2009 Fresh Cut (PMA Fresh Summit)

Looking Forward to United Fresh 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:22:00 +0000

With the global economy weighing heavy on everyone's minds and a separation of the United Fresh Show from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, I think some attendees at Fresh Marketplace and FreshTech were expecting a smaller, less expansive show. But the show had a record 4,000 attendees and more educational and networking events than ever before.

Many exhibitors mentioned the number of upper-level managers at the show, and all reported making good contacts. In spite of an unsure economy right now, nearly all the exhibitors surveyed said they would see sales from the show and were sure to return next year. The first day of the trade expo was three hours, with the last hour featuring free drinks. That helped create a sense of urgency and made for great networking opportunities. As one attendee put it, "Happy hour was the best thing to happen to the United Fresh show."

The educational events featured prominent business people and respected produce industry professionals that provided insights into the economy, upcoming legislation and management, as well as practical issues like modified atmosphere, consumer perceptions and maintaining quality.

The show also featured a conference for the entire supply chain that is a step toward reducing the number of audits companies have to take part in by developing a global standard for food safety. Processors and other handlers spend days at a time working with first-, second- or third-party auditors, even though 85-95 percent of the audit material is the same. With the work of the United Fresh technical committee and global standards owners, interchangeable and respected certifications based on the Global Food Safety Initiative should help reduce the time companies spend on audits. Most certification boards already are authorized to audit the various standards, or are in the process of gaining authorization for the different standards.

The 2010 United Fresh Show is scheduled for the Sands Mega Center in Las Vegas and will feature extended hours on Wednesday and Thursday, with no hours on Friday. Attendees can expect the same level of educational sessions and learning centers on the trade show floor.

Fresh Cut will be on hand again next year - booth 720 on the FreshTech side - and we look forward to seeing you there.

Global Standards Owners

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:59:00 +0000

The second day of the Global Food Safety Standards Conterence kicked off the postharvest track with presentation from three standards owners. Kathy Wybourn, director of food safety systems for DMV North America presented the International Food Standards; John Kukoly, senior technical marketing consultant for BRC, presented the British Retail Consortium's Global Standards, and Gary Smith, technical director with the Safe Quality Food Institute, presented SQF-2000.

Each global standard has the foundation of the Global Food Safety Initiative, so although they go about developing their standards differently, they would eliminat the need for multiple audits. Simply put, they're eqivalent audits, Smith said.

There was some confusion from attendees about what role a standards board plays. The standards board owns the standard and then works with ANSI to authorize certification boards to conduct audits to the standards boards' audits. So a company like Silliker or AIB will be certified that its auditors can conduct audits to the guidelines developed by the standards board.

It's a comple issue, but each board provides a system of measure for food safety and quality in a plant. The second section set to begin soon deals with facility audit programs, with presentations from SCS, AIB, ASI, Steritech and NSF Davis Fresh.

Global Food Safety Standards

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:12:00 +0000

The Global Food Safety Standards Conference kicked off Friday afternoon following the close of United FreshTech and Marketplace. The opening sessions, with presenters from FDA, food manufacturers with a stake in safe produce and other industry leaders, was held in a packed room at the Venetian Hotel.

Many produce shippers and processors recognized the need for a consistent measure for maintaining food safety in the U.S. The conference is sponsored by two of those companies - Dole and Chiquita/Fresh Express.

Mitch Smith, director of U.S. quality systems, ag products, for McDonald's, said there were four goals his company would like to come out of a global standards effort.

1. A common base of standards so the result would be the same no matter who conducts the audit.

2. The audit should be applicable and acceptable to all end users, whether it's a grocery store or restaurant.

3. Confidence in audits by having a means of calibrating auditors.

4. It should be federally mandated to ensure compliance.

Saturday's program breaks out postharvest and pre-farm sessions. Breakout sessions in the afternoon will allow attendees to provide input and feedback. Those sessions will be documented so the ideas and opinions can be used moving forward with a global food safety standard.

UFPA Poster Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:32:00 +0000

Sunny Luo was the announced as the winner of the United Fresh poster competition.

Out of 16, Luo's research on developing science-based approaches to reduce produce safety risks at the processor and consumer level. She doesn't want her research to remain in the lab, but is looking for companies to put it into practice and develop new machinery and practices that reduce food safety risks.

"I'm looking for some companies to take my research to the next level," she said.

Luo is with USDA Agricultural Research Service and is on the editorial board of Fresh Cut.

Trade Show Wraps Up

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:19:00 +0000

The United Fresh Marketplace and FreshTech came to a close at noon in Las Vegas. From all accounts it was a successful show, with many attendees mentioning the number of decision makers that were at the show.

Next year's show will be held in the same expo center, but the hours may be extended during a two day expo rather than three.

