The inaugural Produce For All Leadership Summit is set to convene June 10 in Washington, D.C., cohosted by The Foundation for Fresh Produce and Partnership for a Healthier America.
Noreen Springstead
Organizers say the summit will bring together 130 leaders from across the food, food equity and health spectrums for resource and knowledge sharing and to create an actionable plan to double produce consumption in communities around the U.S. This builds on the commitment that IFPA and PHA announced as part of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health to double consumption of fruits and vegetables in 15 cities by 2030, with Denver and Indianapolis already having signed on as inaugural Good Food Cities, according to a news release.
“PHA has always believed in the power of collaboration; partnership is in our name after all,” PHA President and CEO Noreen Springstead said in the release. “It's going to take every sector coming together to uncover long-term, sustainable solutions to the complex issue of food inequity. This first-of-its-kind event is the first step in uniting powerful and influential leaders across the produce sector to not only commit to, but create plans of action, to ensure that more people have access to the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, thriving lives.”
Some of the organizations set to attend are the American Heart Association, DC Central Kitchen, Feeding America, FMI — the Food Industry Association, Milken Institute School of Public Health, the Rockefeller Foundation, USDA, and the Walmart Foundation.
Cathy Burns
The agenda will focus on why produce and access to produce plays a critical role in building community health and, more specifically, why that matters, the release said. Attendees will also hear about the Good Food Cities work through a diverse panel, including representatives from USDA, Instacart, the city of Indianapolis, the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, Novo Nordisk, and PHA as they highlight the power of acting together to drive systemwide — and communitywide — change.
“An overwhelming majority of Americans are currently struggling with a variety of one or more diet-related diseases caused by issues related to food access, availability, appeal, education and choices. While the economic cost of this is measured at an astounding $1.3 trillion annually, the human cost is immeasurable and untenable,” Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association and The Foundation for Fresh Produce, said in the release. “Our nation's health crisis didn't happen overnight. Creating lasting, sustainable change by coming together at the Produce for All Leadership Summit to develop strategies and interventions and to establish connections to boost consumption of fruits and vegetables will change the trajectory of human health. We believe the outcomes from this inaugural summit will have a transformative impact on public health and shift the paradigm towards good food and healthier communities.”
The Produce For All Leadership Summit will take place June 10 alongside IFPA's Washington Conference, where the produce industry is invited to come to the nation's capital to advocate for produce and floral with those who craft the policy and legislation that has great impact on the larger industry, the release said.
PHA and The Foundation for Fresh Produce noted the support from this year's inaugural sponsors: Instacart, The Mushroom Council, Amazon Access, Bayer, NHL Foundation, American Frozen Food Institute, Arctic Apples, Novo Nordisk, Principal Foundation, Stemilt and Taylor Farms.
