The Produce Moms Podcast

"It's got one ingredient. What more could you ask for?"Case Samuel (10:10-10:14)

Sunrise Fresh is the #1 seller on Amazon in the dried fruit category and has been for the past four years. This fourth generation, family owned company is dedicated to producing the freshest dried fruit with no added ingredients.

Have you ever wondered why most dried fruit or products containing dried fruit are so high in sugar (or other ingredients)? It's just fruit that's dried, isn't it? Quite the contrary for most dried fruit producers, who add tons of sugar back into their product to make up for the loss in weight after drying and attempting to make a cheaper product.

Not only does Sunrise Fresh not add anything else to their dried fruit, their fruit is grown specifically for their product, rather than Montmorency tarts. To increase profit, reduce waste, and provide the freshest fruit possible, they include culls to their product line, which are perfectly good fruit that are thrown out.

"Culls are perfectly edible fruit, they just don't look too pretty." - Case Samuel (5:29-5:32)

Culls are products that don't meet retail specs and don't go into a fresh box. Although they're just as good as any other fruit, they won't sell because of bruising, a slight crack, or a stem that's missing.

They also don't use Montmorency tarts, which most of their competitors use. These are cherries grown specifically for production and manufacturing purposes and often need sugar added into them.

Sure, their product isn't always the "sugary sweet" we're trained to expect year round, but that's what makes Sunrise Fresh's dried cherries exceptional over many others on the market.

Mother Nature doesn't make anything the same and we have seasons for a reason. You'll receive the gift of tasting the variety of flavor profiles cherries can have as they won't taste the same year round.

Most of the cherries Sunrise Fresh focuses on growing are from Washington and California to extend their season and provide for customers year round. This gives the growers a better return on their fruit by using cherries that normally get dumped.

To expedite the drying process, Sunrise Fresh places their cherries on a drying tray in a 40-foot long tunnel for "forced air tunnel drying", which allows for the harvesting, cooling, packing and shipping process to occur in a matter of 24-48 hours. Unlike microwave or flash drying where produce loses quality and nutrients, this process slowly dries the fruit down so they maintain all of their natural goodness.

"The quicker you get that cherry to market, the more ability you will have for a customer to come in, buy that fresh cherry and want to come back and buy that cherry again." - Jake Samuel (20:38-20:48)

Speed is important for Sunrise Fresh considering they're the #1 dried fruit seller on Amazon for the past four years. Because of COVID-19, their sales increased by 2000% in three months and they're now selling in Walmart. To put into perspective how much they've grown, just three years ago they were selling 10-15 units a day and now sell 200-300 a day thanks to Amazon's marketplace.

Case and Jake share some phenomenal advice for other small, family-owned CPG businesses that helped them skyrocket their growth and increase the availability of their fresh, real, quality products. You can now find dried apples, peaches, blueberries and pears to the sunrise Fresh repertoire! All including just one ingredient: fruit.

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!

"How do you communicate something so that it's a message that people can grab onto?"

Barbara Ruhs (13:15-13:21)

The top three leading causes of death and morbidity in the United States are diabetes, cancer and heart disease, three diseases that could be virtually eliminated if people ate the recommended two to three cups a day of fruits and vegetables.

Barbara Ruhs didn't originally set out to help change the way we eat and think about nutrition. She grew up on cookies and milk like many of us! As an avid athlete and tennis player, Barbara spent a lot of time around other athletes whose focus on what they were eating was borderline obsessive. Observing these dysfunctional, disordered eating patterns led her to her phenomenal career today studying nutrition and helping improve the narrative we have around healthy eating.

At the start of her career, Barbara worked with the Massachusetts Department of Education on making meals compliant with nutritional standards and the Healthy School Meal Initiative that started in the late 90's. She worked with 1800 public schools and 350 food service directors in Massachusetts to provide children first, with something to eat, and then focusing on making that meal compliant with nutrition standards.

"Beyond getting into the micronutrients and nutrition, just providing something for a child to eat [is imperative] because we know that academic performance and growth is related to nourishment and eating." - Barbara Ruhs (20:42-20:58)

The statistics today of children going hungry are horrifying. Every one in four children (about 18 million) don't know where they will get their next meal. This is why school meals were started by Truman in 1946, to help fill the gap of missed meals, make sure the future workforce was filled with nutrition, and help farmers have a place to put their products.

Barbara's work has led her into working as a private nutritionist for college athletes where she also witnessed an unhealthy conversation around food and borderline obsession with what they ate. so she decided her best place to create an impact was working in the food industry.

