FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marilyn Dolan or Teresa Thorne
(831) 786-1666

Zanobini Elected New Alliance for Food and Farming Board Chair

Chris Zanobini, Executive Director of the California Pear Board and California Cherry Board was elected as the new Chair of the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) Management Board at its meeting last month. Bryan Silbermann, CEO of the Produce Marketing Association was elected as Vice-Chair and Barry Bedwell, President of the California Fresh Fruit Association will serve as Secretary/Treasurer.

Zanobini replaces Matt McInerney, Executive Vice President of Western Growers Association, who served five years as AFF chair. McInerney will continue to serve on the AFF’s Executive Committee.

“Under Matt’s leadership, the AFF’s membership has grown significantly, the Board has expanded and diversified and the very successful Safe Fruits and Veggies campaign was launched,” Zanobini says. “Matt will be a tough act to follow but I hope to keep advancing the organization’s goal of providing consumers with credible, science based information about the safety of organic and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.”

In addition to serving on the AFF’s Management Board, Zanobini also serves as the vice chair of the California State Fair Ag Advisory Council, on the board of the World Apple and Pear Association and the Buy California Marketing Agreement.

Among the key accomplishments of the AFF’s Safe Fruits and Veggies campaign has been the significant decline in media coverage of the Environmental Working Group’s so-called “Dirty Dozen” list which unfairly disparages the safety of conventionally grown produce. Since the AFF began countering EWG inaccuracies, coverage of the list release has declined from major daily newspapers and TV networks throughout the nation to mainly EWG-friendly bloggers today.

“Chris is a proven and effective leader and we look forward to working with him to advance the mission and goals of the AFF Board on behalf of the organic and conventional farmers we all proudly represent,” says Marilyn Dolan, Executive Director of the AFF.

-end-

The Alliance for Food and Farming is a non-profit organization formed in 1989 which represents organic and conventional farmers and farms of all sizes.  Alliance contributors are limited to farmers of fruits and vegetables, companies that sell, market or ship fruits and vegetables or organizations that represent produce farmers.  Our mission is to deliver credible information about the safety of fruits and vegetables.