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September was one of the most impactful months at The Produce Moms. Our guests this month are deeply committed to improving public health and the environment — from upcycling food and reducing waste to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and helping revive food-insecure neighborhoods. Their work is inspiring real change across the U.S. and around the world.
We began the month with Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, who joined us to celebrate National Fruit and Veggie Month and this year’s theme, “celebrating the roots of our food.” At the Produce For Better Health Foundation, Wendy’s team has produced pioneering research showing how emotional connections to food influence habits and how to make fruit and vegetable consumption easier and more consistent. Their findings are already informing government policy and revealing gaps in dietary guidance, federal funding, and fruit and vegetable intake.
The impact of Hurricane Katrina is still felt in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, where the community became a food desert after the storm. Residents once faced a long, multi-bus trip just to reach a grocery store. Burnell and Keasha Colton used their life savings to open The Lower 9th Ward Market, giving locals access to essentials like fresh fruit and vegetables, diapers, and friendly neighborhood service. Their store is more than a market — it’s a community anchor working to restore the neighborhood’s vitality.
Crunch Pak continues to make healthy snacking easy with sliced apples, carrot and celery sticks, and diced fruit. They’ve expanded partnerships with beloved brands such as Disney and Nickelodeon to feature popular characters on packaging, helping encourage kids to choose healthier options. Crunch Pak also teamed up with Babybel to offer creative pairings that make snacking both fun and nutritious. Their products offer convenient ways for families to enjoy fruit while reducing waste.
On the topic of food waste, Turner Wyatt and the Upcycled Food Association are helping companies transform ingredients that would otherwise be discarded into delicious, nutritious products. The UFA supports brands with certification that enables consumers to identify upcycled products and trust their measurable impact. Members already include innovators like Superfrau and Sunrise Fresh, and together they’re proving upcycling can be both sustainable and tasty.
Keep reading to learn practical ways to reduce food waste, serve more fruits and vegetables to your family, and build lasting habits that make produce a celebrated part of everyday life.
September 2022 Podcast Episode 231
Celebrate National Fruit and Veggie Month with Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak
Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President and CEO of the Produce For Better Health Foundation, joined us to celebrate National Fruit and Veggie Month and discuss this year’s theme, “celebrating the roots of our food.” PBH’s research is helping consumers adopt healthier habits and informing policy changes to improve public health nationwide.
Wendy returned to expand on PBH’s behavioral science findings, which reveal how food, emotions, and habits are tightly linked. Her insights highlight the need to make fruits and vegetables an easy, culturally ingrained habit—similar to how cake is associated with birthdays. For produce to become routine, it must be simple to buy, store, prepare, transport, and eat. Wendy shares practical strategies to increase consumption and create lasting, healthy habits.
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September 2022 Podcast Episode 232
The only remaining grocery store in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward — Burnell and Keasha Cotlon
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Lower Ninth Ward became a food desert. In 2014 Burnell and Keasha Cotlon opened The Lower 9th Ward Market to serve neighbors who previously had to take multiple buses just to reach a grocery store. They started with a walk-up window and eventually expanded into a full-service market offering fresh produce and household essentials.
The Cotlons’ community commitment earned them national attention, including a feature on the Ellen DeGeneres show, which helped them add laundry facilities for locals. They also use community-oriented practices like honor systems to meet neighbors’ needs. Their market is a vital step toward returning the Lower 9th Ward to the thriving community it once was.
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September 2022 Podcast Episode 233
Tony Freytag and the Crunch Pak team bring kids’ favorite characters to America’s #1 sliced apple
Crunch Pak has been helping families enjoy healthy, convenient snacks since 2000. Their sliced apples, carrot and celery packs, and mixed fruit offerings make it easy to choose produce. Recent partnerships with Disney and Nickelodeon add popular characters to packaging to encourage children to reach for fruit. Crunch Pak also partnered with Babybel to suggest playful, tasty combinations that pair apple slices with snackable cheese.
Crunch Pak focuses on creating positive early eating experiences to build lifelong habits. Their innovations make fruits and vegetables more appealing and accessible for busy families.
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September 2022 Podcast Episode 234
How Turner Wyatt and the Upcycled Food Association are fighting food waste
Each year, an estimated 108 billion pounds of food are wasted in the United States — equal to roughly 130 billion meals and more than $408 billion in lost food. While individuals can reduce waste at home, companies have the potential to make a much larger impact through upcycling: transforming ingredients that would otherwise be discarded into new, valuable products.
The Upcycled Food Association supports brands that reclaim byproducts and imperfect produce to create nutritious foods. In three years the association has grown to include more than 225 companies across 20 countries. Examples include Superfrau, which produces a sparkling functional beverage from upcycled whey, and Sunrise Fresh, which turns imperfect cherries into healthy dried snacks.
The UFA also offers a certification so consumers can identify upcycled products and trust that they are making a measurable environmental impact.
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To see a list of all our past episodes, visit www.theproducemoms.com/podcast
