Viva Fresh 2023 ready to ‘walk the talk’

The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) has eyes on the prize for its Viva Fresh 2023 event, and they’re all pointed toward promoting health and wellness through increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

Viva Fresh 2023, which returns to the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, March 30-April 1, is set to inspire attendees and exhibitors throughout the three-day event devoted to the fresh produce industry and its critical role in healthy living.

This year’s keynote is Charlie Jabaley, otherwise known as “Charlie Rocket,” the multimillionaire founder and CEO of Dream Machine Foundation, an organization aimed at making dreams come true for people in need. Jabaley founded Street Execs, a music label representing talent like 2 Chainz and Travis Porter, and built a music empire at an early age.

When Jabaley received a brain tumor diagnosis at the height of his career in the music business, he was forced to reevaluate his life choices, his life style, and his personal health. Today, he lives with a benign brain tumor but that journey has transformed him into a health advocate, inspirational leader, athlete and philanthropist.

Rocket will deliver the Viva Fresh keynote on March 31 from 12-2 p.m.

Also on the health track, this year’s Viva Fresh will present the fourth annual “Clean Eating Challenge” award.

TIPA is motivated by the fact that eating more fruits and vegetables can change lives by improving not only how you feel, but also having the potential to impact and reduce chronic disease.

Since 2020, the challenge has captured the attention of the produce industry as participants across the country motivate themselves every year to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their daily routines. As a welcome bonus, participants have lost more than 1,000 pounds in the three years of the challenge and have enjoyed even more positive side effects like being able to reduce or eliminate the need for health-related prescriptions.

“We need to walk the talk. We need to be on board with healthy eating and fruit and vegetable consumption too,” said Dante Galeazzi, CEO and president of the Texas International Produce Association. “We’re not trying to push a fad diet with the Clean Eating Challenge,”  Galeazzi continued. “Our objective is to make progress in showing our community how small changes can have a big impact.”

For the 2022 Clean Eating Challenge, 12 applicants from the produce industry were selected to be featured participants in the six-month program that focused on building a healthy lifestyle.

Participants chronicled their journey on the clean Eating Challenge website, vivacleaneating.com, and participants in previous challenges served as peer mentors.

“It’s the fourth month of the [Clean Eating Challenge] and the first month of 2023 and I feel more motivated than on day one,” wrote Montse De La Rosa with Triple H. “I think it’s because I’ve noticeably improved my portions, which results in me no longer feeling the need to eat everything on my plate despite already feeling full … My clothes are looser on me and some people have told me that I look more ‘alive’ and happy.”

Another participant, Brendan Haslam with Bolthouse, posted: “I’ve been good most weeks since I started the Viva Fresh Clean Eating Challenge — eating three square meals with relatively healthy snacks in between, some exercise and increased fruit and vegetable consumption. It’s not been perfect, per se, but definitely feeling better about myself and my choices with regards to food and overall lifestyle.”

Community support and involvement are major factors in the ongoing success of the Clean Eating Challenge, said Galeazzi.

“We know how hard it is to make enduring changes,” said Galeazzi. “It takes a combination of efforts and approaches — it takes a community to make change. When our industry takes the Clean Eating Challenge, it provides an opportunity for others to model their healthy habits. Afterall, we want people to eat more fruit and vegetables for both economic and health reasons,” he said.

In 2022, Clean Eating Challenge participants:

• Were more active — one participant reported over 2.23 million steps — the equivalent of over 1,005 miles.
• Incorporated many more servings of fruits and vegetables, the main pillar of the challenge.
• In certain cases, decreased their blood pressure numbers by over 20 points.
• Came back into healthy cholesterol ranges.
• Improved their sleep.
• Lost over 360 pounds and hundreds of inches.

This year’s Clean Eating Challenge winner will be announced April 1.