Washington D.C., Newark, De.- The Foundation for Fresh Produce and Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) have announced they will combine to further advance fruit and vegetable consumption in America and create the largest global community of advocates for produce.
“The produce industry has the potential to provide solutions to many of the greatest challenges we face, especially those around nutrition and hunger,” said Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms and Chair of the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) Board of Directors. “Combining the efforts and assets of these two organizations will continue to bolster our efforts to help the world see the importance of investing in health over healthcare, by driving consumption of fruits and vegetables and tapping into the power of our industry to help change the trajectory of human health.”
The Foundation for Fresh Produce is focused on improving the appeal of fruits and vegetables as an integral part of people’s diets, supporting the development and infrastructure and supply chain solutions that increase access, and establishing strategic alliances at the global, national and local levels to enable children and families to form healthier eating habits.
PBH has decades of experience leading the industry to inspire daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and serve the public good. In 2019, PBH launched the award-winning Have A Plant® Movement and surround-sound digital ecosystem, which has inspired millions of Americans with innovative ways to create new fruit and vegetable consumption behaviors. In addition, PBH has led ground-breaking research to better understand the latest evidence on fruit and vegetable benefits and to identify realistic behavior-based solutions to help people adopt and sustain habits that can transform their relationships with fruits and vegetables. Most recently, PBH doubled membership in the National Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Coalition and formed the industry’s first-ever Scientific Advisory Council and Ambassador Network, including esteemed experts from all points of consumer influence.
“Bringing these two 501(c)(3)s together not only allows us to further scale proven initiatives to pursue our shared mission, but it also allows us to achieve a unified and powerful voice,” said CarrieAnn Arias, Vice President of Marketing at Naturipe Farms, LLC, and Chair of the PBH Board of Trustees. “Today, where public health is at the center of some of our greatest challenges, the advocacy needed to improve nutrition security requires resources and strategic partnerships. Bringing these organizations together is the ultimate collaboration and will position our industry to take on a significant role in increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables.”
The Foundation for Fresh Produce and PBH will deliver even greater impact and value to produce industry members by offering streamlined, cohesive investment opportunities; providing a research-based, consumer-focused platform that can ignite consumption behavior change; and serving the public good, by elevating fruit and vegetable consumption as a global health priority.
PBH will become an integral part of the Foundation for Fresh Produce beginning on January 1, 2023. Until then, the organizations will work through a transition period to further align and provide a smooth transition without disruption. PBH recently announced that they will hold their Retail & Foodservice Immersion Event in conjunction with IFPA’s Global Produce and Floral Show in Orlando from October 26-29. The Foundation for Fresh Produce will also host The Race for a Healthier World 5k at the same event.
“With so much misinformation, the opportunity to communicate the benefits of fruits and vegetables is paramount,” said Martha Hilton, Vice President of Produce and Floral at Wegmans, and Chair of the Foundation for Fresh Produce. “Combining our two organizations allows us to leverage the PBH recognized and trusted consumer channels and scale some Foundation for Fresh Produce initiatives. Under the Foundation for Fresh Produce, we will be able to galvanize our efforts around the mission of driving consumption to alleviate the many public health and personal wellness challenges that stem from nutrition insecurity.”
Both organizations will provide more information during the transition period including this list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Supporters can continue to make contributions to both organizations, and are encouraged to participate and register for The Race for A Healthier World 5k at this year’s Global Produce and Floral Show. Proceeds from registration and individual donations will benefit the Foundation in its work.
###
About The Foundation for Fresh Produce (FFP):
The Foundation for Fresh Produce’s (FFP). vision is to grow a healthier world by changing the trajectory of human health. FFP is a global, non-profit, 501(c)(3), dedicated to growing consumption for fruits and vegetables by focusing on improving the appeal of fruit and vegetables as an integral part of people’s diets, supporting the development of infrastructure and supply chain solutions that provide easier access, and establishing strategic alliances that enable children and families to form healthier eating habits. FFP believes the produce industry has the potential to provide solutions for many of the world’s greatest health and economic challenges – especially those surrounding nutrition and hunger – and are committed to the programs and partnerships to achieve this vision.
About the Produce For Better Health Foundation
Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is the only national organization dedicated to helping consumers live happier, healthy lives by eating more fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100% juice, every single day.
Since 1991, PBH has invested in developing trended insights on attitudes toward all forms of fruit and vegetable consumption, in addition to campaigns and partnerships with government, food industry stakeholders, health professionals and other thought leaders to collaborate, facilitate and advocate for increased intake. Campaigns included first, the 5-A-Day program, and then, the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters public health initiative. While five fruits and vegetables each day is great advice, and more will always matter, PBH’s new behavior-based call-to-action is Have A Plant®. Rooted in behavioral science, PBH’s transformative Have A Plant® Movement is an invitation that will inspire people with compelling reasons to believe in the powerful role fruits and vegetables can play to create happy, healthy and active lives.
Be sure to join the Have A Plant® Movement and get new recipes, snack hacks, meal ideas and other tips from chefs, registered dietitians, as well as food and wellness experts by visiting www.fruitsandveggies.org. Follow us on Facebook @fruitsandveggies; on Twitter @fruits_veggies; on Instagram @fruitsandveggies; on Pinterest @fruits_veggies; and on LinkedIn at Produce for Better Health Foundation. And remember to #haveaplant.
PBH is also responsible for the Lead The Change Collaborative Consumption Campaign – a multi-sector, multi-year initiative designed to maximize the power of PBH’s unique thought leadership position, widespread influencer network, credible scientific and market research, and, most importantly, its innovative members and partners, to lead a call-to-action for addressing the global fruit and vegetable consumption crisis. The initiative includes research, thought leadership and communication platforms to ensure the campaign speaks with One Purpose, One Voice and One Call-to-Action. For more information visit: www.fruitsandveggies.org/lead-the-change.
