The first Fruit and Vegetable Summit to be held in Paris will focus on the idea of implementing a global approach to boosting fruit and vegetable consumption.

The event will take place on May 27-30, with the support of the International Conference of the Health Benefits of Fruit and Vegetables (EGEA), the International Fruit and Vegetable Alliance (IFAVA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), with the participation of the European Commission. The summit will take place at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris’s seventh arrondissement.

“For many years, there have been parallel efforts across sectors to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, with research and education campaigns by the public health and scientific communities and non-government organisations on the one hand, and marketing campaigns by the fruit and vegetable industry on the other,” said scientific co-ordinator Saïda Barnat on behalf of the show’s organisers.

Building upon the strength of the EGEA and IFAVA conferences and symposiums, this joint international conference will gather key stakeholders (leading international experts from the areas of health, food, education, management, environment, politics and economics) to capitalise on cross-sectoral expertise to find solutions to this issue.

The Fruit and Vegetable Summit 2008 aims to assemble over 500 international high-level specialists, public health practitioners, fruit and vegetable industry representatives and decision-makers to further clarify the mechanisms through which fruit and vegetable intake may contribute to disease risk reduction, and to discuss the most appropriate and effective strategies to increase fruit and vegetable intake.

A scientific programme has been developed by a committee of leading experts, and will co-chaired by Professor Elio Riboli, chair in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention at Imperial College London, and Professor Serge Hercberg, a research director at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research.

For more information, please visit www.fruitandvegsummit.com.

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