it, "family and consumer sciences is the science and art of living and working well in our complex world. It's learning how to feed a family, healthy food, learning the value of a dollar, learning how to navigate the complexities of life and juggling the demands of life and a career. From the classroom to the boardroom, we're instilling the essential knowledge and skills to help individuals lead better lives, be working career ready, build strong families and make meaningful contributions in their communities."

That's what family and consumer sciences is all about.

Dr. Lori Myers and Dr. Jan Bowers, Executive Director at the Family and Consumer Sciences Education Association, are spearheading this project, which is funded through a higher education challenge grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, to overcome national shortages in the family and consumer sciences education sector and improve the education system altogether.

"In the United States, there are unprecedented levels of childhood obesity. Student debt is at an all time high. And for the first time in our history, the life expectancy of our youngest generation is shorter than that of their parents. We have an opportunity to turn the tide with a simple solution that's family and consumer sciences." Dr. Lori Myers (2:22-2:44)

There are family and consumer sciences programs all the way from elementary age, through middle and high school, and into post-secondary education, colleges and universities.

For years there has been a critical shortage of family and consumer sciences educators in middle schools, secondary schools and post-secondary education classes. There's also been a sharp decline in the number of institutions that offer family and consumer sciences education preparation programs in the last 30 years. There's been a national need that isn't supported by enough infrastructure to address this issue on a local, state and regional level.

Even though there are multiple partners providing various levels of training and support for FCS educators, they've lacked coordination. Education efforts have been duplicated while some areas have left gaps in meeting the needs of students. To better meet the needs for recruiting, preparing and supporting FCS educators, a national partnership of 17 organizations has been formed to coordinate, collaborate, and serve as a model for family and consumer sciences at the state and district levels, as well as encourage and facilitate relationships with education, the community and the private sector.

How did the program get started? Dr. Jan started with what matters most by communicating with key stakeholders such as the national officers of the FCSEA who represent teacher education, the state department and public school teachers asking them what is needed most to support their profession. A slew of ideas in hand, she took them to Dr. Lori at AFC, met with the national student organizations, career leaders, tech education leaders, extension leaders and teacher educators to combine their input and see their excitement grow for the project. They then had to look at the 17 different national organizations and create an infrastructure to coordinate and collaborate with each other's efforts and eliminate duplication efforts and maximize resources.

The three main goals of this project are to recruit new educators for one of the 17 national partners, the Family Career and Community Leaders of America, or with 4H to help get kids excited about a future career in FCS education, prepare new educators to ensure they're qualified and ready, and support them long-term with resources, professional development opportunities and anything else they need since statistically educators leave within the first three to five years.

"We're learning that there's a lot of disparity among states and how they address some of these challenges. We've gotta be creative in how we help different states with their own localized needs for a supportive leadership infrastructure." Dr. Jan Bower (16:22-16:37)

If it isn't clear by now, this program is really creating a much-needed transformation to the family and consumer sciences education in America. Both Dr. Jan and Dr. Lori are proud of the impact and legacy the project is leaving. Dr. Lori says, "all of our organizations have harnessed their strengths and talents to really contribute to the greater whole. It has reminded me that it really is an investment of time and energy as we bring recognition, not only to the need for family and consumer sciences educators, but to the value of what these educators and their programs bring to the table."

Dr. Jan says, "the key thing that we need to be doing next is getting this message out to people so that they understand and value the role of family and consumer science, and how it helps individuals and communities. Our next challenge is taking all the products that we've been developing and then getting them into the public and getting them into the hands of the education administrators, the community partners, the extension partners who can use this information to strengthen families and individuals in the community."

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.

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"Remember that health is a journey; make it your life's journey to invest in your health."Dr. Susan Hewlings (31:21-31:22)

Is there anything Dr. Susan Hewlings hasn't accomplished!? Dr. Hewlings has a PhD in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology, is a Registered Dietician, full-time professor at Central Michigan University, has a graduate certificate in cannabis science, and is an author. Most of her work has been bringing research to consumers so they can make the best, educated decisions for their health.

Dr. Hewlings is director of scientific affairs at Nutrasource/GRAS Associates where it is her job to connect science with marketing. Nutrasource is a contract research organization that provides research and regulatory guidance for companies in the dietary supplements, CBD and the cannabis spaces. They help clients design or interpret studies to support their marketing claims to better inform consumers. Dr. Hewlings works with the Coconut Coalition of the Americas who aim to educate consumers and health professionals about the current scientific research related to coconuts and fats.

"You have to remember what's the definition of the word supplement. It means 'in addition to', not 'instead of' and I think CBD and cannabis should be looked at the same way." Dr. Susan Hewlings (18:57-19:06)

You've probably been seeing and hearing more and more products with CBD or CBG as ingredients, but what exactly is it, how does it help, and is it psychoactive? THC, CBD and CBG are cannabinoids, or phytocannabinoids, which are the bioactive compounds in the cannabis plant that have many helpful benefits. Bioactive doesn't mean psychoactive, and in fact, inside the human body there's an entire endocannabinoid system. There are cannabinoid receptors throughout our body and endogenous (produce inside the body) cannabinoids are produced that bind to those receptors, just like exogenous cannabinoids (like CBD) do. The binding is what creates the health benefit, and CBD is well known for its help with pain relief, anti-inflammation, sleep, mood and decreasing anxiety because it binds with receptors associated with these responses.

The interesting thing is everyone reacts differently to cannabinoids and the research isn't all encompassing, which is part of the reason Dr. Hewlings says we're "at a stalemate" with the FDA on how the use of cannabinoids will be regulated. Questions are being asked like, "will this be a supplement?", "will this be a part of its own category?", "are things like drinks and candies allowed under that category?", and "will it be all encompassing or limited?".

