September 26, 2022 – I am thrilled to advance PBH’s BB #:157162 passion for fruits and vegetables and further unify the produce industry by joining forces with the International Fresh Produce Association BB #:378962 and its Foundation for Fresh Produce to create the largest global community of advocates for fruit and vegetable consumption.
This merger will immediately deliver even greater impact and value to the collective fruit and vegetable industry by providing a research-based, consumer-focused platform that can ignite consumption behavior change as well as elevate fruit and vegetable consumption as a national and global health priority, improving public health and accelerating industry growth.
For more than 30 years, PBH has been the trusted non-profit philanthropy dedicated to improving fruit and vegetable consumption in America. Rooted in research, PBH initiatives have created a monumental movement and inspired consumers to eat and enjoy fruits and vegetables for happier, healthier lives every single day.
We are incredibly grateful to our network of passionate partners, who have enabled us to make a considerable impact in leading the change to close the pervasive fruit and vegetable consumption gap in America. In the past four years alone, PBH:
• Led ground-breaking research to better understand the latest evidence on fruit and vegetable benefits as well as consumption trends, and most importantly, to identify innovative behavioral solutions to help people adopt habits that can transform their relationships with fruits and vegetables;
• Launched the Have A Plant® Movement, which has reached billions of Americans;
• Built a cutting-edge digital ecosystem – from fruitsandveggies.org to engaging social platforms – that helps make fruit and vegetable habits easy, relevant, and fun;
• Established PBH’s first Influencer Network, including hundreds of advocates from multiple points of consumer influence such as the point-of-sale, point-of-flavor and point-of-inspiration with experts from major retailers and foodservice operations, as well as more than 50 Have A Plant® Ambassadors supporting the PBH mission each day through in-kind digital content creation;
• Created PBH’s first-ever Scientific Advisory Council, including highly-esteemed food, nutrition and consumer behavioral scientists to ensure PBH is leading truly transformational research; and
• Doubled membership in the National Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Coalition, to help ensure PBH and its stakeholders have a voice as part of the Coalition’s multi-sector initiative to improve fruit and vegetable consumption in America.
Four years ago, we launched National Fruits & Veggies Month to turn September into a month-long celebration, so it’s fitting to announce this new step for the future of PBH as this year’s campaign comes to a close. As we look ahead, I am incredibly proud of the new and refreshed PBH, which now reflects consumers’ evolving food and nutrition landscape, to help change fruit and vegetable consumption in the future.
Now, more than ever, the industry has an opportunity to build upon the momentum achieved thus far—working together with one, unified voice—to advance fruit and vegetable consumption for America’s health and happiness—for this generation and the next.
For more information about the announcement, please read the press release and review the Foundation for Fresh Produce and Produce For Better Health Foundation Merger FAQs.