Not surprising, considering most of our conversations about health revolve around weight. Even as a nutritionist, Barbara says when she went to the doctor recently and was asked about her weight, it was triggering. Why not change our language to one that's more positive and focused on helping people make better, healthier food choices?

We know the importance of healthy eating with children and seeing where the proper narrative is important with athletes and adults, so let's take it one step further.

"The top three leading causes of death and morbidity, so things related to these chronic diseases, diabetes, cancer and heart disease, could virtually be eliminated if people ate the recommended two to three cups of fruits and vegetables per day."

But instead of talking to patients about curing disease with eating fruits and vegetables, most practitioners head straight to the weight loss conversation, one that is discouraging and unapproachable for many people. Considering we spend three trillion dollars on healthcare in the United States, this could be hugely transformative for our economy and of course the health of our population.

For those that complain about how much more expensive buying fresh fruits and vegetables is, the cost difference between eating healthy and doctors appointments, surgeries and pharmaceutical meds is vastly different. Although COVID-19 hasn't been an experience anyone has wished for, it's causing people to rethink how they spend their money: do I keep choosing expensive medication or focus on eating healthy instead?

"When you're conscious of having to plan meals and think about what you're going to buy at the grocery store, there's that moment of pause that people have in thinking about what they're going to eat and planning. That's a huge thing when it comes to eating healthier" - Barbara Ruhs (24:28-24:49)

You may be wondering how retail nutritionists and dieticians are helping change the way we communicate to our society about food and healthy eating. Barbara, for one, is working on helping make the decision making process to healthy eating virtually automatic. Supermarkets and corporate grocers are now offering telehealth sessions with their dieticians as a free service. If we all made these choices automatic, healthy eating would even need to be a conversation.

What are Barabara's top actionable tips for healthy eating? Actually enjoying your food and being mindful while eating, slowing down to truly taste the flavors and making eating a fun experience. Another great tip is to fill half your plate with whole fruits and vegetables and use the other half to fill with your healthy protein and grains.

How can you make half of your plate healthy each and every day?

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!

"Logistics are the heart and soul of our industry."Lori Taylor (2:14-2:17)

Without advancements and logistics, we wouldn't have accessibility to produce 365 days a year, or the array of seasonal produce in virtually any climate.

The Produce Moms Podcast welcomed today it's very first logistics company guest, Chad Ogden, Director of Transportation for Sunrise Logistics. Sunrise Logistics is part of the Four Seasons Produce Companies and is a third party provider in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. They focus on transport and logistics for produce, but also perishable items like health drinks, kombucha, packaged meats and cheeses.

One of the best features of Sunrise is that they are still a first generation, family owned company.

"A big goal of ours is to have the capability of a very large organization, but have the feel of that family owned, very intimate relationship with our customers." Chad Ogden (7:48-8:00)

It's through that focus that Sunrise has been able to sustain business for themselves and the produce customers they provide for. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, where some logistics and supply chain companies failed, Sunrise thrived. They've remained consistent in communication, stable, and transparent about what they're doing so customers know their product is safe in their warehouse.

What really makes Sunrise Logistics shine is the dynamic partnership they offer with their customers. Unlike many logistics companies, Sunrise can assist in transporting produce no matter what part of the world the supply is coming from, whether it be exports from Peru or shipping containers out of the Northeast. They also have their own private fleet and a brokerage ability to help cover all parts of the supply chain process.

Sunrise Logistics has a dynamic, streamlined process for growers in and out of the U.S. Not only do they facilitate the logistics of bringing supply to warehouses and retailers, they also offer services like bagging, ripening of avocados, and brokerage between customers and carriers.

Why is that important? For one, instead of having to purchase an entire truckload of space to transport product, customers can purchase just a palette of space on one of their trailers. All of their specialized equipment can tailor the logistics process to meet customers needs in an affordable and advanced fashion. They can help eliminate the middleman in certain production operations and are focused on providing the dynamic service most produce providers need.

COVID-19 was surely a time when people truly realized how important the supply chain is in produce. Where other wholesalers failed and couldn't keep up, Sunrise was able to quickly pivot, remain stable and offer clear communication to customers. It's a testament to the great leadership they have in their company and their commitment to the produce supply chain.

"Investing in people, technology and processes is what we really want to do at Sunrise." - Chad Ogden (26:14-26:19)

The next big step for Sunrise is investing in other big areas around the nation, but before doing so, they're focused on ensuring each leg of their company (such as sister company Sunrise Transport or others under the leg of Four Seasons Produce). They're constantly improving their technology and helping keep their customer's businesses open.

