FFVA Food News Update

March 13, 2006

Issue 1106

"If you get a bill that only has employer sanctions and increased enforcement without considering the rest of the immigration problem including guest workers, that is going to be a tremendous blow to the economy of this country - not just to agriculture," said Walter Kates, director of FFVA's Labor Relations Division.

FLORIDA STUDENTS STILL LEFT OUT OF HEALTHY SNACK PROGRAM

Teachers at 375 schools in 14 states are not just teaching about fruits and vegetables, they're giving them away in their classrooms, courtesy of a federal program. Unfortunately Florida is not one of those states.

FFVA hopes to change that.

About four years ago, USDA conducted a 100-school national pilot program where students of elementary though high school were offered free fruits and vegetables at various times of the school day. A study of the pilot program later showed that 80 percent of students and 83 percent of principals thought the program was very successful. In 2004, the fruits and vegetable pilot program became official.

Plans are to continue providing fresh fruits and vegetables to even more schools, but so far, Florida students have not been included. FFVA representatives visited members and staff of Florida's congressional delegation last week in Washingtion, D.C., and asked them to make funding and implementation of the program in the Sunshiine State a priority.

The program promotes consumption of fruits and vegetables and helps establish healthy eating habits at an early age. For a downloadable brochure describing the success of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, click here.

CITRUS PLAN UNVEILED

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service posted for comment Tuesday (March 7) a draft citrus health response plan, which marks the first step toward a new approach for sustaining Florida’s citrus industry in light of citrus canker spread and other disease threats.

Producers, nursery owners and residents are invited to comment on this plan.
The draft plan would establish an area-wide compliance program and identify minimum standards for implementing appropriate survey, diagnostics, and mitigation measures to reduce the proliferation and spread of citrus canker and other diseases of regulatory significance.

In addition to sustaining Florida’s citrus industry, USDA says the goal of the plan is also to safeguard other citrus producing states against the spread of citrus canker and citrus greening, which was recently identified in Florida.

The 2004 and 2005 hurricanes spread citrus canker so extensively that it was determined on Jan. 10, 2006, that eradication was no longer a scientifically feasible option. At that time, the established program was modified to stop the practice of destroying trees within 1,900 feet of an infected tree. Since eradication is no longer possible, tree removal is no longer mandatory, whether or not the tree is infected.

Key components of the draft Citrus Health Response Plan include:
- Biosecurity to minimize the spread of disease transfer through clothing, equipment and vehicles
- Registration of all citrus producers, production units, nurseries, budwood facilities, harvesters and packinghouses
- Inspection of all nursery stock prior to movement so it can be certified as disease free
- Inspection of all citrus within 90 days of harvest
- Continued commercial surveillance by government officials and through self-survey to identify any new infections of citrus canker or other citrus diseases

The draft plan is available in the Member Resources section at www.ffva.com, and on the APHIS Website. To provide comments on the plan, please email chrp@aphis.usda.gov.

ORANGE CROP ESTIMATES DOWN

Florida’s orange crop will be about 2.5 percent smaller than projected last month following damage from Hurricane Wilma last October. The USDA forecast says this year’s crop will be 154 million boxes, down from 158 million forecast in February. Orange juice prices in New York have more than doubled since the 2004 hurricane season.

STUDY SHOWS HIGH-FIBER, LOW-FAT DIET HELPS KIDS' HEARTS

Overweight children kept on a “nutritious” diet and encouraged to exercise during a two-week period showed a dramatic reduction in cholesterol and insulin levels, according to a study presented last week at the American Heart Association’s annual conference.

The children, aged 9 to 15, were kept on high-fiber, low-fat and low-cholesterol diets, rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grains, with moderate amounts of lean protein.

After two weeks, total cholesterol levels fell on average 21 percent, while LDL (bad) cholesterol dropped 25 percent, said researchers from the University of California. Insulin levels also decreased around 30 percent.

The scientists, led by Dr James Barnard, claimed their study demonstrates that simple changes in diet and exercise, even after a very short period, can have significant protective effects against heart disease.

-Source: Food Navigator