WASHINGTON CONFERENCE. The Power of Fresh ISSUES BRIEF

Transcription

1 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE The Power of Fresh ISSUES BRIEF

2 CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION For more than a decade, the produce industry has played a leadership role in driving nutrition policy changes that increase children s consumption of fruits and vegetables in school meals and protect the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). We call on Congress to pass the Senate s Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill and send to President Obama to sign into law this year. Although both the Senate and House of Representatives passed Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bills out of committee, the two bills take fundamentally different approaches, and have not been considered on either the House or Senate floor. IMMIGRATION REFORM EXPORTS Congress has been close many times to taking action on immigration reform, but fears and politics have always intervened. Today s political environment has stalled any progress, while the industry s labor force dwindles and an inefficient H-2A guest worker program further erodes our ability to harvest and pack crops. 4,800 American agriculture must have a twofold labor solution a pathway to legal status for our valued, but undocumented workers already engaged in agriculture, and a new, or at least significantly improved, guest worker program to bring in skilled agriculture workers to do the jobs Americans are unwilling to do. United Fresh supports the Senate Agriculture Committee s bipartisan child nutrition bill that protects strong fruit and vegetable standards in school meals, protects the requirement that a school meal must include at least a ½ cup of a fruit or a vegetable, and protects the integrity of the FFVP while allowing flexibility for schools in remote areas. United Fresh opposes the House Education and the Workforce Committee s partisan child nutrition bill which rolls back many of the improvements made in healthier school meals and guts the FFVP by allowing all forms of processed fruits and vegetables and other snack foods to be served. The nutrition standards are working! Students are eating more fruits and vegetables at school. Fruit consumption is up 23% and vegetable consumption has increased 16%.When public health calls for filling half our plate with fruits and vegetables, it makes no sense to roll back these very modest steps. How could anyone call it a healthy school lunch if it doesn t include at least one-half cup of a fruit or a vegetable? The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a model of success 4 M low income elementary students benefit every day from a wide variety of great-tasting fresh fruit and vegetable snacks that help them develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime. The FFVP significantly increases children s fruit and vegetable consumption; is very popular with schools, parents and children; and results in students eating more fruits and vegetables at lunch. Students already have access to plenty of processed fruits and vegetables in school meals. Congress needs to protect the FFVP to ensure students are introduced to fresh fruits and vegetables. We call on Congress to pass the Senate Child Nutrition Bill and send to President Obama to sign into law. This bill keeps the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program FRESH and protects the ½ cup of fruits and vegetables in school meals. The fresh produce industry also opposes a mandatory E-verify requirement, without a companion guest worker program. Furthermore, we need reform to reduce the inefficiency and bureaucracy in the current H-2A guest worker program. Since 2012, more than 32 MILLION STUDENTS have enjoyed healthier school meals every day that include a wide variety of While comprehensive immigration reform continues to be a top issue for the fresh produce industry, we are also working to show bipartisan support for reforming the current H-2A program. With no alternatives, growers have doubled the use of the H-2A program in recent years, with 20% growth expected annually for the foreseeable future. H-2A is the only program that growers can use to find a viable and legal workforce at this time, so it is essential that it be improved to meet growers needs. We call on Congress to understand that comprehensive immigration reform is still critical for the fresh produce industry! Without long-term comprehensive reform, labor shortages will fundamentally undercut the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry. Until then, Congress and the Administration must improve the H-2A program s efficiency, and provide oversight of federal agencies running this program. From FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS MADE UP 73% OF FIELD AND CROP LABORERS IN THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE FREE AND FAIR TRADE Free and fair trade works for the fresh produce industry. Gaining access to export markets is critical for U.S. growers, and the U.S. needs to apply the same standards in considering imports as we expect from other countries. We live in a global industry, and it s important that U.S. and foreign negotiators reach agreements that facilitate free and fair trade without protectionism and unscientific sanitary and phytosanitary barriers. In 2015, Congress reached a breakthrough in trade policy and passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which has been signed into law by the President. This means the President can present negotiated trade agreements to Congress for a yes or no vote. United Fresh supported TPA because of its critical role in enabling trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has the potential to provide significant produce trade opportunities in Asia, North America and South America. Since that time, countries that are a party to the TPP, including the United States, have completed negotiations and Congress now needs to approve TPP for the produce industry to see the benefits of this agreement. We call on Congress to Pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement now!