One thing's for sure – out of all the other supply chains around us, produce shined during this pandemic thanks to logistics companies like Sunrise. When going to the store looking for items like napkins and cleaning wipes, most of us were met with empty shelves. Fortunately enough, produce aisles (for most of us) were always stocked.

The team at Sunrise is looking forward to growing and expanding their ability to help their customers worldwide deliver healthy, delicious, high quality produce from shipping containers all the way to your dinner table.

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 whole family's going to eat it and it's going to be made with clean, real ingredients, and it's going to taste delicious!"Jennifer Wiese (4:21-4:28)

What was originally a decision to help her son battle autism turned into a movement to help families everywhere enjoy plant-based products that are made with real, clean ingredients.

Jennifer Wiese, founder of BeeFree and mother of four sons, had to quickly find a way to help her son August when he was diagnosed with autism at age 7. At an Autism conference in Vancouver, they learned about all types of modalities to help: detoxification, hypobaric chambers, taking 30 supplements a day… but none of those options were realistic for her and her family.

Jennifer learned about gluten free (before it was "fashionable") and it's benefits for kids with autism, so she switched the family diet to it. Noticing a difference in her son, she started getting asked by friends and other moms at the kid's sporting events if she would make something gluten free for them or what kind of ingredients she used.

"I saw the need for other families and other moms who were seeking knowledge and seeking information. They just wanted help." - Jennifer Wiese (5:18-5:22)

Even fellow members of the CrossFit community were wanting an alternative snack to the typical beef jerky, almonds and hard boiled eggs. She knew she was onto something and started taking her BeeFree line to the farmers market. At first, it was cookies, cakes, and pizza dough that she sold since that's what her son, August, loved to eat.

In 2010, Jennifer turned BeeFree into an official business! Knocking on doors seeing who would answer, Jennifer moved her products into retail, then local and regional distributors to expand her footprint quicker. Her plant based products include granola and her Warrior mix that is made of ingredients only grown from the earth.

After going gluten free, she noticed her autistic sound sleeping better, being more interactive, more conversational and responsive when he heard his name. She isn't saying this is a cure, but truly noticed a difference when removing gluten, dairy and artificial sweeteners from his diet.

BeeFree products are a great option to fit nicely into a household already filled with fruits and vegetables. Eating a plant-based diet should include variety, which is what the BeeFree products offer. Each of her flavor mixes are named after one of her sons (hey, they put sweat equity into this too!) and every product is gluten, dairy, trans fat, soy and refined sugar free.

Her granola is truly versatile due to it being baked and then hand pieced so there are a variety of chunks and clusters. Grab it straight out of the bag, top your favorite yogurt, add it to milk, or even bake it into a pie crust! With ingredients like almonds, pumpkin seeds and coconut, this is the perfect addition to other fruits and vegetables.

"The key ingredient for every recipe is love." - Lori Taylor (21:08-21:10)

Not only is BeeFree healthy, plant-based and delicious, the foundation of the company is built on family. Jennifer's family has been impacted with the creation of BeeFree because of the time spent together making each product and she hopes to have the same impact on others. This is a family owned, family run business with new flavors coming out based on each of her son's personalities!

Thankfully, August's health has been impacted for the better and out of it came a tasty snack filled with real ingredients that can compliment any plant-based diet.

BeeFree granola and Warrior Mix is free of gluten, dairy, trans fat, soy, refined sugar and is 100% plant-based. You can purchase BeeFree directly on their website or in most major stores. Stay tuned for new flavors including salted caramel, chocolate chip and maple!

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 can increase positive interactions with avocados, we're going to grow as a category."Patrick Cortes (17:13-17:17)

Food sustainability is possible without the use of harmful chemicals, but instead, with chemistry-driven technology that helps reduce waste and supports our health.

Chemistry has a bad wrap in the agriculture world, but companies like Hazel Technology are changing that. Hazel Technologies has created a post-harvest solution that manipulates the environment in which avocados are stored, making them last longer and improving shelf life.

"Every year, close to a trillion dollars in produce goes bad before it can be eaten. It's nearly a third of all produce harvested every year." - Aiden Mouat (2:58-3:07)

Aiden Mouat, CEO of Hazel Technologies and Patrick Cortes, Senior Director of Business Development at Mission Produce have teamed up together to delay the ripening of avocados and preserve their internal quality.

Think about how many times you've purchased avocados that have ripened too quickly, or you've opened only to find a shade of brown rather than the beautiful, golden green we all love?

