The United Fresh Produce Association board has decided to recast its foundation to focus solely on health and nutrition, and has made staff changes to implement the change.

The old foundation, established in 1998, was called the United Research and Education Foundation.

“The new United Fresh Start Foundation will create a unique platform to provide a fresh start for kids by increasing their access to fresh fruit and vegetables, and to help grow United's impact in serving this important mission,” the board said in a statement.

“The foundation efforts will be supported by program committees focused directly on key initiatives, including United’s leadership of the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign and school food service outreach programs,” United said in a news release.

“We’ve made incredible progress with salad bars and advancing healthy eating in schools over the past five years,” said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO. “But we still have much work to be done to reach our national objective that ‘Half the Plate’ consists of fruits and vegetables. We are working to double fresh fruit and vegetable consumption by the next generation.”

The United Fresh Start Foundation will be chaired by Jim Lemke, senior vice president of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, an international logistics company.

United Fresh has promoted Victoria Backer, who has been the senior vice president for member services, to executive vice president of the association to lead the foundation.

The organization also has also promoted Andrew Marshall, who has led the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative and other school food service programs, to director of the foundation for programs and partnerships.

▪ United Fresh Foundation Center for Nutrition and Health