For Immediate Release: Sept. 14, 2017
Contacts: Marilyn Bay Drake 303-594-3827 or admin@coloradoproduce.org
The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) is pleased to see schools throughout the state focus on serving local foods in their school cafeterias and applauds yesterday’s celebration of Colorado Proud School Meal Day. According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), an estimated 200,000 students statewide will saw their school’s food service incorporate Colorado foods into meals as a springboard to discuss healthy eating and its connection to Colorado agriculture.
“Not only does buying local foods make sense from a health and nutrition point-of-view, it is important for Coloradans to provide economic support to Colorado farmers and ranchers,” said CFVGA Roger Mix, Center, Colo., CFVGA vice president and chair of the CFVGA Nutrition & Health Committee. “Vital to getting kids to eat more healthy food is to serve the best quality products available. Sourcing local produce is an outstanding way to serve tasty, fresh food.”
In addition to supporting the Colorado Proud School Meal Day, CFVGA encourages consumption of local produce through its produce calendar, which links to nutrition information, recipes and buying tips: https://coloradoproduce.org/nutrition-health-2/ In addition, the produce calendar helps link consumers with growers here: https://coloradoproduce.org/produce-directory/
The Colorado fruit and vegetable growing sector contributes nearly $300 million to Colorado at the farm gate and is multiplied as it goes through the distribution chain. Over 60,000 Colorado acres are in fruit and vegetable production. For more on the CFVGA, call 303-594-3827 or visit www.coloradoproduce.org
The CFVGA is comprised of more than 200 members, including growers of all sizes and types of production throughout the state, as well as representatives of allied industries. The CFVGA focuses on issues affecting the entire industry, including labor, water, food safety, nutrition, and business development.
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