Cathy O’Connor, MPH, RD Presentation to CAFP Thursday January 30 th , 2014

1. Cathy O’Connor, MPH, RD Presentation to CAFP Thursday January 30th, 2014

2. RDs in the Workplace

3. CORPORATE OPPORTUNITIES! Registered Dietitian Human Resources Marketing Director Sales & Purchasing Operations Director Nutrition Expert

4. Opportunities: wellness and healthy living • Based on 2010 survey, 460+ RDs to retire over the next 5 years! • 60-90 Generation! • People are blessed with long-life! (and resources….$ time to maintain health) • Untapped Market • Lifestyle change management • Food, travel, activity • Mobile Apps • Consumers – 66% of Americans read labels; 60% source nutrition information on-line • Food Network and Chef Celebrity • Families are cooking, growing vegetables and ordering weekly food boxes– education? • Capitalize upon growing interest – develop an application to integrate the lifestyle • You tube!

5. opportunities: wellness and healthy living • Government Initiatives –public health purse! • Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Action Plan for Health Care • Local Food Strategy • Local Food Act • Ministry of Education Healthy Eating Grant • $50,000 for schools to ‘change food culture’ • roof top herb gardens • Iron-chef culinary contests • re-furbing cafeteria eating spaces • local collaboration with farmers to showcase products • student nutrition action committees • toward developing a holistic approach!

6. opportunities: wellness and healthy living • Industry-Corporations • Hiring wellness experts • Expansion of health benefits • Reduction in the workplace of illness and absenteeism • Preventive approach to long-term employment • Education • Healthier Students yield higher achievement and success! • Curriculum • Resurgence of Home Economics • OAFE, Farm and Food Care, Agri-food • National School Lunch Program • Collaboration of Ministries, Industry and Local Producers

7. Opportunities: wellness and healthy living • Collaborative Initiatives • OMAF, DC, OFVGA, EDU • OMAF’s Foodland Ontario Program • EDU’s Guidelines for School Fundraising and Foundations for Healthy Schools • EatRight Ontario and Ontario’s Childhood Obesity Panel • Fresh from the Farm, Healthy Fundraising for Ontario Schools • 70 schools – expansion to 19 school boards in 2014 • Schools raised over $50,000; sold over 120,000 lb vegetables and apples • Built on Manitoba’s Farm Two School Healthy Fundraising Program • 2010- 66 schools; • 2013- 410 (includes daycares) • 790,600 lb of vegetables and fruit

8. raises awareness of the role good nutrition plays in the development and well-being of children • supports the Ontario Ministry of Education’s SFBP • enables supportive nutrition environment – Comprehensive School Health • opportunities for introducing the related topics of agriculture, food, and healthy eating into the classroom • supports farmers through promotion and sales of fresh, Ontario fruit and vegetables • promotes vegetables and fruit consumption within the family home; • provides a healthy fundraising campaign and a profitable revenue source for schools

11. Key messages • Don’t NARROW your focus (and miss potential OPPORTUNITIES) • strive for more • broad based profession • Become an EXPERT in your workplace • H & S committees • Management courses • Event Planning • Expand your HORIZONS - Continual SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING • Develop organizational skills • Higher education • Local organizations • Volunteer for community initiatives • Don’t UNDERESTIMATE what you can bring to an organization • Transferable skills are often understated! • CONFIDENCE is an attractive attribute!