07/21/06 Access to Heallthy Foods update

Farm and Ranch July 21, 2006 Four individuals representing major interests in the way Washingtonians eat have joined the board of an organization dedicated to upgrading food choices in the state. The Access To Healthy Foods Coalition filled board vacancies and elected officers at its recent end-of-year meeting. Newly elected board chair is Karen Bonaudi of the Washington State Potato Commission. Bonaudi: "The caliber of the people we have on the board now and the diverse backgrounds that they represent really brings a lot to the table and will really advance our goals of increasing the availability of healthy foods where people live, learn, work and play." Those new to the board are Rob Ault from Levy Restaurants at Qwest Field, Rick Ragan from Compass Group USA, which has extensive connections in the food service industry, Kristin Wurz from State Health Alliances for the American Heart Association, and Heather Shavey from Costco Wholesale. Access to Healthy Foods Coalition is a non-profit organization working to increase the availability of healthy foods by changing the environment where food is available and by working with policy makers to promote change. Bonaudi says the coalition's emphasis on nutrition fits well with the nutrition message of the Potato Commission. Learn more at www.accesstohealthyfoods.org That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.