With schools closed because of the pandemic, district foodservice professionals across the country are working with numerous collaborators to ensure students have access to healthy meals.
The United Fresh Produce Association and School Nutrition Association will be highlighting how some of those programs are sourcing and serving fresh produce. The two associations have a web seminar at 2 p.m. Eastern May 13: “Produce in a Pandemic: Providing Children with Fresh Fruits and Vegetables During COVID-19 School Closures.”
Registration is available online and the seminar is free.
Presenters during the web seminar are:
- Andrew Marshall, director of foodservice and foundation partnerships for the United Fresh Produce Association;
- Laura Lynn, school nutrition director at the Brantley County School District, Nahunta, Ga.;
- Sandy Scheele, supervisor of nutrition for Murfreesboro (Tenn.) City Schools;
- Jessica Shelly, director of student dining services at Cincinnati Public Schools;
- Sarah Re, vice president of institutional accounts at Creation Gardens/What Chefs Want, Louisville, Ky.; and
- Lisa McNeece, vice president of foodservice and Industrial sales at Grimmway Enterprises, Bakersfield, Calif.
The two associations recently announced a partnership, in which United Fresh will assist school districts to find produce companies that can provide single-serve, individually-wrapped produce to school meal distribution sites.
For more stories on how the produce industry is keeping fresh fruits and vegetables available during the pandemic, see The Packer’s COVID-19 webpage.
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