So how do you know as a consumer whether or not a product that has CBD in it is legitimate? Right now, because it's unregulated, you don't, but there are a lot of companies like Nutrasource that are completely transparent with their purity testing and labeling so you can be educated on what exactly is in the product. Many reliable companies are using third party testing such as the testing provided by Nutrasource's International Cannabinoid Analysis Program (ICAP), making sure testing is on their label, and pushing for testing to become an industry standard.

You can increase your endogenous cannabinoids without consuming exogenous cannabinoids by eating a healthy, balanced diet, filled with fruits and vegetables, and exercising regularly. Ever had a runner's high? Your body's cannabinoids surge in number during activities like this, crossing the blood-brain barrier and positively affecting brain chemistry.

Speaking of eating a healthy diet, a large part of Dr. Hewling's research has been busting the myth that all saturated fats are bad for you. She wrote a research paper on coconuts, which is quite fitting since she lives in the Florida Keys, showing that the types of saturated fatty acids in coconuts are shorter-chain saturated fats, while the saturated fats in beef or butter, for example, are longer chain and therefore have different effects on health. Coconut isn't metabolized the same way as other foods high in saturated fat we're supposed to watch out for, which means the argument against saturated fat isn't so black and white and coconuts can be part of a healthy diet.

"Coconut is an important crop worldwide in many communities. It's been used for centuries for antibacterial purposes, is anti-inflammatory, high in antioxidants and it's definitely one of those foods to include in a healthy diet. Just like everything else though, don't go overboard with it." Dr. Susan Hewlings (27:44-28:10)

Whether it's the use of cannabinoid supplements, eating coconuts, or following a healthy diet, what's most important is to stay educated with legitimate research backing claims company's make about their product's health benefits. Nutrasource is helping companies provide you, the consumer, with information that supports you in making the best decision for your health.

Remember when trying CBD products on the market, they aren't psychoactive, but benefits aren't one-size-fits-all. Everybody's body reacts differently and the industry is in its infancy stage. See what helps your body the most and with coconuts, they can be part of ahealthy diet and taste delicious!

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!

"We have plenty of ketchup for everyone."

Colt Reichart (8:55-8:56)

All it took was one small statement from Heinz ketchup and the world was worried our fries, burgers, steaks and more would have to be consumed without our favorite condiment.

Thankfully, the false alarm of there being a ketchup shortage has worked in Red Gold's favor. The only American owned, grown and made ketchup brand, Red Gold, has gained six new, large accounts from former Heinz customers alone, not to mention the need to purchase new packaging machines to keep up with ketchup packet demand.

"The Red Gold ketchup is the only ketchup that can claim it is American owned, grown and made. That's an amazing accomplishment." Lori Taylor (3:33-3:40)

Red Gold got its start by Colt's great grandfather, Grover Hutchison, in 1942. Hutchison was a retired cannery owner, who reopened a canning factory when World War Two started to supply the troops with peeled tomatoes, tomato puree and tomato juice. Four generations later and Colt got his start sweeping floors, reconditioning barbeque sauce and manning the bottle washing station at the Red Gold Elwood, Indiana facility.

Red Gold, the first tomato brand to be packed in non-BPA BPS lined cans and certified by the non-GMO project, has grown into many other consumer brands and partnerships, including their Tuttorosso, Italian inspired brand, RedPack and Sacramento. They've just launched a Redneck Riviera barbeque sauce with John Rich, the Tomato Love brand which is a green tomatoes and green chilies product (recently picked up by Kroger nationwide), and have licensed Tuong Ot Sriracha to make sriracha flavored products. Their tomatoes are the freshest, canned around, with production from field to can sometimes happening in as little as ten minutes!

"It's been difficult to navigate through COVID, but Red Gold has always done a really good job just because our company was formed based around chaos with World War Two." Colt Reichart (7:49-8:03)

So is there actually a ketchup shortage? Not really. Heinz Ketchup launched a press release saying there is a shortage of ketchup packets… keyword being packets. There's plenty of ketchup to go around! In fact, Red Gold has been running at full speed, 24 hours a day, seven days a week before and during the pandemic. Considering the company was formed around chaos and during a war, they've always been on their "tippy toes and never on our heels," as Colt likes to say.

What's with the rise in ketchup packet usage? The changes the pandemic has forced upon restaurants. When restaurants were closed, people had to use packets instead of eating at the restaurant table with a ketchup bottle, and many restaurants are still relying on carryout versus dine in options, eliminating the use of bottles.

"Remember, the position of the FDA as well as the health and food safety agencies in Canada and Europe remains unchanged. COVID-19 does not spread by food or food packaging, which would include a ketchup bottle." Lori Taylor (10:41-10:59)

What's Colt's favorite way to eat tomatoes? Take it from someone who eats tomatoes daily, Colt suggests an easy snack like Red Gold salsa with chips, or cottage cheese with Tutoroso's Southern Vineyard, white wine flavored, petite, diced tomatoes. Lori loves the juices inside they're chipotle seasoned tomatoes and adds them to her salsas and sauces at home. Red Gold has a new, flavored paste they're launching this year with basil and garlic, a great addition to any Italian-inspired dish.

Not only are you getting fresh, pure, delicious tomatoes from Red Gold, they've partnered with Folds of Honor so that proceeds from every bottle purchase goes towards the organization which gives scholarships to families who have loved ones fallen or been injured in combat.

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!