The Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Fresh Summit convention and expo has broken records with more than 19,000 delegates from 63 countries attending the three-day event in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 66th Fresh Summit event is the US also saw several trade partnerships sealed, including a marketing partnership between PMA and the US Entertainment Resource and Marketing Association (ERMA) that will see fresh fruit and vegetables promoted in TV shows and in movies.
Building on PMA’s ‘Eat Brighter’ and ‘FNV’ campaigns, the strategic alliance with ERMA seeks to utilise mainstream marketing tactics to push consumption of fruit and vegetables and combat childhood obesity – work that drew praise from US first lady Michelle Obama who congratulated the industry for the work being done to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables.
The Fresh Summit expo included educational sessions on a range of topics including trade, talent development and food safety, with the three-day exhibition focusing around demand creation.
“With topics like ethical sourcing, sustainability, and multiple varieties, we as an industry need to collaborate on standards, systems and processes that drive responsible sourcing of produce,” Russ Mounce, vice president of produce for Sam’s Club and PMA board of directors chair said in a press release. “This coming year, I hope to influence progress in aligning those standards between retailers and suppliers, in improving supply chain transparency for our customers and finding innovative solutions that tackle unethical behaviour.”
The 2016 PMA Fresh Summit will be held on 14-16 October in Orlando, Florida.
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