Contact: Amy Philpott (202) 303-3400 ext. 425, aphilpott@unitedfresh.org

Washington, D.C. - United Fresh Produce Association announced today that it is now accepting applications for the 2007 Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship Program. The Program awards up to four scholarships for employees of United Fresh member, family-owned businesses, to attend United Fresh's Washington Public Policy Conference (WPPC).

The four scholarships recipients are selected by an advisory committee and receive complimentary airfare, hotel, and registration to attend the conference, which will be held September 12-14, 2007 at the Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel. This annual conference brings together hundreds of produce leaders from all sectors of the industry to interact personally and share ideas with Administration officials, congressional leaders, and industry colleagues.

"Attending the Washington Public Policy Conference was truly an amazing experience that opened my eyes to a whole new element of the produce industry!" said Kari Valdés, Mills Family Farms, 2006 scholarship recipient. "As a food safety professional, I was unsure how relevant my experiences would be in Washington, but I quickly found out that this is a conference for the entire produce industry. I left Washington with a whole new perspective about the importance of being involved at all levels. This is definitely a conference that I will continue to attend."

The 2007 Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship Program was established in 2001 through a generous grant from Frieda's, Inc. by Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins; it is administered through the United Fresh Research & Education Foundation. The goal of the program is to increase family business' involvement in government relations and produce industry advocacy.

"This program is a superb opportunity for members of family businesses to better understand how decisions made in Washington can affect their business," said Victoria Kuhns, United Fresh's senior vice president of member services, foundation. "With 300 industry peers all coming together to promote the produce industry, this scholarship program is a great way to get your feet wet in the political scene and understand how you can have an impact."

To apply for a Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship, participants must complete an application form and briefly write why they want to attend the WPPC and what they hope to gain from the experience. The application can be downloaded from United Fresh's website and must be received by July 27, 2007.

Applications should be sent to the United Fresh Research & Education Foundation, attention Beth Berman. Applications can be e-mailed to bberman@unitedfresh.org, faxed to 202- 303-3433 or mailed to United Fresh Foundation, Attn: Beth Berman, 1901 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC, 20006.

For more information about the Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship Program, please contact Victoria Kuhns at vkuhns@unitedfresh.org or 202-303-3408.

For more information about WPPC, or to register, contact United Fresh Government Relations Assistant Elizabeth Fiveash at efiveash@unitedfresh.org or 202-303-3402, or visit http://www.unitedfresh.org/programs/wppc/homepage.

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