USDA Under Secretary Moffitt to keynote United Fresh Washington Conference

USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt will keynote Tuesday morning’s Opening General Session Breakfast, September 21 at 8:00 am ET, during this week’s United Fresh 2021 Washington Conference at the Grand Hyatt Washington.

Under Secretary Moffitt oversees the Agricultural Marketing Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and is in charge of assuring fair competition in the marketplace, protecting U.S. crops and livestock from pests and diseases, and regulating genetically engineered crops, among other duties.

The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on Moffitt’s nomination on July 15, 2021 and voted to advance her out of the Committee with bipartisan support on July 26. Moffitt was later confirmed by the Senate in a hearing on August 11. 

When nominated for the Under Secretary position by President Biden, Moffitt was serving as Under Secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture. In that role, Moffitt partnered with other government agencies and lawmakers, with the agricultural industry, nonprofits and community organizations to address some of the biggest challenges facing California, the nation, and the world: drought and the effects of climate change, healthy soils and conservation agriculture, animal and plant health issues, and more. During the COVID-19 public health crisis, Moffitt’s work was focused on healthy food access, fostering a resilient food system, and ensuring the safety of farm workers.

“From growing up and working on a farm, to her impressive work as Under Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Under Secretary Moffitt knows as well as anyone the opportunities and challenges facing fresh produce,” said Robert Guenther, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, United Fresh Produce Association. “We are excited for our Washington Conference attendees to hear the perspective of a leader so heavily immersed in the key issues within the produce industry.”

This week’s Washington Conference, September 20-22 in Washington, D.C., will once again include face-to-face Congressional meetings as the produce industry advocates for the most critical issues impacting the fresh produce supply chain, including labor, food safety, nutrition policy, infrastructure, and more. The event also features a Produce Advocacy Bootcamp for attendees new to communicating with Congress, workshops detailing the public policy issues facing the industry, general sessions with top national leaders, and networking events throughout as our industry’s leaders come together in common purpose to build a stronger business climate.

For more information and to register, visit www.unitedfresh.org or contact Angela Tiwari, United Fresh’s Director, Grassroots & Political Action, at atiwari@unitedfresh.org or 202-303-3416.