The Global Conference on Food Safety Standards kicked off at 1:20, with Tom Lovelace, UFPA outgoing chairman welcoming a packed room at the Venetian meeting room.

Religious Requirements for Processing

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:29:00 +0000

Garry Smith, chairman of Webber/Smith Associates Design Engineering and Architecture, built a new fresh-cut plant for a processor in Pennsylvania that came online last year. The plant serves customers in New York and is a Kosher facility processing lettuce.

Under Kosher guidelines, a rabbi has to be on-site to bless the food, and Smith said if he finds one aphid he'll reject the entire lot. Often more than one rabbi is in the plant, ensuring everything is clean. One Kosher plant he worked with had a dormitory for 20 rabbis, who would rotate out every couple of weeks.

Smith said he's working with a Muslim chicken processor now on a new plant, and there are religious requirements there, too. The person killing the chicken has to be facing Mecca, for one.

Working with a new customer may mean doing research on more than their products. If the food being prepared is for a religious group, there could be additional requirements on space or design that you wouldn't find in a conventional plant. Understanding your customers' needs is key to designing the right facility.

Weighpack Machines

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:01:00 +0000

Weighpack was showing a new weighing piece that has a feature electricians will like. Weighpack has moved the panels off the machine onto a wheeled cart. That allows maintenance personnel and electricians to move the panel out of the way. It's also benefit for the sanitation crew, because they can move it out of the way to clean below.

Turatti SRL

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:48:00 +0000

Alessandro Turatti of Turatti SRL was displaying two new pieces at the United FreshTech. The first is an automatic spin dryer designed for high-capacity dewatering, and the other is a continuous flow washing and treatment system that uses a closed pipe flume system without the need for a centrifugal pump.

Key Booth Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:13:00 +0000

Rudy and Mark from Key Technology said the show was going well. They said there were more higher-ups at the show this year in addition to the plant and lab managers.

Key was displaying some new products including its Optyx system and small dryers and sealers from Key's FreshLine purchase.

National Promotion Board

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:33:00 +0000

The idea of a national promotion board for fruits and vegetables isn't new, but the time is right for the industry to support one, said Liz Pivonka, president and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. A task force was formed in 2008 by PBH to look at the potential value of a national board. Based on the task force recommendations, Pivonka is presenting a national board idea to the industry, and if response is good a proposal could be submitted to USDA as early as next year. Following discussion and feedback, assessments for a national promotion board could begin by 2012.

The board would represent more than 30 commodity groups as an umbrella organization that would promote the increased consumption of all those products. The initial figure is $30 million for a campaign, for an industry valued at $71 billion farmgate. If a promotion could increase FOB sales just 1%, the return on investment would be a 23-fold, Pivonka said.

The program would be funded by the industry, with an assessment applied on a certain days' FOB price. The assessment would be paid by the first handler, including processors, importers and packers. The rate for a $30 million campaign would be 0.046% - or $23,000 for a company with $50 million in sales. Having a national board in place also could pave the way for matching funds in the next Farm Bill in 2012.

The promotions board would be an industry-run organization that gets its initial start from USDA. The agency will approve board members, and then the board will seat members on committees. There could be as many as 100 members, with the makeup being 62% fresh handlers, 21% processors and 17% importers.

The plan was presented April 22 and 23, and the response wasn't as good as Pivonk would have hoped, she said. What's needed now is for handlers to step forward to champion the board, because promotions have worked for other industries and could benefit the produce industry by increasing sales.

Fresh-Cut Processor Super Session

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:19:00 +0000

New to the United Fresh show this year is a program track for the various segments of the produce industry: grower-shipper, wholesale-distributor, retail-foodservice and fresh-cut processing.

The fresh-cut super session kicked off with a presentation from Mick Strongin, who talked about LEAN manufacturing in a food environment. LEAN is often ignored by the food industry because it originated and evolved in the automotive industry, he said. But the produce industry can benefit from being LEAN because its goal is to eliminate waste and add value. Anything that doesn't add value in the customers' minds is considered waste. LEAN can complement other program, like Six Sigma, not compete with or replace them.

"LEAN brings a new set of tools that can substantially improve food manufacturing," Strongin said.

After his presentation, the fresh-cut attendees heard from a roundtable of international processors. Kip Winter-Cox of Bakkavor gave a short presentation on the fresh-cut market in the United Kingdom. Sam Robson of One Harvest in Australia talked about the state of the industry in his country, then Paddy Callaghan of Nature's Best Ltd. gave the Irish perspective. James Truscott of Wild Rocket Foods then talked about the market in the United States with his experience working with Tesco's Fresh and Easy stores in the U.S.

