It gives me great pleasure and excitement to welcome you to the first issue of the International Fruit and Vegetable Alliance (IFAVA) newsletter.

In 2004, representatives from over 10 countries met in New Zealand and began informal discussions to form a new international organization which will be in a leading position to encourage and foster efforts on both national and global levels to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables for the better health of all citizens.

The hope is that this new international body will support national initiatives, promote efficiencies on a global level, share communication tools and resources, facilitate co-operation on shared aims, act as a clearing house for scientific findings and provide global leadership through the provision of sound evidence-based science. That vision has been achieved and the incorporation of the International Fruit and Vegetable Alliance occurred in Canada in September 2005.

IFAVA is organized on two levels: the IFAVA Board of Directors will manage the overall operations of the organization while two international committees have been formed to focus on science and communications and will support the core tactics of the IFAVA strategic plan.

The creation of this newsletter will enable this not-for-profit organization to provide the global scientific community with access to credible, sound scientific evidence specific to vegetables and fruit. It will also support the overall mission of the organization, namely, to encourage and foster efforts to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables globally for better health by supporting national initiatives, promoting efficiencies, facilitating collaboration on shared aims and providing global leadership, all of which is based on sound science.

An undertaking of this kind cannot be accomplished without the generous support of many who have contributed to the development and review of the content. As the first Chair of IFAVA, I would like to personally thank all those who have been active in the development of the organization, and now the launch of this new tool, to spread the valuable message of eating vegetables and fruit. I would specifically like to thank the scientific committee and editorial board for their vision and commitment on this program.