A National Fruit And Vegetable Research And Promotion Board To Be Discussed

By Growing Produce Staff|April 15, 2009

The Produce for Better Health (PBH) Foundation recently announced its intention to begin a seven-month dialog with the fruit and vegetable industry about the possible development of a national fruit and vegetable research and promotion board.

PBH’s executive committee appointed an industry task force in 2008 to look into past barriers to such a promotion board. After a year-long discussion, the task force presented its conclusions to PBH’s executive committee.

The discussion outlined the objective of such a promotion board and how it would be funded. The proposed objective is to increase consumption in the U.S. of all forms of fruits and vegetables for better health through implementation of a comprehensive health marketing, communications, and education effort.

A total of $30 million is proposed to be collected from first handlers. This amount would be collected via a 0.046% assessment (less than 1/20 of one percent) on the free-on-board market value of all first handlers and importers of both fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. The creation of such a promotion board would be dependent on the outcome of a referendum, or vote, of first handlers. Voting would likely not occur until 2011; if passed, assessments would likely not begin until 2012.

“There was a great deal of thought that went into the development of the proposed promotion board because we wanted to give the industry a solid place from which to begin discussions. Our intent is to get feedback from first handlers over the next several months and make adjustments accordingly,” said Mark Munger, vice-president of marketing at Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce and outgoing chairman of PBH.