December 2021: Podcast Month In Review
Jan 03, 2022
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Let’s take a look back at our December 2021 Podcast Episodes.
After another year of our “new normal”, The Produce Moms wanted to share with you valuable information, fun snacks and new ways to improve the health and wellness of us all in December. From berry yogurt parfaits to Food Network’s newest show to messages of gratitude from Lori Taylor herself, we brought you through the holidays with some very exciting guests!
Healthy Snacks
Have you ever bought a fruit and yogurt parfait and, if you didn’t eat it right away, were disappointed at the texture and flavor? Naturipe has joined forces with Chobani to give you delicious, Chobani Berry Yogurt Parfaits that are enjoyable all week long! This feel-good, craveable snack is available across the U.S. and if you haven’t tried Chobani’s Berry Bento boxes, make sure these go in your cart the next time you’re grocery shopping!
Explore How Healthy Happens
At the beginning of the month, we were also joined by Ashley Hawk, producer and host of Food Network’s newest show, How Healthy Happens. Ashley is on a mission to help educate consumers on how to make healthy decisions while working with a wide range of companies to showcase the farming process. The show makes things that are often daunting and hard to understand, like packaging and nutrition labels, digestible for consumers. Letting companies come on the show to be transparent about their farming and sustainability process is one goal of Ashley’s, hoping it will help consumers trust the businesses involved in our food system and want to make healthier food choices.
The Crisis with Organic Bananas
Unfortunately, the shipping container crisis has started to affect organic banana production. You might think bananas that come from Mexico wouldn’t be affected by this, but because they can’t get essential supplies like fertilizer, the cost of organic bananas is rising. Even worse, retailers won’t sell the bananas at a higher price, and if this continues, organic bananas will go out of production.
2021: The Year of Fruits and Vegetables
At the beginning of 2021, the U.N. gave Bayer the duty of raising awareness to help increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Lori, TPM’s founder, Jenny Maloney, Strategic Account Manager for the Americas for Bayer Vegetable Seeds, Kelly Bristow, Science and Nutrition Partnerships Manager at Bayer, David Bell, CMO at Long Vine Growing Company, Chad Street from the Albertson’s Company, and Jana Parker from IRI Fresh, all came together for a virtual event called Beyond Farm to Table: A Seed’s Journey to Your Plate where they shared valuable information about farming, production and how consumers are enjoying fruits and vegetables this year.
Special Message from Our Founder and CEO
Lastly, founder Lori Taylor wraps up the year with messages of gratitude for you, our reader and listener! The Produce Mom’s is almost a decade old and what started as an idea to help market the fruit company Lori once worked for has turned into a movement. The Produce Moms will be bringing you more of the healthy recipes you crave in 2022 while continuing to bring you closer to the farmers, businesses and great minds behind the fruits and vegetables keeping us healthy.
December 2021 Podcast Episode 190
Making healthy snacks craveable and convenient.
If you’re a long-time TPM reader, you’re probably familiar with the 100% farmer-owned company we love called Naturipe. Steven Ware and CarrieAnn Arias joined Lori to discuss an exciting snack the Naturipe Snacks Division has created in partnership with Chobani called Chobani Berry Yogurt Parfaits.
What’s the number one thing consumers put in yogurt? Berries of course! But there’s always been an issue with berry parfaits and their shelf life. Naturipe wanted to develop a product that lets consumers stock up on Berry Yogurt Parfaits and eat them through the week without worrying about the berries going to mush. At the same time, Chobani had been working on their Boost Bentos and Bliss Bentos box lines that give you a healthy, feel good snack that’s craveable and healthy. The two came together and have developed a snack movement!
December 2021 Podcast Episode 191
Showing consumers how easy it is to make healthy decisions.
Ashley got started on her own health and wellness journey in second grade when her class received chickens and went through the process of watching them lay, then hatch eggs. When the project was over, Ashley took the chick home and decided she wanted to become a vegetarian. Her new show on Food Network, How Healthy Happens, works to empower consumers to live a healthier lifestyle without it being so confusing.
How Healthy Happens works with mom-and-pop companies, small businesses and big farms to show consumers the entire farming process and how hard farms work to create the freshest produce possible. On the show, Ashley breaks down often confusing issues like packaging, nutrition labels, or how to plan your next meal. By making TV entertaining and relatable, she hopes viewers find making healthier decisions easy and simple!
December 2021 Podcast Episode 192
Unveiling the crisis of the organic banana industry.
You might think bananas that come from Mexico wouldn’t be affected by the recent shipping container crisis but think again. Although bananas from Mexican farms are transported to the U.S. via trucks, key materials like fertilizer that are needed for banana production are stuck at ports, causing the rising cost of organic bananas. The real issue comes from retailers not being willing to sell bananas at a higher price and consumers being unwilling to purchase at a higher price.
Organic banana production will stop if consumers don’t support independent growers and small wholesalers who do an incredible job at growing organic bananas and paying their workers a fair wage. You can help by making sure you don’t buy organic bananas being sold for less than a dollar because that means the farmer isn’t getting paid fairly.
December 2021 Podcast Episode 193
Bayer shines a light on the International Year of the Fruit and Vegetable.
At the beginning of 2021, the U.N. passed Bayer the baton to help raise awareness and ultimately increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Lori, TPM’s founder, Jenny Maloney, Strategic Account Manager for the Americas for Bayer Vegetable Seeds, and Kelly Bristow, Science and Nutrition Partnerships Manager at Bayer, came together for a virtual event called Beyond Farm to Table: A Seed’s Journey to Your Plate. The event also included David Bell, CMO at Long Vine Growing Company, Chad Street from the Albertson’s Company, and Jana Parker from IRI Fresh, to share many different perspectives on things like seed selection, picking of fruits and vegetables, and behind the scenes data on how companies are making it easier for consumers to get high-quality produce.
They also shared valuable data on consumer behavior. Even though people are at home and cooking more than ever, they still want the convenience of having produce that is quick to purchase and prepare. Bringing consumers awareness on food security, nutrition and how we can play a role in helping scale production is key to helping everyone consume more fruits and vegetables.
December 2021 Podcast: Special Message
In a special message for our podcast followers, Lori Taylor shares her gratitude, words of wisdom and a sneak peek into TPM’s 2022 plans.
The Produce Moms has grown at an incredible rate since being started in 2012. What originally was a marketing idea for the fruit company Lori once worked for in Indianapolis has now turned into a movement to help moms and consumers eat more healthy fruits and vegetables. Like all entrepreneurs, Lori has grown in strength, self-confidence, and trust while expanding her mindset throughout TPM’s journey.
Lori wants to thank you for your support, love and readership at The Produce Moms! She hopes you had a wonderful, relaxing holiday filled with love and (hopefully) less time on your phone. For 2022, The Produce Moms is focused on bringing you more educational resources, a closer connection to the farm, and easy, fun recipes (like lemon cranberry almond bread and caprese pasta salad) that help you enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables.
To see a list of all our past episodes, visit www.theproducemoms.com/podcast
