United Fresh’s Tom Stenzel Comments on Vilsack USDA Nomination

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President-elect Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he would nominate Tom Vilsack to be his Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack previously served as USDA Secretary under the Obama administration. 

“United Fresh is pleased to see Secretary Vilsack return to USDA,” said United Fresh Produce Association CEO Tom Stenzel. “Under his steady leadership, we worked together to further the gains of the industry and broaden access to fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly for children. There is no shortage of issues to work on over the next four years – from trade to climate change. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital that we have experienced leaders who can hit the ground running to ensure that there is a seamless transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration, including making sure that the supply chain is utilized to address the immense and immediate food insecurity needs being faced around the country – and there is no one more familiar with how to make USDA work for the American people than Tom Vilsack.”

Vilsack served for 8 years under President Obama at USDA and was previously the Governor of Iowa. During his tenure at USDA, he worked with United Fresh on a number of issues including the prioritization of good nutrition, aid to produce farmers and the supply chain and ensuring that USDA worked with other federal agencies to harmonize their efforts to address issues relating to trade, food safety and immigration. Vilsack most recently spoke to United Fresh members at the 2020 Washington Conference in September.