Nogales, Tuesday – Ta-De Produce Distributing, Inc, has signed up as the main supplier for the city’s weekly Mercado (Fresh Market), in partnership with the Mariposa Community Health Center (MCHC). The goal of this sponsorship is to raise awareness of healthy eating and fighting diabetes by consuming more fresh produce.
The three-year old Nogales downtown Mercado already features produce from small local growers, but often the volume and variety is lower or items are out of season. Ta-De’s FreshMEX table will expand the assortment for shoppers via donated produce from Mexico.
Sales proceeds will go toward funding non-profit MHCH’s diabetes-prevention programs. Shoppers can use their SNAP (food stamp) benefits or WIC Cash Value Vouchers and will find some items at lower prices than in many conventional supermarkets.
“We’re excited to continue our work with the MCHC to stress the importance of produce for good health. Diabetes hits home here, as many of our employees and families suffer from it. We hope this can make a difference in providing easy access to produce for those who are budget or transportation-constrained.” The Mercado is located in the center of the 30,000-resident city, within walking distance from 400,000 residents of Nogales, Sonora right across the border.
This program is part of the partners’ continuing COMER BIEN (Eat Well) initiative for nutritional education. The first co-event was the annual Bi-National Health Fair held last Fall involving six Mexican states and four U.S. states that form the border between México and the U.S. Their website www.comerbienrecipes was launched to promote the program via a recipe contest.
Patricia Molina, MCHC’s senior director, Community Health Services, stresses that the impact of diabetes on the US-Mexico border region “is devastating.” A report published for the group by the University of Arizona notes that the rate of mortality due to diabetes in the border region is nearly 50% higher than in the rest of the country, with Hispanics/Latinos 2-3 times more likely to suffer from serious complications. This elevated prevalence is directly associated with the obesity epidemic, which is more prevalent among Hispanics than non-Hispanics.
Molina claims these efforts do move the needle, noting, “Nutrition education and counseling is particularly effective. Our study noted an average 1.6% HbA1c decrease per patient after our sessions, or from 10.2% to 8.6%. Also, participants’ consumption of vegetables increased from around seven weekly servings to 11.35.”
Ta-De’s FreshMEX program will also feature special events with guest chefs showing how to prepare easy recipes, hand-outs listing seasonal offerings and recipes, plus bilingual (Spanish/English) media interviews and short videos discussing the benefits of specific items for sale.
Mariposa Community Health Center was founded in1980 and is now one of the largest and most comprehensive providers of medical, dental, disease prevention and health promotion services in SE Arizona. (http://mariposachc.net/
Ta-De Produce is a third-generation, family-run produce distributor founded by Carlos Bennen in the 1950s. The company, named 2015 Pillar of the Industry by the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, is known for its green beans, and also distributes bells, sweet mini and specialty peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes and Asian greens. For more information and details about their Social Responsibility programs visit http://tadeproduce.com
Source: Ta-De Produce