By designing a technology that works atmospherically, nothing is applied to the avocado at all. No dips, waxes, sprays or coatings. Just pure biomagnetic chemistry that helps control essential biological functions, almost similar to how we think of our metabolism working. Ever heard of "biohacking"? You can think of avocados stored with Avolast similar to that –– a new, "smart" or "biohacked" avocado that's ripening is prolonged.

Avolast's technology leaves no residue and isn't harmful in and of itself. It's an antidote to the ethylene avocados produce and has been successfully used for the past 30 years in the apple industry.

The long term effects on our world with technologies like Avolast are outstanding. By using a cleaner and more sophisticated form of chemistry, we can reduce the chemical load of food (in the field and out of the field). Avolast's solution is versatile to all country's many diverse picking and packaging processes. There's flexibility and control over how Avolast works in any given environment, starting from the tree all the way up to the consumer.

Not only does this benefit the consumer, but by giving a retailer a mere two to four extra days to sell a fruit, that adds up to a virtual lifetime and can cut through some of the major implications our produce throwaway has on the planet.

"We just can't feed eight, nine, 10 billion people without the influence of chemistry." - Aiden Mouat (23:08-23:13)

It's a difficult conversation to have about what technology science is helping us create for our agricultural industry, but Aiden Mouat of Hazel Technologies is doing it in a very graceful and transparent way. Who knows, the next avocado you purchase may have an extended shelf life thanks to Avolast's innovative technology rather than harmful chemical processes.

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 one of the most important times that we maintain a focus on globalism, we maintain a commitment to multilateralism and to working together."Beth Bechdol (34:56-35:06)

Almost 2 billion people around the world experience a moderate or severe food insecurity.

Although this trend has been decreasing for the past 20 years, we've recently seen a plateau and even reverse trend in some countries. Yes, COVID-19 has played a part, but that's not the only thing we can blame our food insecurity and hunger issues on. Beth Bechdol is the Deputy Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization which focuses efforts internationally on defeating hunger, improving nutrition and increasing food security.

Growing up on a farm in Indiana, Beth brings a unique skillset to the table with the FAO. Having worked in Washington D.C. and focusing on International studies at Georgetown, she also spent much of her early career in Indiana building new concepts centered in AgTech and AgBio science to improve economic development.

Blending these two experiences together in her new leadership role has been exciting to spearhead the agenda in an entrepreneurial, creative, innovative manner.

The FAO works with five of the U.N.'s 17 sustainable development goals which are: zero hunger, working on gender equality, clean water and sanitization, responsible consumption and production of food and agriculture and life below water.

"Between hunger, food accessibility and food availability, our situation globally is not a good one." - Beth Bechdol (12:32-12:40)

What's the reason for this? There's an increasing number of political conflicts, national security and global security issues that makes access to food a challenge for the most vulnerable people. Plus, we have challenging economic times in certain countries exacerbating food insecurity, and climate changes that are changing agricultural productivity.

If our immediate challenges due to COVID-19 continue, we're going to see an even more rapid increase in unemployment. The loss of livelihood when jobs are lost immediately increases hunger and poverty.

Some countries, like small island countries in the Caribbean, countries in Latin America and Asian countries who were very dependent on food imports are struggling also because 80-90% of their economy is rooted in tourism.

On top of those already at risk for being put in a chronic hunger state or a food insecure system, there are 120 million more people now put in that position because of the disruption of our current supply chains.

We may be in a humanitarian mindset and crisis mode across the board, but what Beth's concern is with the FAO is that their initiatives don't breed instant gratification results. Our attention span is very short these days, and they need individuals to stay focused on making impact long term.

Inequality is also driving this crisis. America is seeing a current rise in activism against inequality, however it's increasing in many parts of the world. There are lower incomes, a decrease in purchasing power, families having to reduce their food budget, lack of food availability and inequality with women.

The number of conflicts around the world don't help, as they are creating price increases which, theoretically would give our farmers an opportunity to increase production, productivity and their income. Instead, rising prices are a ripple effect stemming from governments closing down markets, so farmers can't market their goods and products.

If farmers had the economic opportunities, social protection, productivity resources and access to markets necessary for them to thrive, we would help decrease the food insecurity in many regions and communities.

"Some of the smallest scale farmers and food producers who actually produce almost 80% of the food consumed worldwide are the ones more likely to suffer from food hunger in their own countries." - Beth Bechdol (29:37-29:55)

Who else is primarily affected from chronic hunger? Right now we're seeing it concentrated in sub saharan African countries, western Asia and southeast Asia. This is triggering a divide in hemispheres as the North increasingly becomes the developed world and the South is still developing. Getting these countries access to the food and food equality resources they need is imperative to the survival and growth of us globally.

