Chaotic was the word used to describe the state of the fresh produce industry when I spoke to Bryan Silbermann, president and CEO of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), for our preview of this year’s PMA Fresh Summit trade show.
When you consider the pace of change taking place within our trade, it’s clearly no exaggeration. Take the clearance and cold-treatment regulations introduced by US Customs and Border Protection for imported perishables: the situation is so concerning that leading players have formed a coalition called the Fresh Produce Import Alliance to address the challenges.
This year has also seen the introduction of new rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act. Among other demands, the mandate requires that foreign suppliers re-register their facilities before the end of the year or face the cancellation of their certification. More recently, the decision by the US Department of Commerce to terminate a 16-year-old agreement that sets the price for Mexican tomatoes entering the US has thrown the entire supply deal into question. Pundits warn it could spark a possible retaliation on US exports to Mexico or even create a knock-on effect on other Mexican imports.
Now more than ever it appears our trade needs to prepare for future changes. Luckily, that’s exactly the platform which North America’s biggest produce expo, PMA Fresh Summit, aims to provide at the end of October. Americafruit will be there as usual – come and see us at booth 1049!
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