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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2019 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 9 Human Trafficking Continued from PAGE 1 involved with the issue of human traffick- ing five years ago through the program's support of Restoring Hope Nepal, a rescue organization that provides healing and a new beginning to young women and girls who have been sex trafficked. KeHE Cares sponsors two safe houses in Kathmandu, Nepal. "We got very involved with them, and we are to this day," Shaw said. "From there, that led to awareness of the growing problem in the U.S." "In Asia, they basically take these girls and they're raped into submission," he continued. "Here, it's more a guy who con- vinces a girl he loves her, and then he starts selling her. We've been very involved in India and Nepal with trafficking, and from there, we're now involved with four groups that are working against trafficking in the U.S." KeHE's efforts to stop human trafficking in the U.S. started with a collaboration with RESTORATION61, a nonprofit group co- founded by one of KeHE's category man- agers to provide a variety of services to victims of human trafficking. "The group was focusing on local truck stops. We've helped them with a safe house for the girls here in the Chicagoland [Illinois] area," Shaw said. From there, KeHE expanded its efforts through involvement with other Chicago-based programs: Salt & Light Ministries, which operates a program for traumatized girls in downtown Chicago, and Naomi's House, a safe house in the area of Naperville, Illinois, that's operated as a faith-based residential treatment program. Then, earlier this year at Natural Products Expo West, Shaw met Gina D'Orazio Stryker, the founder of Gina Cucina, a KeHE supplier that makes and sells hand- crafted organic soups. "Gina is very pas- sionate about their mission to fight against human trafficking, and she brought us to- gether with Truckers Against Trafficking," Shaw said. KeHE's Laura McCord, Executive Direc- tor of Sustainability & Corporate Respon- sibility, took the point on KeHE's new partnership with Truckers Against Traffick- ing, which offers a free training program for drivers and works with truckers' associa- tions, truck stop managers and law enforce- ment to provide them with the knowledge and tools to intervene in cases of human trafficking. The organization also provides the industry with training and awareness materials, including stickers for truck driv- ers to apply to their cabs to let trafficking victims, who are sold at truck stops and other locations frequented by truck drivers, know they've reached a point of contact through which they can access help. The stickers also prominently display the Na- tional Human Trafficking Hotline number and help to keep this effort at the top of mind of drivers. "We work with all kinds of truck drivers: over-the-road, regional – anyone who's in a truck or bus or anyone who works in the energy industry," said Laura Cyrus, Director of Corporate En- gagement for Truckers Against Trafficking. "We now have a mobile army of transporta- tion professionals that can assist law en- forcement in the recognition and reporting of the crime of human trafficking." Truckers Against Trafficking was founded in 2009 by Lyn Leeburg, who got the idea after she heard a speaker at a human trafficking awareness conference talking about the possibility of training gas station attendants to recognize and report human trafficking. "She had a light bulb go off in her head and recognized that truck drivers – through their sheer numbers – could be an asset to law enforcement," Cyrus said. "She knew that truck drivers are salt-of-the-earth people, knights of the highway, knights of the road." The organization now provides a whole series of training materials free of charge to participating companies and drivers' asso- ciations. "There is no charge for any organ- ization to be involved in this work," Cyrus said. "The video is easily incorporated into new driver training. In 30 minutes or less, the companies can equip their drivers to recognize if they see anyone that appears to be a minor engaged in selling sex or anyone they believe is under the control of [a traf- ficker], regardless of the age or gender of that victim." Drivers who suspect they're seeing human trafficking are urged to call in an anonymous tip to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. "That number is 1- 888-3737-888, and that's the way we say it," Cyrus said. "Thanks to this work, and drivers being willing to call in those tips and being aware of what to look for and what to do, truck drivers alone have made over 2,300 calls to the hotline, which have helped to identify 635 likely cases of human trafficking involving more than 1,100 victims." KeHE has incorporated the program into its training for new drivers, and it has al- ready made a difference to the drivers as well as the victims they now know how to help, Shaw said. "Virtually every one of them has been approached. [Before they took this training], they had no idea they were trafficked women. The guys who were aware didn't know what to do about it, so they did nothing," he said. "It's really affect- ing our drivers. We're thrilled that all of our drivers have gone through it, and it's help- ing." He's now encouraging grocers operating truck fleets to sign on with Truckers Against Trafficking. "We would like to en- courage other companies and groups to be involved. In this case, we think it's good to talk about it," Shaw said. "If you can get your truckers involved, we can be a catalyst for difference." Truckers Against Trafficking will also work with manufacturers that