The FAO is asking individuals to hold organizations like them accountable to make sure they're doing their best with the resources they have. Creating long-term solutions to defeat global hunger and food insecurity issues isn't an overnight process. We need focused attention, partnerships, innovation, entrepreneurs, creativity and partners of all kinds to dedicate themselves to this agenda.

Beth reminds us of the importance entrepreneurs play in creating the change we need because clearly the methods we've been using, and the new crises we're faced with require different solutions. We need to think about our issues on a global scale and commit to working together, even if you don't think food insecurity is something that affects you, it will soon enough.

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!

"Anytime one of us is brave enough to stand up and speak on an issue, it does inspire other people to do the same."Robyn O'Brien (13:19 - 13:26)

Food security is national security, and this is one of the most fundamental issues of our time.

Robyn O'Brien, Co-Founder of rePlant Capital, Found of Do Good, Found of AllergyKids Foundation, author of The Unhealthy Truth, and Adjunct Professor at Rice University Business School, has a unique perspective on what's going on in our food industry in the U.S.

Frustrated that she didn't understand the language of finance and accounting, she went to business school and was eventually thrown into a job as an analyst covering the food industry for a team managing 20 million dollars in assets.

"I was not somebody that was interested in food. I didn't know how to cool. I gave up diet coke every year for lent." - Robyn O'Brien (3:39 - 3:46)

Her passion for food didn't really start until January of 2006 when her youngest of four children had an allergic reaction. She started to look at the condition her child had from a data perspective and that's when she realized the lack of transparency in the labeling of new products we bring to market.

Since the 1990's when the U.S. started to introduce genetically engineered crops, there wasn't any traceability or accountability, so the industry could use the blanket statement of "there's no substantial evidence of harm", which is partially why we are in the position we're in today. Robyn worked on federal and state campaigns in an effort to bring labeling to genetically engineered foods.

Robyn really became known for taking a stance on this issue after doing a TedX talk where she identified the double standard we're experiencing with our food companies who produce products with artificial ingredients here in the U.S.m yet in other countries, they produce the same products either with real ingredients or labels providing transparency so consumers can make educated decisions.

Around eighty percent of consumers are now trying something organic and seventy-five percent of all grocery store categories now carry something organic. Yet only one percent of our farmland is organic.

Robyn's business background has come into play with her ability to help drive this conversation across our food industry because she understands the pressure farmers and food industry companies are under to meet the quarterly demands of Wall Street. After her TedX talk, she's consulted for a number of different companies to help navigate these difficult conversations.

Unfortunately, there's still a huge discrepancy in the information we're told as consumers. Not only is there lack of transparency, but the financial system attached to our subsidizing model is keeping farmers bankrupt. Even if they want to grow organic crops, or for example, utilize just one percent of their land to help out their local community during COVID-19, they don't have the flexibility to do so. The icing on top is now we're reliant on an agri-chemical model that requires a portfolio of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides that we're concerned makes us sick.

The key thing to look at is how can we make our food system regionalized and increase the direct to consumer access for farmers. There's been a number of accounts from farmers this year who have a small e-commerce shop on their website stating that in the first three weeks of COVID-19, they did more sales than they did all of 2019.

Do we really need all of the middlemen involved in getting our crops to consumers, taking cut after cut as our farmers stay bankrupt?

"The people who are in service to our country as farmers deserve so much more recognition and so much more than we have given them." - Robyn O'Brien. (22:56 - 23:03)

Not only are our farmers struggling under the model we've been stuck under since the 1920's, our children aren't expressing interest in farming. So what happens when no one from our younger generation wants to step into farming next?

If you think about all of the favorite places you like to go out to eat, for example to Indian, or Chinese, or Mexican, and all of the diversity it provides, that same culture, wisdom and knowledge is missing from our food system right now. Again, the younger generation isn't expressing interest in farming and those that do tend to our crops are being denied entry to our country or sent back to their original home.

Diversity needs to be an immediate focus in our food system, from the bottom of the chain to the top. If we're asking for diversity in our products, we need to ask for the same diversity in our leadership teams because without it, we remain one sided, with a narrow vision, leaving us vulnerable to what isn't known by those in these roles.

If we continue to push forward for transparency on our food labels, opportunities for more organic farming, amending our current food and financial systems, and developing inclusive diversity across all boards, we'll potentially be able to reverse the troubling (and, as we're learning, sickening) state of the food system in the U.S.

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!

