12/06/07 Apples & Health

Apples & Health. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Stacie Haaga is a registered dietician and is also the Director for Consumer Health and Education with U.S. Apple. She recently spoke at the Washington State Horticulture Associations annual convention in Wenatchee about how U.S. Apple is working to try and get families to buy and consume more apples. HAAGA: Not only do the apples and the other fruit have to get picked from the trees but they also have to get picked from the supermarket shelves and that's really where I come into play and that's really my focus at U.S. Apple. U.S. Apple is also very involved right now in the labor issue trying to work with the industry and government to make sure there will be a stable workforce in the future. HAAGA: I would be remiss if I did not tell you that that has been our top priority for quite some time now. It has really been all hands on deck on addressing the labor issue to make that you get the labor you need to get your crops picked. Haaga says the message she tries to convey is really about health. HAAGA: I think all of us know that health care costs are increasing. People are facing more chronic diseases. There's a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in this country, especially in our children so when we are looking down the road and we are seeing our children are facing some of the same issue we're facing as adults you know that health is important. And so we are really trying to target a lot of those moms especially who are looking to make positive changes for their families. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.