MONTEREY, CA - They don’t call California’s Salinas Valley the Salad Bowl of the World for nothing. The area is host to a wide array of growers, packers, and shippers, making it the perfect locale for education to take place. The Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) recently hosted its sixth Safe Fruits and Veggies Farm Tour for registered dietitians, health and nutrition writers, and influencers.
Sponsors this year included California Giant Berry Farms, Taylor Farms, California Strawberry Commission, Earthbound Farm, Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, International Fresh Produce Association, and Western Growers.
“We strive to provide an experience that shares the care and commitment of farmers and farmworkers to bring safe and healthy foods to consumers,” said Kate Tynan, AFF Board Chair and Senior Vice President of the Northwest Horticultural Council. “We also explore and discuss the challenges we face to grow these crops and how farmers adjust, adapt, problem-solve, and continue to move forward.”
The list of tour guests included Mascha Davis, Maya Feller, Amy Gorin, Rachel Hartley, Malina Malkani, Andrea Mathis, Marisa Moore, Kylie Sakaida, and Lauren Twigge. They are contributors to The Today Show, Good Morning America, The New York Times, and more with millions of combined followers on social media.
On the first day, AFF guests toured farms in the Salinas Valley, as well as the Taylor Farms processing facility. The day concluded with a tour and dinner at the Earthbound Farm Stand in Carmel Valley.
“The tours expand on AFF’s continuous efforts to provide science-based information to media and consumers about farming and produce safety. These influencer tours also re-invigorate us as we see farming through the eyes of our guests, who always come away impassioned and impressed,” says Teresa Thorne, AFF Executive Director.
On day two, the tour moved to the Watsonville area to see berry farms. At Rocha Brothers Farms, guests observed and participated in harvesting strawberries into clamshells. After lunch at Gizdich Ranch, guests toured the California Giant cooler.
In addition to the real-time social media posts during the tour, the influencers will be providing in-depth content about their experiences and what they learned in the coming weeks, according to a press release.
For even more info, check out the release here.
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