The National Mango Board teamed up with Del Monte Fresh Produce to donate mango samples, fact sheets, and promotional materials to students in the 97 Chicago Public Schools that participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). The sampling event took place April 25th and benefit 80,000 children who attend elementary schools in the city’s highest poverty neighborhoods.
“Our mission is to increase the awareness and love for mangos in the United States, one bite at a time,” says Valda Coryat, Director of Marketing, at the National Mango Board. “We are so grateful to participate in the FFVP and to help provide fresh and nutritious fruit to students, many of whom may have never tried mango before. Every child should be given the opportunity to eat healthy, fresh produce.”
“We’re so pleased to be partnering with the National Mango Board and Chicago Public Schools to provide children in Chicago with the ability to try fresh-cut Mango, as part of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program,” said Dennis Christou, Vice President of Marketing – North America for Del Monte Fresh Produce. “Today was a special day that allowed us to partner with the nation’s 3rd largest school district, one of our commodity partners, in the National Mango Board, and to showcase the benefits of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which helps introduce and encourage children to try new fresh fruits and vegetables at school,” he added.
Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. works with the Chicago Public Schools, and many other school districts across the country, to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the FFVP. Today’s event represents the first example of Del Monte Fresh Produce partnering with a produce commodity organization to highlight a specific fruit or vegetable on a school’s FFVP menu. The National Mango Board donated interactive educational materials and mango themed rulers to educate students about mangos.
“The FFVP helps to increase children’s produce consumption at school and at home,” said Andrew Marshall, Director of Foundation Programs and Partnerships at the United Fresh Produce Association, a lead advocate for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. “Research has shown that in schools with the FFVP, students are more accepting of healthier school lunches that include fresh fruits and vegetables, and they are even going home and influencing their families to eat healthy, and choose fresh produce,” he added.
The FFVP is administered by the U.S Department of Agriculture, which provides annual funding to state Child Nutrition agencies. In the 2016-2017 schoolyear, more than $184 million was available for this program nationally, including $5.4 million to implement the FFVP in Illinois. The program started as a pilot program in the 2002 Farm Bill and expanded nationally in the 2008 Farm Bill.
Contact:
Dionysios (Dennis) Christou
Del Monte Fresh Produce
Tel: 305-520-8391