ship prod- uct, even if they don't employ drivers di- rectly. "If they're contracting with people moving product for them, those people have a great opportunity to make an intro- duction." Cyrus said. For more information, visit www.truck- ersagainsttrafficking.org, where you can view the training video or request materi- als. Or you can email Cyrus at lcyrus@ truckersagainsttrafficking.org. GN Diana Ybarra Joins Fresh-Link Produce Fresh-Link Produce, LLC, a nationwide provider of grower products specializ- ing in dry vegetables, tomatoes, and fruit, has hired industry vet- eran Diana Ybarra. In her new sales role, Ybarra will be responsible for Fresh-Link customers and for developing and strength- ening relationships between Mexican grow- ers, packers and shippers out of Nogales, Arizona. "I am thrilled to find such a strong tal- ent to add to our rapidly growing West business. She is passionate about pro- duce, and will be a great asset to our business by adding her extensive experi- ence in commodity and account manage- ment. Diana's enthusiasm to create value for her customers is amazing!" said Garry Rowe, President of Integrated Fresh So- lutions, parent company of Fresh-Link Produce. Ybarra comes to Fresh-Link Produce with more than 25 years of produce in- dustry experience. She started with Flem- ing Companies in 1995-1999, then Mann Packing for the last 20 years selling fresh cut vegetables to the retail and foodser- vice industries where she specialized in identifying and tracking industry changes with results-driven business development practices. GN New Light on Beef Animal Standards Consumers will soon learn about the steps beef farmers and ranchers take to care for their animals and to produce high quality beef in a new promotion and advertising campaign about the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. BQA trains farmers and ranchers on best practices and cattle man- agement techniques to ensure their animals and the environment are cared for within a standard set of guidelines. The program began 30 years ago, and today more than 85 percent of beef produced in the U.S. comes from a farmer or rancher who has been BQA certified. The formally producer-facing BQA pro- gram, will now be introduced to consumers via a campaign designed to meet their desire to learn more about how beef is produced. The integrated marketing and communica- tion campaign includes a new video from Beef. It's What's for Dinner. that brings the BQA program to life by highlighting how cattle farmers and ranchers across the coun- try raise cattle under BQA guidelines. The video will be used in marketing efforts and is available to consumers on the new BQA section of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com. Consumers will also be able to learn more about BQA through interactive "BQ&A" In- stagram stories addressing common ques- tions about how cattle are raised. The video, website and social activations provide con- sumers with an overview of the BQA pro- gram and the ongoing commitment of cattle farmers and ranchers to caring for their an- imals and providing the safest and highest quality beef possible. "According to market research, the ma- jority of consumers say they consider how and where their food is raised when making a meal decision," said Josh White, Execu- tive Director of Producer Education at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. "The BQA program offers consumers assurance that there are consistent animal care standards in place across the beef industry. BQA ex- emplifies what beef farmers and ranchers have always cared about – a commitment to caring for their animals and providing fam- ilies with the safest and highest-quality beef possible, and we look forward to introduc- ing this important program to consumers." The foundation of BQA is a set of educa- tional resources promoting animal care practices that are based in science and align with governmental regulations. These re- sources are reviewed by an expert advisory group consisting of farmers and ranchers, veterinarians and animal scientists who meet quarterly to evaluate the program, discuss trending topics, review the latest re- search and make recommended changes or updates, as needed. The BQA program specifically addresses and provides training on cattle handling, animal health, animal nutrition and trans- portation, among others. "With the vast majority of the beef supply in the U.S. today coming from a BQA certified farmer or rancher, and many packing plants and restaurant chains setting BQA require- ments, consumers should have the utmost confidence in the beef they consume and purchase both at restaurants and supermar- kets," White said. Cattle farmers and ranchers can become BQA certified by either attending a class- room course taught by a network of hun- dreds of state BQA coordinators and trainers or by completing a series of robust online courses. Certification is good for three years, after which time farmers and ranchers must become re-certified to en- sure they have the most up-to-date infor- mation and are trained on the latest BQA guidelines. Not only does the BQA program provide guidelines for proper animal care and wel- fare, these management guidelines also re- sult in the production of higher quality beef. Today, the beef industry is producing more high-quality beef today than ever be- fore, with more than 80 percent of beef grading the highest available USDA quality grades of Prime or Choice. For more information about the BQA pro- gram and the high-quality beef produced today by U.S. cattle farmers and ranchers, visit www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com. GN

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