3 CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION For more than a decade, the produce industry has played a leadership role in driving nutrition policy changes that increase children s consumption of fruits and vegetables in school meals and protect the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). We call on Congress to pass the Senate s Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill and send to President Obama to sign into law this year. Although both the Senate and House of Representatives passed Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bills out of committee, the two bills take fundamentally different approaches, and have not been considered on either the House or Senate floor. IMMIGRATION REFORM EXPORTS Congress has been close many times to taking action on immigration reform, but fears and politics have always intervened. Today s political environment has stalled any progress, while the industry s labor force dwindles and an inefficient H-2A guest worker program further erodes our ability to harvest and pack crops. 4,800 American agriculture must have a twofold labor solution a pathway to legal status for our valued, but undocumented workers already engaged in agriculture, and a new, or at least significantly improved, guest worker program to bring in skilled agriculture workers to do the jobs Americans are unwilling to do. United Fresh supports the Senate Agriculture Committee s bipartisan child nutrition bill that protects strong fruit and vegetable standards in school meals, protects the requirement that a school meal must include at least a ½ cup of a fruit or a vegetable, and protects the integrity of the FFVP while allowing flexibility for schools in remote areas. United Fresh opposes the House Education and the Workforce Committee s partisan child nutrition bill which rolls back many of the improvements made in healthier school meals and guts the FFVP by allowing all forms of processed fruits and vegetables and other snack foods to be served. The nutrition standards are working! Students are eating more fruits and vegetables at school. Fruit consumption is up 23% and vegetable consumption has increased 16%.When public health calls for filling half our plate with fruits and vegetables, it makes no sense to roll back these very modest steps. How could anyone call it a healthy school lunch if it doesn t include at least one-half cup of a fruit or a vegetable? The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a model of success 4 M low income elementary students benefit every day from a wide variety of great-tasting fresh fruit and vegetable snacks that help them develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime. The FFVP significantly increases children s fruit and vegetable consumption; is very popular with schools, parents and children; and results in students eating more fruits and vegetables at lunch. Students already have access to plenty of processed fruits and vegetables in school meals. Congress needs to protect the FFVP to ensure students are introduced to fresh fruits and vegetables. We call on Congress to pass the Senate Child Nutrition Bill and send to President Obama to sign into law. This bill keeps the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program FRESH and protects the ½ cup of fruits and vegetables in school meals. The fresh produce industry also opposes a mandatory E-verify requirement, without a companion guest worker program. Furthermore, we need reform to reduce the inefficiency and bureaucracy in the current H-2A guest worker program. Since 2012, more than 32 MILLION STUDENTS have enjoyed healthier school meals every day that include a wide variety of While comprehensive immigration reform continues to be a top issue for the fresh produce industry, we are also working to show bipartisan support for reforming the current H-2A program. With no alternatives, growers have doubled the use of the H-2A program in recent years, with 20% growth expected annually for the foreseeable future. H-2A is the only program that growers can use to find a viable and legal workforce at this time, so it is essential that it be improved to meet growers needs. We call on Congress to understand that comprehensive immigration reform is still critical for the fresh produce industry! Without long-term comprehensive reform, labor shortages will fundamentally undercut the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry. Until then, Congress and the Administration must improve the H-2A program s efficiency, and provide oversight of federal agencies running this program. From FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS MADE UP 73% OF FIELD AND CROP LABORERS IN THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE FREE AND FAIR TRADE Free and fair trade works for the fresh produce industry. Gaining access to export markets is critical for U.S. growers, and the U.S. needs to apply the same standards in considering imports as we expect from other countries. We live in a global industry, and it s important that U.S. and foreign negotiators reach agreements that facilitate free and fair trade without protectionism and unscientific sanitary and phytosanitary barriers. In 2015, Congress reached a breakthrough in trade policy and passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which has been signed into law by the President. This means the President can present negotiated trade agreements to Congress for a yes or no vote. United Fresh supported TPA because of its critical role in enabling trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has the potential to provide significant produce trade opportunities in Asia, North America and South America. Since that time, countries that are a party to the TPP, including the United States, have completed negotiations and Congress now needs to approve TPP for the produce industry to see the benefits of this agreement. We call on Congress to Pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement now!