"Empowering women to trade benefits everyone."Liz Becerra (5:19-5:22)

The SheTrades Initiative is on a mission to help connect three million women entrepreneurs in Agriculture by 2021.

The United Nations and World Trade Organization have come together to create the SheTrades initiative in order to create a sustainable economic impact globally. By helping women entrepreneurs, buyers and partners connect, collaborate and develop lasting relationships, SheTrade can empower women with the resources they need to overcome gender inequality in our food supply market.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with three powerful women who are helping spearhead this Initiative, Susan Mugure Wambugu, Frederine Derlot, and Lizbeth Becerra.

Susan is the Agriculture Sector Specialist for SheTrades in the Commonwealth at the International Trade Centre in Kenya where she helps small and medium sized enterprises owned by women in Kenya connect with international buyers and markets.

Frédérine is the fresh fruits and vegetables expert for the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland and specializes in market linkages, coaching and connecting exporters from developing countries to international buyers and markets. She's worked for 15 years as an international buyer for the European food industry and is very involved with trade related technical assistance projects.

Lizbeth is an Associate Programme Officer at the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland and helps monitor and evaluate the project implementation with SheTrades Initiative.

"[Women] are 50% of the agriculture workforce and it's even higher in Africa, for example, where 70% of food production is done by women, and 80-90% of processing and storage is done by women ." - Frédérine Derlot (9:20)

Clearly, women are a critical part in farming around the world, but the agricultural ecosystem is suffering in developing countries because women aren't given the same opportunities as men. With SheTrades, women are able to connect virtually with other women owned businesses, mentors, and women in the supply chain so they can have the knowledge and support necessary to grow their businesses.

Women entrepreneurs from all over the world are welcome to join and they'll gain access to quality data, help gaining government contracts, networking opportunities to create business deals and assistance starting and growing their business. This is the fostering women need to exchange new ideas, and get support with important decisions like handling difficult customers, production issues and specific transactions.

Why focus on women?

Women are key components and agents of change in food production and farming. Gender equality is more than essential for the security, production, nutrition and supply of our food globally. The United Nations has 17 sustainable goals, one of them being gender equality, which act as a blueprint for our collective sustainable future. Women and children are at the center of this agenda, not only because children are our future, but many countries are not reaching key performance metrics primarily because women don't have equal access there.

Gender equality isn't the only UN Sustainable Goal SheTrades helps achieve. Other goals include:

• No poverty
• Zero hunger
• Good health and wellbeing
• Quality education
• Gender equality
• Clean water and sanitization
• Affordable and clean energy
• Decent work and economic growth
• Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Reduced inequalities
• Sustainable cities and communities
• Responsible consumption and production
• Climate action
• Life below water
• Life on land
• Peace, justice and strong institutions
• Partnerships

Because of COVID-19, the global, regional and local demand completely collapsed for food service.

Not only has the safety and quality been at risk for our health, planting and harvesting haven't been happening properly because of import and export delays, farmers getting sick and cash flow becoming scarce. Transport of food products has been hurt without as many passenger planes flying, coffee farmers haven't been able to get their coffee into ports and many farmers have been at risk because of their age.

Our experts estimate that it will take months for agriculture to recover which is where SheTrades comes in handy, teaching members everything from cash flow management, how to effectively lead during a crisis and helping women create partnerships that will create prosperous ripple effects in economies globally.

The great thing for the women involved in SheTrades is that everything is right at their fingertips virtually, so although the global economy has been affected, the learning, growth, and networking of women in agriculture hasn't slowed down.

"Women invest 90% of their income back into their families, compared to only 35% from men." - Frédérine Derlot (25:30)

What Susan, Frederine and Liz want to help women understand is that even if you're not professionally involved in food and farming, you create just as much of an impact when you make informed shopping decisions. By understanding where your food is shipped from, where your products are created and the developing countries you are supporting with your purchases, you can make a difference. Your choices act as your voice of what global economies you support, and even the smallest purchase can impact developing families and communities.

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!

"Family mealtimes are more important than ever right now to create unity in the family, to be connected, and have an opportunity for meaningful communication at the end of the day."

Stefani Sassos (9:00)

Stefani Sassos, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for the Good Housekeeping Institute. She has been involved in everything from clinical work, work as a fitness instructor, private practice, and is also Board Certified in Oncology as a Nutrition Specialist.

As the head of the Nutritional Lab for Goodhousekeeping institute, Stefani gets to be involved in the testing of all sorts of new fitness equipment and products.

We probably don't even need to tell you this, but, the realm of fitness, wellness, and nutrition is full of misinformation. Trends and fads slide in and out of the public eye, each one touting incredible results.

