Healthy Choices: As a food executive and mother, Pina Sciarra recognizes the importance of a healthy balance at home, work and in society

A member of The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board, Pina Sciarra is the vice-president, marketing, of ConAgra Foods Canada, which includes the brands Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, VH and Orville Redenbacher’s. She is a visionary leader with 20 years of global marketing and general management experience in the beverage and food industry, including 12 years with The Coca Cola Company.

Sciarra speaks with John McAlister, senior editor of Salvationist magazine, about The Salvation Army’s strengths, combating child obesity and the role of large corporations in community development.

What motivated you to join The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board?
The Salvation Army is an organization clearly wired to help those in need. I don’t know of another group so committed to providing the basic needs of life to people in a way that is absent from discrimination or judgment. This is a cause I connect with and want to belong to.

What do you perceive as the Army’s strengths?
Its consistent and unwavering mission to both preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs without discrimination. As well, the Army personnel I’ve met have been intelligent, well-spoken, compassionate and a joy to work with. I’ve also been impressed with the Army’s ability to quickly mobilize its people to serve others in need, whether here in Canada or even in places such as Japan and Haiti.

How do you put your beliefs and values into practice in your job?
I highly value a collaborative approach to problem solving. I see partnering as a way to get creative solutions and great ideas. In my job, one of my goals is to create an environment that fosters inspiration and collaboration. Another thing I value is balance. I am maniacally focused on finding ways to improve productivity, as it’s good for the shareholder and also provides efficient employees more time for their personal lives and community involvement. A third value is learning, so I strive to develop a learning culture at ConAgra Foods. An employee’s experience should be about more than just receiving a cheque, but gaining skills that not only benefit the business but make her a better person.

What role should large corporations such as ConAgra Foods play in community development?
They can communicate awareness of the issues that put a strain on communities. For example, at ConAgra Foods we are very focused globally on ending child hunger. In Canada, about half of the families who access food banks have children, so it’s not just a global concern. I think employees want to work for an organization that is more socially responsible and does more for society. We have had feedback from our employees that they want to participate in community initiatives. We have a program called ConAgra Cares that organizes community days and initiatives that provide gateways for our employees to give back to society.

Another way is funding, whether through direct donations to food banks or partnering with other companies or consumers to raise money for various causes.

Lower income people are often forced into bad eating habits as often the cheapest foods are the unhealthiest. How does the food industry help people make healthy choices?
Education is key, so providing consumers with nutritional information and also offering healthy and affordable products that aren’t high in sodium and fat. There are many reasons why this hasn’t happened in the past, but the challenge is providing healthier options that people will still enjoy. For example, when you reduce or take out sodium or sugar, the product doesn’t taste the way that people have come to expect. With the high rates of obesity, we need to be more innovative in the way we prepare our foods and include healthier ingredients. At ConAgra Foods, we have a brand called Healthy Choice, and we have very strict guidelines about what we put in the product.

Consumers are changing their habits and demanding healthier choices. And if they stop buying high fat, high sodium products, then companies will need to adjust accordingly and provide a healthier product.

Child obesity is a growing problem. What responsibility do food manufacturers have in combating this health epidemic?
I don’t think manufacturers can impact all of the many causes of obesity. However, they are in a good position to introduce new and healthier products, and can do their part in educating and informing through nutrition labels and direct consumer education.

When I look at some of the stats, I wonder who is responsible. As a mother, I wish that children would get more physical activity at school. Yes, it’s about the food, but it’s also about getting physical activity. There is a lot of pressure on food companies to come up with better products, but not as much pressure on the school system to implement more physical education. There needs to be a balance.

How can the Army’s community programs better partner with and learn from food manufacturers and distributors?
Companies would like to support and give back, but they’re not always as focused on partnering with organizations such as The Salvation Army. I think the Army could be more aggressive in seeking collaborative partnerships with companies for your various programs and ministries.