In Their Words: Ashley Koff, Registered Dietician

Ashley Koff, CEO of The Better Nutrition Program, will moderate the Educational Breakout Session: "Organics and Media - New Landscape of Information,” at this year’s Organic Produce Summit.

Ashley Koff, RD

An award-winning nutrition expert, Ashley is on a mission to change the way we assess individual nutrition needs to improve nutrition recommendations and outcomes.  She’s a passionate advocate for organic produce as a better nutrition choice,  but feels the industry could do better with media relations.

OPN recently connected with Ashley to learn more about her mission to help others get and keep their better health powered by better nutrition.

OPN Connect: You have been a registered dietician for over two decades, what motivated you to become the leading international resource on Better Nutrition?

AK “My gut. And a really awful seven-day goat’s milk cleanse circa age 22. Boy, I did so many things that were not better, in pursuit of my better health. Thankfully, I learned what better nutrition actually is – giving your body what it needs,  while avoiding what irritates, overwhelms and disrupts its better efforts – which led me to learn about the value of organic foods and ingredients.

As an ex-advertising executive, I know the power of marketing and media coverage. Throughout my career as a dietitian, my relationships with media continue to help me reach more people to discover better nutrition.   

Ashley Koff RD on the Today Show.

The organic produce industry is doing a lot of things right, but media isn’t one of them. That may make some reading this cringe, especially if you are paying agencies or people good money to get coverage. The panel we have put together for OPS has media experts suited to lead the country’s conversations – and they are going to tell you what could be done better."

OPN Connect: You developed The Better Nutrition Program to help individuals evaluate their total nutrition needs. How does fresh organic produce play a role in your program?

AK: “To get better health we need to make, not perfect, choices more often. That’s what organic is. Fresh is problematic as a term, because frozen organic produce - what you buy frozen or if you freeze ready-to-eat organic produce that’s in-season – is going to be a better nutrition choice. Organic is simple – it checks all the boxes, so you don’t have to look for lots of different logos or worry something has been bought – it is government regulated and ingredients are reviewed every five years.”

OPN Connect: You regularly share your better nutrition message with millions via national media, social media, a podcast, why is media so important now, more than ever for the organic industry?

AK: “We have to understand that misperceptions – no matter who creates or maintains them - about organic produce will hamper the everyone’s desired outcome. Remember everyone has the same goal – we all want better health and access to organic produce is part of a better health solution.

Ashley Koff RD with Dr. Oz. 

How can the organic produce industry and practitioners who believe in its value drive better communication on organic? A better collaboration with the media.

We can’t keep going the way we have been going and expect to get better results.”

OPN Connect: When you think about food and nutrition today what are some of the biggest changes you believe are needed to help everyone achieve optimal health?

AK: “I want to help everyone, but we have to start somewhere, so I think focusing on access as well as helping people who those currently investing in their health get the better results they crave.

Our greatest successes will come when we help people make better - not perfect – choices."

OPN Connect: What message do you hope to convey at this year’s Organic Produce Summit?

AK: “I believe achieving the organic industry’s desired goals is in direct relationship to better communication to leaders, consumers, and healthcare practitioners. Better communication demands better awareness and the media is one of the most powerful tools for generating that awareness. Thus, better understanding of what the media needs from the industry and a better investment on the industry’s part to cultivate informative, transparent relationships with the media is the better recipe for success.

This panel should challenge the organic industry:

In this session, you can get the information you need transform your outcomes to better ones for the benefit of the entire organic industry and your specific work."