Goodhousekeeping is committed to thoroughly testing anything before it gets a seal of approval, and their seal of approval is backed by a warranty. They understand that just because something is trendy doesn't mean that it is legitimate or a quality product.

Stefani joined us in a conversation this week to talk about the benefits of family mealtime, how to make mealtime fun for your kids, and the incredible work Good Housekeeping is doing in their Wellness and Nutrition labs.

The Benefits of Family Mealtime

For many of us, the recent pandemic has brought us back to the dinner table. Schedules are cleared, and everyone is home. This new shift in family ritual can come with some major positive long-term effects for your children.

Studies have shown that something as simple as regular family dinners have major benefits for your children

• Better self esteem
• Better academic performance
• Lower rates of drug and alcohol use
• Healthier eating habits
• More fresh produce consumption less sugar
• Healthier body weight
• Lower likelihood of develop disordered eating habits
• Lower risk of depression

Important Principles to Teach Your Children

In the midst of the trends and fads foods are on an ever oscillating list of "good" or "bad" foods. Both villainizing food, and treating it as a best friend can lead to negative long term consequences for your children.

"It always comes back to increasing consumption of produce in volume and variety" - Lori Taylor. (3:00)

Instead of assigning moral value to food, help children understand that food is for nourishment. Encourage them to eat fruits and vegetables by modeling this behavior! It's important for them to see YOU eating nourishing foods.

Make it Fun!

• Make dinner prep a family affair! Assign different tasks to different children and work together to prepare something new (or something you all love).
• Fruit or Veggie of the Week. Let your child pick out the "fruit or veggie of the week." Walk through the produce section and allow your child to pick one item that catches their eye. You may find your new favorite fruit!

(Or take the Produce Challenge!)

• Create Your Own "Episode" of Chopped. The challenge is simple, your family has to create a meal by scavenging the fridge and using only the ingredients you have on hand. See how creative you can get!

• Stay Hydrated! Ok, this tip may not fall within the "fun" category, but it is crucial. Pushing hydration is the number one thing you can do for yourself and your family. When you are hydrated you feel better and your make better choices with your food and nutrition.

Whether you adventure into new territory with a starfruit or kohlrabi, or stick to the tried and true, make it a point to make fruits and vegetables something your kids want to eat, instead of something they have to eat.

The Wellness Lab

Good Housekeeping Institute houses seven different testing spaces, including the Wellness Lab.

Wellness is a buzzword that has grown so much, especially in recent months. Historically, Good Housekeeping hasn't had a notable fitness/wellness presence, but they are currently working to expand into this space, and are producing incredible, quality content that holds enormous value for readers.

From fitness equipment to yoga apps and everything in between, the staff is committed to making sure they are recommending the very best items on the market. Stefani, and her team at Good Housekeeping, understands that in order for wellness products to work, they need to be accessible to you wherever you are.

Each Wednesday staff in the Wellness Lab participate in "Wellness Wednesday." They all come together for a group meditation or workout.

Try it at home. Make Wednesday a "Wellness Wednesday." Whether you take a little "me" time, or let your kids join in the fun, Good Housekeeping has compiled lists of some handy apps that can help you intentionally focus on your wellness.

• Best Meditation apps
• Best Workout apps
• Best Yoga apps

"Nutrition and wellness is either a way to fuel your body, nourish your body, and create longevity, or its a way to fuel illness if you aren't taking care of yourself." - Stefani Sassos (18:00)

Nutrition Lab

The Nutrition Lab at Good Housekeeping rigorously analyzes and assesses new trends in the nutrition realm. Their goal is to thoroughly research and then translate the research to the reader. The internet is full of long studies that can look like gibberish, Good Housekeeping cuts out the nonessentials and gives you what you actually need to know, in a way that is easily to consume.

There are countless fad diets out there, and Stefani shared that it's really important to remember that there is no one-size-fits all diet. However, there is almost always something positive you can take away from each diet.

Drinking more water, eating less refined sugars, eating more produce, maybe the rest is junk full of empty promises, but these components are the building blocks of any healthy diet.

When the Nutrition Lab tests products there is a long list of criteria they check off before giving it the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. They analyze nutrition and ingredients, but also validate the claims about the products usage (i.e. does the product actually lower cholesterol?).

Stefani and Good Housekeeping is doing such an incredible job of researching, testing, and sharing incredible information to their readers. Check out their website, get connected, and continue on in this journey towards a healthier life for your entire family!

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.
• Visit Good Housekeeping's website for more incredible information of fitness, wellness, and a host of other topics.
• Follow Stefani Sassos on Instagram or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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!

