Collaborations in the Vegetable Industry

We know that the business of growing vegetables is vast and ever changing. For this reason, we make sure to work collaboratively, not just with our customers, but industry leaders as well. This principle goes beyond our innovative seed development; we believe it continues as we advocate for the grower and drive consumption of fruits and vegetables. It’s a deeply held conviction that if tomorrow is to be better for customers and for families; it’s up to us to work in collaboration with industry stakeholders and organizations to make it so. Below you will find some of the ways we collaborate within the industry:

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) brings together leaders from industry, government, and the scientific and academic communities in a unique partnership, all working toward the common goal of produce safety. CPS answers crucial produce-specific food safety questions, providing science-proven results that are ready to use in the real world. CPS’s mission Fund the Science, Find Solutions and Fuel the Change provides the basis for research decisions and action plans. To date CPS has funded 154 food safety research projects at 42 institutions covering five countries. Research projects are posted on the CPS website, www.centerforprouducesafety.org. Each year this organization hosts an annual research symposium to provide a progress report to the fresh produce supply chain about research results and application to food safety programs. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, CPS’s funding comes from across the fresh produce supply chain and from grants from major specialty-crop producing states.

Produce for Better Heath (PBH) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to achieve increased daily consumption of fruits and vegetables for better health by leveraging private industry and public sector resources, motivating key consumer influencers, and promoting fruits and vegetables directly to consumers. PBH, together with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and other national partners, launched in 2007 a new national health initiative: Fruits & Veggies—More Matters®, the next generation of the 5 A Day for Better Health campaign. PBH acts as a respected liaison between the industry and the public health community. As a result, no other food group has the public health support that fruits and vegetables enjoy and no other food group can tout that MORE indeed, matters. We work with this organization by participating on their board and making monetary contributions to help support their continued efforts.