—by Kate Prengaman

Doug Pauly of Northern Fruit speaks to the Washington Apple Commission during a May 23 meeting in Yakima about his proposal to launch a collective health messaging program. Though board members were positive about the general idea of health messaging in the face of declining consumption, no action was taken following Pauly’s pitch. (Kate Prengaman/Good Fruit Grower) — Doug Pauly of Northern Fruit speaks to the Washington Apple Commission during a May 23 meeting in Yakima about his proposal to launch a collective health messaging program. Though board members were positive about the general idea of health messaging in the face of declining consumption, no action was taken following Pauly’s pitch. **(Kate Prengaman/Good Fruit Grower)**

Should the Washington Apple Commission dip a toe back into the world of domestic marketing by backing a new campaign promoting the health benefits of apples?

The commission’s board considered that proposal, presented by Doug Pauly of Northern Fruit, during its meeting May 23 but did not take action.

“We all know that our current supply/demand balance is broken,” Pauly said, despite the industry producing better-than-ever apple quality. “There’s one hole in what we are trying to do: Who is waking up every day and trying to deliver the message that apples are a health food? What if we collectively create (that) job?”

He asked the commissioners to consider tasking WAC with outlining a proposal for a modest health messaging program, funded at $.01 per box. That would raise $1.3 million per year. To be enacted, such a proposal would require support from the WAC board and then go out to a vote and garner support from 66 percent of growers.

Growers struggling with low returns would likely support such a measure, said board member Cass Gebbers, but he thinks a better venue for such a program lies in a national effort currently under development, known as the Apple Consumption Project.

“I believe in a national deal; we need to focus on the apple category,” he said. “We have a ton of traction right now.”

Apple leaders from around the country are gathering to chart a path to fund consumption-focused marketing without assessing growers, Gebbers said.

Pauly urged the board to consider getting WAC involved in the issue as well. “It’s simple, it’s focused, and we can do it now,” he said.

No vote was taken.

Grower and board member Dave Robison said it’s clear the industry needs to embrace some form of advertising, as other commodities do.

“It embarrasses me that we have no apple advertising. We’re way behind,” he said.

In other business, apple commission staff shared updates on $7 million in new federal funding for export promotions from the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, a strategic planning update, and plans to host a rep meeting in Washington this fall — for the first time since 2018. •