HOUSTON, TX - Rich Dachman, CEO of Brighter Bites, has honed in on industry collaboration in order to increase the consumption of produce. Recently, the nonprofit organization gained another partner in this fight as Chelan Fresh has made a commitment to provide fresh produce to approximately 7,000 Texas families by participating in Brighter Bites’ program. Through this partnership, the two will provide families and teachers in underserved communities with fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education.
“We know that less than half of children eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily. Brighter Bites is changing that by sending home approximately 50 servings of 8-10 varieties of fresh product weekly,” said Dachman. “In order to really make a difference, we need more produce industry partners like Chelan Fresh supporting our mission to improve health by changing the dietary behaviors of our families. By receiving more and more industry support, Brighter Bites will help create even more produce consumers and that will help move the needle on children’s health.”
According to a press release, three out of 10 children in the U.S. are overweight or obese and children now have a 30 percent chance of developing Type 2 diabetes. Through its innovative program, Brighter Bites is working to prevent obesity and improve long-term health outcomes in the communities it serves around the U.S.
“At Chelan Fresh we have observed an encouraging dynamic of kids naturally gravitating toward healthier snacking options when they are made available,” said Chelan Fresh Director of Marketing Mac Riggan. “If they are only offered snacks like chips and candy bars—then obviously, that is what they are going to crave and ask for. But, good news, kids also love apples! The unique little Rockit® apples are incredibly crisp, very sweet, and ridiculously delicious. And, they are the perfect size for kids—making them fun to eat! Rockit is everything everyone loves about apples—miniaturized into a perfect snackable size.”
Chelan Fresh, one of Washington State’s largest suppliers of apples, pears, and cherries, has committed to providing its proprietary Rockit apples nearly every week of Brighter Bites programming to families in Austin and Dallas through May. Chelan Fresh began donating these sweet, small, crispy apples to the Brighter Bites Austin program in December. At that time, Chelan Fresh also made a financial donation and sponsored the printing of bright, co-branded, bilingual materials that provided information about the apples and where to buy them.
“Each family typically goes home with 2-3 pounds of apples, and they are loving them,” said Brighter Bites Sourcing Manager Jennifer Boone. “Children are eating them as soon as their parents pick up their produce bags. The apples are a hit. We’re creating a love for fresh produce in children – what could be better.”
Brighter Bites has data-proven outcomes that show that two years after participating in the program, an average Brighter Bites family consumes 19 additional servings of fresh fruits and vegetables over one week. Chelan Fresh decided that partnering with Brighter Bites was a great way to give back to the community and introduce families to kid-friendly, snacking fruit.
Hats off to these two industry pioneers for their dedication to giving back through fresh produce.
