May 3, 2017United Fresh’s DiSogra announces retirement
After more than a decade at the United Fresh Produce Association and a career that spans 40 years, Lorelei DiSogra, vice president, nutrition and health, will retire at the end of May. During her tenure, she helped shape federal nutrition policies to increase fruit and vegetable consumption for children and their families. She joined the association in 2005.
“The only word that describes Lorelei and her work and commitment to the fresh produce industry is – passionate,” said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of United Fresh. “She has been a lifelong advocate for fresh produce and healthy eating and she is a living example of someone truly walks the walk. The impact and benefit of her work will be felt for many years to come and I can say that our industry is truly better because of her.”
Prior to joining United Fresh, DiSogra was the director of the National 5 A Day Program at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, from 2001-2005 and vice president of nutrition at Dole Food Company from 1991-2001.
The consistent theme of DiSogra’s career has been increasing children’s consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Her top accomplishments at United Fresh include the expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to schools in all 50 states, revising WIC food packages to include fresh fruits and vegetables as recommended by the Institute of Medicine, and increasing fruits and vegetables in school meals to benefit more than 32 million students a day.
As one of the creators of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools program, DiSogra worked closely with the Obama White House, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Fresh members and health foundations to make salad bars the norm in schools nationwide to ensure children have access to a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day at school lunch. At the time of her retirement, more than 5,000 salad bars had been donated to schools across the country.
DiSogra holds a doctoral degree in nutrition education and a master’s degree in public health nutrition and nutrition education from Columbia University and is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Public Health Association.
A search process is currently underway by United Fresh.
