CHICAGO, IL - United Fresh is hours away, and for the first time ever Tour de Fresh will have its own booth to further push making fresh produce available in schools.

“United does a great job of getting a large contingency of school foodservice directors to the convention and we really appreciate having the chance at Tour de Fresh to share our story with them,” Cindy Jewell, VP of Marketing for California Giant Berry Farms and outgoing Chair for United Fresh, shared with me. “These are the folks that have boots on the ground every day feeding our kids at school, so they are so important to all of us in produce, and to all of us at Tour de Fresh. We are riding for them and their kids, so we are excited about meeting them face-to-face.”

In the spirit of doing just that, Tour de Fresh support is looking to roll out the red carpet for school-focused foodservice directors on Wednesday at 2 p.m. on United Fresh’s show floor. With plans already in place for decision makers to be at booth #7017 to learn about the advantages and necessities of partnering with Tour de Fresh and the Salad Bar for Schools movement, now rider and sponsor volunteers are needed between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. to further advocate for the program and fresh produce.

As United Fresh President Tom Stenzel shared last year, Salad Bars for Schools has successfully donated 5,300 salad bars across the country, thanks in large part to Tour de Fresh. A salad bar generates upward of $6,000 a year in fresh produce purchases for $30 million-plus in produce purchases a year.

Those interested can let the team know by contacting [email protected] or adding your name to the Booth Support Sign Up Sheet.

Tour de Fresh