Podcasts Health The Produce Moms Podcast EP14: Advocating for Fresh Produce with Mollie Van Lieu, Senior Director, Nutrition Policy, United Fresh Produce

EP14: Advocating for Fresh Produce with Mollie Van Lieu, Senior Director, Nutrition Policy, United Fresh Produce

Published: Aug. 8, 2018, 10 a.m.

b'

\\u201cOver 90% of the produce items USDA is purchasing for schools are dried, canned, or frozen\\u2026 The opportunities created by the Farm Bill could be the only time that a child has access to fresh fruit and vegetables.\\u201d

Mollie Van Lieu, Senior Director of the Nutrition Policy for United Fresh Produce, spends her days on The Hill, promoting change in our government regarding nutrition. Her mission is to increase the availability and consumption of fresh produce in our homes and schools. Before joining forces with United Fresh Produce, Mollie was the Senior Associate for Government Relations at The Pew Charitable Trusts. She was also the Senior Policy Strategist for the National PTA.

\\u201cWe have been working with the Senate and House to ensure that fruits and vegetables are incentivized\\u2026 ensuring that we can grow these programs where the most people are shopping is really important.\\u201d

In this episode, Lori and Mollie discuss the upcoming Farm Bill, and its potential impact on schools and government assistance. Mollie explains the political nature of nutrition, and delves into some of the different programs that are supported through Farm Bill.

\\u201cGet as involved as you possibly can with United Fresh. I became a much better advocate, a much more passionate participant in our industry when I started getting involved with the political action.\\u201d

Mollie is influencing lasting change in our government. However, you don\\u2019t have to be a Senior Director in Washington DC to have an influence in policy. If you would like to do your part, below are some quick, easy, effective ways that you can be a part of impacting our nation!

  1. Click the link below to advocate for fresh produce -\\xa0http://www.unitedfresh.org/action/
  1. Visit the website of your members of Congress. Send them an email sharing your

desire to continue providing fresh produce (instead of all forms- frozen, dried, canned) to our children!

Some Topics we talk about in this episode:

  • Introduction // Mollie Van Lieu - 1:19
  • What is United Fresh Produce Association?- 3:40
  • Why is Nutrition a Political Issue?- 7:02
  • What is Farm Bill, and What Programs Does it Support?- 9:55
  • What are the Critical Issues Regarding Child Nutrition?- 12:45
  • How You Can Get Involved- 18:42
  • Critical Issues Represented in Farm Bill- 24:36
  • Wrap-up - 26:21

How to get involved

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\\u2019d love for you to help us spread the word!

'