4 SPECIALTY CROP IN 2012, LABOR SHORTAGES ON FARMS LED TO $3.3B IN MISSED GDP GROWTH & $1.3B IN LOST FARM INCOME

5 CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION For more than a decade, the produce industry has played a leadership role in driving nutrition policy changes that increase children s consumption of fruits and vegetables in school meals and protect the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). We call on Congress to pass the Senate s Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill and send to President Obama to sign into law this year. Although both the Senate and House of Representatives passed Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bills out of committee, the two bills take fundamentally different approaches, and have not been considered on either the House or Senate floor. IMMIGRATION REFORM EXPORTS Congress has been close many times to taking action on immigration reform, but fears and politics have always intervened. Today s political environment has stalled any progress, while the industry s labor force dwindles and an inefficient H-2A guest worker program further erodes our ability to harvest and pack crops. 4,800 American agriculture must have a twofold labor solution a pathway to legal status for our valued, but undocumented workers already engaged in agriculture, and a new, or at least significantly improved, guest worker program to bring in skilled agriculture workers to do the jobs Americans are unwilling to do. United Fresh supports the Senate Agriculture Committee s bipartisan child nutrition bill that protects strong fruit and vegetable standards in school meals, protects the requirement that a school meal must include at least a ½ cup of a fruit or a vegetable, and protects the integrity of the FFVP while allowing flexibility for schools in remote areas. United Fresh opposes the House Education and the Workforce Committee s partisan child nutrition bill which rolls back many of the improvements made in healthier school meals and guts the FFVP by allowing all forms of processed fruits and vegetables and other snack foods to be served. The nutrition standards are working! Students are eating more fruits and vegetables at school. Fruit consumption is up 23% and vegetable consumption has increased 16%.When public health calls for filling half our plate with fruits and vegetables, it makes no sense to roll back these very modest steps. How could anyone call it a healthy school lunch if it doesn t include at least one-half cup of a fruit or a vegetable? The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a model of success 4 M low income elementary students benefit every day from a wide variety of great-tasting fresh fruit and vegetable snacks that help them develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime. The FFVP significantly increases children s fruit and vegetable consumption; is very popular with schools, parents and children; and results in students eating more fruits and vegetables at lunch. Students already have access to plenty of processed fruits and vegetables in school meals. Congress needs to protect the FFVP to ensure students are introduced to fresh fruits and vegetables. We call on Congress to pass the Senate Child Nutrition Bill and send to President Obama to sign into law. This bill keeps the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program FRESH and protects the ½ cup of fruits and vegetables in school meals. The fresh produce industry also opposes a mandatory E-verify requirement, without a companion guest worker program. Furthermore, we need reform to reduce the inefficiency and bureaucracy in the current H-2A guest worker program. Since 2012, more than 32 MILLION STUDENTS have enjoyed healthier school meals every day that include a wide variety of While comprehensive immigration reform continues to be a top issue for the fresh produce industry, we are also working to show bipartisan support for reforming the current H-2A program. With no alternatives, growers have doubled the use of the H-2A program in recent years, with 20% growth expected annually for the foreseeable future. H-2A is the only program that growers can use to find a viable and legal workforce at this time, so it is essential that it be improved to meet growers needs. We call on Congress to understand that comprehensive immigration reform is still critical for the fresh produce industry! Without long-term comprehensive reform, labor shortages will fundamentally undercut the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry. Until then, Congress and the Administration must improve the H-2A program s efficiency, and provide oversight of federal agencies running this program. From FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS MADE UP 73% OF FIELD AND CROP LABORERS IN THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE FREE AND FAIR TRADE Free and fair trade works for the fresh produce industry. Gaining access to export markets is critical for U.S. growers, and the U.S. needs to apply the same standards in considering imports as we expect from other countries. We live in a global industry, and it s important that U.S. and foreign negotiators reach agreements that facilitate free and fair trade without protectionism and unscientific sanitary and phytosanitary barriers. In 2015, Congress reached a breakthrough in trade policy and passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which has been signed into law by the President. This means the President can present negotiated trade agreements to Congress for a yes or no vote. United Fresh supported TPA because of its critical role in enabling trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has the potential to provide significant produce trade opportunities in Asia, North America and South America. Since that time, countries that are a party to the TPP, including the United States, have completed negotiations and Congress now needs to approve TPP for the produce industry to see the benefits of this agreement. We call on Congress to Pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement now!

6 98% OF U.S. FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS ARE FAMILY FARMS 22

