Fresh Cut Magazine

Significant Step Forward in Building a Global Organization

Fresh Cut November 2004 VENICE, Italy - The International Fresh-cut Produce Association (IFPA) has taken a significant step to advance its commitment to be a leading global resource for the fresh-cut industry. IFPA Fresh-Cut Europe was held Oct. 4-5 in Venice, Italy. A total of 57 were in attendance at the conference, which drew guests from France, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Russia and the United States. The event was hosted by Turatti S.r.l., a Caverzere, Italy equipment manufacturer, in cooperation with several other companies and European suppliers. One of the key discussion points during the meeting was to discuss the feasibility of forming a pan-European association for fresh-cut produce and how it would participate in IFPA. Jerry Welcome, IFPA president, greeting guests at the conference, explained what IFPA is, what it wants to become, its vision, mission and…  » Read more

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Opening the Door to Foodservice Sales

Huge opportunities await fresh-cut fruit and vegetable processors able to get their feet in the door with the ever-growing foodservice industry. The key to success rests with how well they are working with major food distributors. Such was the feedback from a panel discussion, "Inside the Foodservice Kitchen," part of the International Fresh-cut Produce Association's (IFPA) ExecTrends 2004 conference, held Sept. 27 and 28 in Alexandria, Va. Participating on the panel moderated by the IFPA's Sean Handerhan were: Vince Avalos, commodity manager, produce, Avendra, LLC, Rockville, Md.; Michael Sherlock, director of foodservice, Wawa Foodmarkets, Wawa, Pa.; Dick Knickerbocker, director, procurement and distribution, HMS Host Inc., Bethesda, Md.; and Richard Persaud, produce manager, Sutton Place Gourmet/Balducci's, Alexandria, Va. Utilize Distributors Avendra rarely buys direct from a processor, Avalos told the group. It purchases all of its products, including fresh-cut items, from distributors, and, because Avendra's clients…  » Read more

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Study Looks at Projected Fresh-cut Produce Growth, Packaging and Other Trends

Experiencing double-digit growth for most of its 15-plus year existence, the fresh-cut produce industry is poised for even more phenomenal growth over the next decade and a half. Currently a $12.5 billion category, it continues to be the fastest growing segment in the produce sector. A new study, commissioned by the International Fresh-cut Produce Association (IFPA) and available to its membership, was released during the association's ExecTrends conference, held Sept. 27-28 in Alexandria, Va. Entitled, "Fresh-cut Produce Fuels an America On-the-Go," the study paints an optimistic future for smart and aggressive fresh-cut produce entrepreneurs, those involved in pre-cut salad, vegetable and fruit products, but particularly fresh-cut fruit. "Cut packaged salads remain the big engine pulling the fresh-cuts train with over $3 billion in annual retail sales followed by cut vegetables at $1.7 billion," the copyrighted "white paper" proclaims. "But coming on fast is cut fruit,…  » Read more

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Is Your Plant Ready for a Third-Party Audit?

Practical Advice from a Professional Auditor By Andrew Flanders, Ph.D. The Steritech Group From farm to fork, the food industry has made significant food safety gains in recent years as processors, retailers and consumers increase their awareness of food safety issues. As regulations have tightened, food processors, restaurant chains and retailers are increasingly using audits as a means of ensuring that they comply with these mandatory requirements as well as those of downstream customers. As a result, our food supply has become safer, and food safety problems have become easier to track and manage. While meat, fish and dairy processors have been typically considered "higher risk" industries than the fresh cut produce industry, produce is now no longer considered low-risk, as evidenced by a number of high-profile food-borne illness outbreaks associated with fruits and vegetables. The fact remains that, even with the improvements being made,…  » Read more

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Are Your GAP Programs Really Working?

Are the occasional food safety problems receiving media attention due to failure to employ Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) programs or to GAP programs that are in place but are not working efficiently? The challenges out there may be due to one or the other or both, according to Hank Giclas of Western Growers Association (WGA), speaking during the International Fresh-cut Produce Association's ExecTrends 2004 conference held Sept. 27-28 in Alexandria, Va. Depending upon the particular circumstance, there are "big differences" in recommendations for what can be done to bring about improvement. Vice president of Strategic Planning Science and Technology for WGA, Giclas was one of two speakers participating in the food safety session, "Assuring Produce Safety from Field to Fork." In Place and Functioning First, make sure that all GAP programs are universally in place and then check to see that they are indeed functioning,…  » Read more

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