The United Fresh Produce Association announced today that popular CNN analyst, Democratic political strategist and senior Clinton White House aide Paul Begala will speak before United’s 2009 Washington Public Policy Conference, September 9-11 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Begala will share his entertaining insights into the Obama Administration and the overall political landscape during the annual fall gathering’s closing luncheon.

"As this shapes up to be one of the busiest legislative years for the produce industry in recent memory, it’s more important than ever to empower and enable our members to get involved in the process of advancing policy in Washington," said United Fresh President and CEO Tom Stenzel.

"Unlock the Future of Produce" is the theme for this year’s conference, and as part of the program, attendees at this year’s conference will take part in a busy three days of advocacy and networking including:

Capitol Hill Visits: Conference attendees will visit face-to-face with more than 140 Members of Congress and their staffs, addressing industry policy priorities.

FDA Town Hall Meeting: Attendees will visit the FDA’s College Park, Md. headquarters for a town hall discussion on food safety and other issues facing the produce industry.

White House Briefing: Attendees will have the opportunity to attend a private briefing by Obama Administration officials, gaining insight into the president’s policies on food safety, agricultural labor, trade and more.

Fresh Festival: A long-time Congressional tradition, United Fresh will again host the annual Fresh Festival on Capitol Hill in the historic Cannon Caucus Room, offering lawmakers and officials a flavorful sampling of the best the produce industry has to offer.

The 2009 conference is co-chaired by representatives of the four United Fresh Market Segment Boards, including: Fred Williamson, Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, Grower-Shipper Board; Jan Berk, San Miguel Produce, Inc., Fresh-Cut Processor Board; Brendan Comito, Capital City Fruit Company, Inc., Wholesaler-Distributor Board, and Mitch Smith, McDonald’s Corporation, Retail-Foodservice Board.

"Whether you’re a Capitol Hill veteran or a first-timer, a family business or a publicly-traded corporation, a small grower or a multinational, you belong to this produce team," said United Fresh Chairman Jim Lemke, C.H. Robinson Worldwide. "This conference unites us as an industry, and we invite all industry members to see how powerful we can be when we work together."

The 2009 Washington Public Policy Conference will focus on a number of key issues, including promotion of a sound, science-based food safety policy, unwavering opposition to eliminating the secret ballot in workplace elections, and promoting the availability of salad bars in our nation’s schools.  "These are critical issues to our industry, and demand a strong total produce industry voice," Stenzel said.  "We’re counting on the largest gathering ever of industry members across the supply chain to come together in Washington to make their individual voices heard, so that together we deliver a ‘united’ voice to our nation’s leaders."

Registration for the three-day conference is available online at www.unitedfresh.org/programs/wppc, and more information can be found by calling United Fresh at (202) 303-3400.