"Restaurants are not just good for business, but good for life."

Lori Taylor (19:54)

As a champion of the fresh produce industry, The Produce Moms has made it a top priority to cover the recent pandemic, and its effects on the produce industry, from the front lines.

We have so many friends and partnerships who have been directly affected by the recent events, and we have watched in awe as they have regrouped, pivoted, and continued to do their best to supply us with fresh, safe produce.

Fresh Edge, a longtime friend of The Produce Moms, is a family of fresh food distributors. This includes Indianapolis Fruit, which wholesale distribution to retailers, Piazza Produce and Get Fresh, both of which supply restaurants and the food service sector (hotels, event centers, retirement homes, etc.).

Greg Corsaro, President and COO of Fresh Edge, and Michael Grinstead, General Manager of Get Fresh, gave some timely insight on how they are continually innovating and doing their best to keep the produce industry thriving during such uncertain times.

The United Fresh Produce Excellence in Food Service Award Program

This month Fresh Edge, in partnership with the United Fresh Produce Association, honored nine of the country's most innovative chefs and food services professionals as part of the United Fresh Produce Excellence in Food Service Award Program.

The profession of a chef is, perhaps, one of the most taxing career choices. It is one that comes with 20 hour days, high-stress environments, and adapting to an environment that is always changing.

This year the category of Supermarkets and Retail Operators has been added to the award program. While most of the chefs honored work in a traditional environment, grocery store prepared food sections in certain stores rival those of restaurants.

Because of the current events, there will be no in person recognition for these chefs. However, they are being honored all summer long in a FREE virtual expo, United Fresh 2020. This is a fantastic opportunity to interact with the nominees and learn more about Fresh Edge.

Trucks Full of Produce with No Destination

The memory of the day life as we knew it came screeching to a halt is still fresh in the minds of most. Most of us quickly realize that with the closure of schools, restaurants, and hotels the produce industry was direly affected.

What most probably realize is the abrupt nature of these decisions were just as abrupt for the produce industry as they were for us.

Billions of dollars of perishable produce were sitting in warehouses or riding in trucks enroute to destinations. Trucks full of produce that no longer had a place to go.

As orders were cancelled and food banks were overwhelmed by produce suppliers across the nation trying to make the best of a horrendous situation, Greg shared that they tried to donate as much as possible, but the waste of so much produce was probably as devastating as the loss of revenue going forward.

"Throughout this whole pandemic, with the emphasis placed on proper hygiene and sanitation measures… we haven't had to alter our practices." - Greg Corsaro. (7:20)

One encouraging aspect of all of this for Fresh Edge has been to notice that in proper hygiene and sanitation measures, they haven't had to alter their practices in food handling. They have been, and still are, an incredible source of safe fresh produce.

Now, as our economy begins to reopen, growers still aren't sure what to plan for. The world is far from "business as usual," and Greg joked that it feels much like the Jelly of the Month club from the cult classic Christmas film, National Lampoons' Christmas Vacation. It's the "gift that keeps on giving."

Amidst so much uncertainty, one thing remains.

"Food security is national security… we have to keep food moving in this country." - Lori Taylor. (6:54)

The produce industry must keep food moving.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

It has been amazing to see how different links of the supply chain have gotten creative to continue to provide produce to customers.

From the moment the crisis unfolded, Fresh Edge began working hard to find a home for their produce supply. In the days after businesses began shutting down, they donated to employees, food banks, agencies, and began seeking out alternative revenue sources.

One of the ways they have continued to supply produce is through their pop up markets in the Indianapolis area! Customers can pre-order from an array of boxes - fruit, vegetable, protein. Trucks are parked in a centralized location and customers can then simply drive up and pick up their order.

"A lot of peers in the food service industry have had amazing innovation out of absolute desire just to survive."

- Michael Grinstead. (15:32)

Are meal prep boxes, pop up markets, and simplified menus here to stay?

For Fresh Edge, it's too difficult to tell right now what will stick around on the other side of present necessities. For some, the success of these new business strategies will become foundational pillars of a new business model to survive the new normal.

The produce industry is a resilient community who is fighting hard to remain strong, solvent, and able to provide YOU with fresh produce. They are depending on you.

How can you help?

The best way for you to do your part is to continue supporting the produce industry. Keep buying and eating your fruits and vegetables, and encourage friends and family to do the same.

We'll get through this together.

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.
• Gain FREE access to United Fresh 2020, a live expo bringing people together to learn, to create value, and build our future together.
• Learn more about the incredible Fresh Edge family.

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!