7 CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION For more than a decade, the produce industry has played a leadership role in driving nutrition policy changes that increase children s consumption of fruits and vegetables in school meals and protect the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). We call on Congress to pass the Senate s Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill and send to President Obama to sign into law this year. Although both the Senate and House of Representatives passed Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bills out of committee, the two bills take fundamentally different approaches, and have not been considered on either the House or Senate floor. IMMIGRATION REFORM EXPORTS Congress has been close many times to taking action on immigration reform, but fears and politics have always intervened. Today s political environment has stalled any progress, while the industry s labor force dwindles and an inefficient H-2A guest worker program further erodes our ability to harvest and pack crops. 4,800 American agriculture must have a twofold labor solution a pathway to legal status for our valued, but undocumented workers already engaged in agriculture, and a new, or at least significantly improved, guest worker program to bring in skilled agriculture workers to do the jobs Americans are unwilling to do. United Fresh supports the Senate Agriculture Committee s bipartisan child nutrition bill that protects strong fruit and vegetable standards in school meals, protects the requirement that a school meal must include at least a ½ cup of a fruit or a vegetable, and protects the integrity of the FFVP while allowing flexibility for schools in remote areas. United Fresh opposes the House Education and the Workforce Committee s partisan child nutrition bill which rolls back many of the improvements made in healthier school meals and guts the FFVP by allowing all forms of processed fruits and vegetables and other snack foods to be served. The nutrition standards are working! Students are eating more fruits and vegetables at school. Fruit consumption is up 23% and vegetable consumption has increased 16%.When public health calls for filling half our plate with fruits and vegetables, it makes no sense to roll back these very modest steps. How could anyone call it a healthy school lunch if it doesn t include at least one-half cup of a fruit or a vegetable? The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a model of success 4 M low income elementary students benefit every day from a wide variety of great-tasting fresh fruit and vegetable snacks that help them develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime. The FFVP significantly increases children s fruit and vegetable consumption; is very popular with schools, parents and children; and results in students eating more fruits and vegetables at lunch. Students already have access to plenty of processed fruits and vegetables in school meals. Congress needs to protect the FFVP to ensure students are introduced to fresh fruits and vegetables. We call on Congress to pass the Senate Child Nutrition Bill and send to President Obama to sign into law. This bill keeps the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program FRESH and protects the ½ cup of fruits and vegetables in school meals. The fresh produce industry also opposes a mandatory E-verify requirement, without a companion guest worker program. Furthermore, we need reform to reduce the inefficiency and bureaucracy in the current H-2A guest worker program. Since 2012, more than 32 MILLION STUDENTS have enjoyed healthier school meals every day that include a wide variety of While comprehensive immigration reform continues to be a top issue for the fresh produce industry, we are also working to show bipartisan support for reforming the current H-2A program. With no alternatives, growers have doubled the use of the H-2A program in recent years, with 20% growth expected annually for the foreseeable future. H-2A is the only program that growers can use to find a viable and legal workforce at this time, so it is essential that it be improved to meet growers needs. We call on Congress to understand that comprehensive immigration reform is still critical for the fresh produce industry! Without long-term comprehensive reform, labor shortages will fundamentally undercut the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry. Until then, Congress and the Administration must improve the H-2A program s efficiency, and provide oversight of federal agencies running this program. From FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS MADE UP 73% OF FIELD AND CROP LABORERS IN THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE FREE AND FAIR TRADE Free and fair trade works for the fresh produce industry. Gaining access to export markets is critical for U.S. growers, and the U.S. needs to apply the same standards in considering imports as we expect from other countries. We live in a global industry, and it s important that U.S. and foreign negotiators reach agreements that facilitate free and fair trade without protectionism and unscientific sanitary and phytosanitary barriers. In 2015, Congress reached a breakthrough in trade policy and passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which has been signed into law by the President. This means the President can present negotiated trade agreements to Congress for a yes or no vote. United Fresh supported TPA because of its critical role in enabling trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has the potential to provide significant produce trade opportunities in Asia, North America and South America. Since that time, countries that are a party to the TPP, including the United States, have completed negotiations and Congress now needs to approve TPP for the produce industry to see the benefits of this agreement. We call on Congress to Pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement now!

8 ABOUT UNITED FRESH PRODUCE ASSOCIATION Founded in 1904, the United Fresh Produce Association brings together companies across every segment of the fresh produce supply chain, including growers, shippers, fresh-cut processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, industry suppliers and allied associations. We empower industry leaders to shape sound government policy. We deliver the resources and expertise companies need to succeed in managing complex business and technical issues. We provide the training and development individuals need to advance their careers in produce. Through these endeavors, we unite our industry with a common purpose to build long-term value for our members and grow produce consumption. Learn more at UNITED FRESH 2016 GOVERNMENT RELATIONS STAFF Robert L. Guenther Senior Vice President, Public Policy rguenther@unitedfresh.org Lorelei DiSogra, Ed.D., R.D. Vice President, Nutrition & Health ldisogra@unitedfresh.org Dr. Jennifer McEntire Vice President, Food Safety & Technology jmcentire@unitedfresh.org Angela Bezon Tiwari Director, Grassroots and Political Action atiwari@unitedfresh.org Erin Grether Manager, Grassroots Coalitions egrether@unitedfresh.org Julie Manes Director, Government Relations jmanes@unitedfresh.org Parker Linn Government Relations Assistant plinn@unitedfresh.org Thomas E. Stenzel President & CEO tstenzel@unitedfresh.org