All of the presenters said the economy was affecting their businesses, and consumers were looking for healthful products that are considered a value. That could be a low price point or a premium product that satisfies consumers' needs to be treated at home instead of eating out.

New from HMI

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Heinzen Manufacturing unveiled a new piece of equipment that will save on labor. The machine automated the loading and unloading of dryers, which is usually a labor task. The piece is good for large runs or specialty runs, according to HMI.

Best New Products

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:35:00 +0000

Four products were nominated for the Best New Product at the United Fresh show.

The Gourmet Cafe Salads from Fresh Express were one of the nominees. The salads are available in six varieties: Carribean Chicken, Chicken Caesar, Chopped Turkey Chef, Orchard Harvest, Tuscan Pesto Chicken and Waldorf Chicken.

The second nominee was a new fresh-cut pineapple line from Chiquita. Available nationwide in regular or coconut flavored, the Pineapple Bites have a retail price around $1 each.

Third nominee is the Colorful Harvest Themed Platters with Rainbow Crunch Carrots. The tray features a variety of colored carrots that also are available in smaller snack packs.

The final nominee is SprouTofu Water Pak's tofu sprouts. The sprout line is available in firm, silken, extra firm and medium/soft.

To vote for one of the products, stop by the United Fresh Business Marketplace or pick up a ballot at the nominees' booths.

Fresh Marketplace Opens

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:01:00 +0000

With the ribbon-cutting complete, United Fresh Marketplace is open for business. More than 4,000 attendees from more than 30 countries are walking through a showplace featuring more than 250 exhibitors, according to United Fresh Produce Association.

In addition to the booths from all areas of the produce supply chain, there are special areas dedicated to traceability, food safety and even a Business Marketplace.

The show runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today, which tops off a full and informative day of educational sessions and presentations from business and industry leaders.

Steve Forbes Says Economy Showing Signs of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:57:00 +0000

The problems in the economy go back to 2004, but really took off in 2007, said Steve Forbes, who runs Forbes Inc. and has twice tried for the Republican nomination for president.

In 2004, the Federal Reserve flooded the market with money, which drove commodities and the housing market up. Then in 2007 a few small changes led to the downward spiral in the economy. Fanny May and Freddie Mac accumulated $1 trillion in junk mortgages in 2 years, the SECs short selling uptick rule was taken out market-to-market accounting resulted in companies writing off bad debts even if the asset was paying off, Forbes said.

The government has continued to put money in, but hasn't helped in the banking industry except to increase banks' cash on hand. The government also has been inconsistent in its bailouts - saving Goldman Sachs but not the more important Lehman Brothers.

The economy is showing some signs of life, but more needs to be done, Forbes said. The market-to-market rule changes so far have helped, but more can be done. The SEC may put the uptick rule for short selling back in the next couple of weeks, and the Federal Reserve will eventually loan more money than is currently being destroyed - right now the Fed is adding $30 billion a week, but $40-50 billion is being destroyed.

Forbes said there are a few battles looming in the next year that will affect the direction of the economy. The first is card check, which is the biggest labor change since the 1930s. It will eliminate secret ballots, enforce mandatory arbitration and provide union access to any business at any time.

Forbes also pointed to energy regulations, health care and taxes, including the death tax, as important issues.

Sustainability Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:45:00 +0000

The United Fresh Research and Education Foundation has introduced a new center to benefit its members - the Center for Global Produce Sustainability. The center was created with a $1.1 million endowment grant from Bayer CropScience.

The center will be housed with other UFPA centers. The goal of the center will be to educate members on whole supply chain sustainability - from the field to the retail shelves. Sustainability programs will be developed with science-based metrics, said Tom Lovelace, chairman of UFPA.

The first step will be to create an advisory board, then begin looking for a full-time staff member to focus on sustainability, said Tom Stenzel, president of UFPA.

Announcement Coming Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:33:00 +0000

United Fresh Produce Association held a press conference this afternoon, but the news will have to wait until tomorrow. Suffice to say, the entire supply chain will benefit from the news. Check back tomorrow for the latest.

Set Up and Ready

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:10:00 +0000

The Fresh Cut booth is assembled and ready for the thousands of industry members that will soon be flooding the Sands Mega Center.

The booth is number 2418, near some fine companies like Bayer, EuroFresh Farms and Driscoll's Berries. Stop by for a free subscription, or to pick up a copy of the Fresh Cut Buyers' Guide or a free calendar. You can find a copy of the April issue in the registration packet, or more will be available at the booth.

Las Vegas is entering a heat wave, but that's just another reason why the United Fresh show will be the hottest event on the Strip

Fresh Cut booth

noreply@blogger.com (Great American Publishing) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Stop by the Fresh Cut booth in the Sands Mega Center during United Fresh 2009. Sign up for a subscription or renew your subscription for free at booth 2418.