LIKE SWEETS? YOU'LL LOVE FRUIT!

People who like sweets eat more fruit than salty-snack lovers, and people who love fruit eat more sweets than vegetable lovers do, according to two Cornell University analyses.

"If we know a person likes one type of food, this kind of study helps us better predict what other types of foods he or she might prefer," said Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab that studies the psychology behind what people eat and how often they eat it. By better understanding how various foods, such as sweets, are linked by preference, strategies used to market such sweet snacks as candy bars, for example, could be incorporated into an educational program to increase the consumption of fruit.

To see how much fruit sweet and salty-snack lovers ate, Wansink used the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. To determine whether fruit lovers eat more sweets than vegetable lovers, Wansink analyzed the results of a snack consumption survey of 770 individuals.

Source: Medical News Today

BROCHURE COMPLEMENTS MYPYRAMID.GOV WEBSITE

Consumers say they know what they need to do to eat healthfully and move more but don't know how to do it. That's where a new brochure, "Your Personal Path to Health: Steps to a Healthier You!," comes in.

Cooperatively developed by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), and the United States Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (USDA/CNPP), the brochure builds upon the advice provided by the MyPyramid.gov food guidance Web site. It provides realistic, manageable tips on how consumers can incorporate healthful eating habits and physical activity into their daily lives.

Your Personal Path to Health: Steps to a Healthier You! is available free to consumers at USDA Community Extension Offices, various local supermarkets, and on the IFIC Foundation Web site at http://www.ific.org/publications/brochures/pyramidbroch.cfm.

SOUTH FLORIDA FARMING PIONEER DIES

Roy Vandegrift, Jr., a farming pioneer and leader in the Glades, died on Thursday (July 13) after struggling with cancer and heart failure for the past year. He was 85.

Vandegrift was a successful sugar cane and produce farmer, and a leader in organizing and nurturing cooperative farming organizations for half a century. His political activities date from the Kennedy era. He supported and met frequently with leading Florida politicians of the day, including Leroy Collins, George Smathers and candidate John F. Kennedy. Vandegrift was also a frequent hunting partner of Ernest Hemmingway in the 1950's.

He served as a two-term president of FFVA, President of the Florida Sugar Cane League and was a director and executive committee member of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida.

(Photo available: email barbara.wunder@ffva.com)

CORPS ISSUES PERMIT FOR MASSIVE SOUTH FLORIDA RESERVOIR

The South Florida Water Management District received final approval last week from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of the State’s largest water storage reservoir. After years of land acquisition, planning, and permitting, the district can finally begin construction of a 16,770 acre reservoir in western Palm Beach County that is designed to store nearly 62 billion gallons of water.

“The reservoir is a key component of the massive Everglades Restoration Program, and is designed to improve water level management in Lake Okeechobee and reduce huge freshwater releases that have devastated estuaries on Florida’s east coast,” said Alan Peirce, FFVA Regulatory Affairs Manager.

With a price tag that will likely exceed $400 million, this is the first of three reservoirs planned to provide badly needed storage for water that must be discharged from the lake. The two additional reservoirs will be located in Martin and Hendry Counties.

WINN-DIXIE FILES REORGANIZATION PLAN

Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. has announced it has filed its Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization and Disclosure Statement. It says it could emerge from bankruptcy as soon as late October and expects to focus on continued improvement in perishables.