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Freshfel fosters food safety ties

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:22:50 +0000

Four quality assurance schemes from France, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland set to work more closely in future

Members of the European fresh produce association, Freshfel Europe, in Germany, France, Netherlands and Switzerland have initiated steps to increase the amount of coordination and collaboration that exists between their respective quality and safety monitoring schemes.

Such monitoring usually covers a wide range of potential contamination and generally involves checking products for pesticide MRL compliance as well as according to other crtieria such as microbiological entities and additives.

According to a press release issued by Freshfel, the organisation's working group on fresh produce quality and safety has begun to look at what it describes as "possible synergies, similarities and gaps" between the countries' four existing private food monitoring schemes for fresh fruit and vegetables.

The schemes involved are 4fresh in Germany, Food Compass in the Netherlands, FeLPartenariat in France and SOGUR in Switzerland.

Andreas Brügger, chairman of Freshfel's Food Safety and Quality Working Group, stated: "The association will conduct in the coming weeks an inventory of the key operational aspects of the schemes looking at possible ways of increasing cooperation between these systems."

He added: "Possible synergies might still further reinforce the efficiencies of these schemes by approximating methodologies while considering also possible joint efforts with regard to technical equipments or communication."

Commitment

The existence of such systems demonstrated the commitment of the sector to providing high quality and safety, as well as the diligent approach already being adopted by the sector, Freshfel continued.

Currently, the countries' own schemes review on a voluntary basis close to 10,000 samples of fresh produce each year.

These samples are in addition to approximately 60,000 samples that are taken on a yearly basis at member state level under the coordination of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Findings made by those private monitoring schemes are converging with the results of official EFSA reports, Freshfel revealed.

The new initiative and review remains an open exercise, Freshfel's statement added, and as such the association has called upon other similar schemes operating in Europe to join forces and contribute to the Freshfel review.

"This exercise is valuable and has many advantages for the industry but also from a governance perspective, commented Frederic Rosseneu, director for quality and sustainability at Freshfel Europe.

"The schemes allow for a quick access to data to evaluate the situation in case of emergence of a food safety crisis and provide authorities with professional data."

He concluded: "Having data available in a timely manner is of great help for discussions with public authorities when confronted with a crisis."

Progress on the new collaborative framework is expected to be made during the course of the first semester of 2012.

RSA table grape crop to break 50m cartons

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:22:11 +0000

Export figures from South Africa's early table grape regions show that the country is harvesting a bumper crop this season

Total South African table grape export figures up to week four are running well ahead of last year's volumes, according to new estimates, and, if this trend continues, the country will ship significantly more grapes than in 2011.

The South African Table Grape Industry’s (SATI) latest forecast put the total export crop between 49.4m and 51.6m cartons. However, the harvest in northern regions and the Orange River have already exceeded the forecast, and with the mid-season and late regions still some way before the end of the season, the total may far exceed the forecast.

The figures also indicate that South Africa has shipped many more grapes to the UK and Northern Europe than at the same time last year, while shipments to the Far East are more or less on-par with 2011 and exports to the Middle East are running behind last year's figures. By the end of week four, the UK received almost 2m cartons more than at the same time in 2011, and Northern Europe almost 2.7m cartons more.

Last year saw a dramatic increase in shipments to the east, while those to traditional markets declined. The early Chinese New Year may well be the major reason why more early-season grapes have been shipped to traditional markets in 2012. Meanwhile, growers are also nervous about the fall out of late arrivals for the Chinese New Year period, which may well depress prospects in the Far East for some time.

By the end of week four the Orange River had already exceeded the SATI forecast with volumes expected to draw to a close at the end of week five. The total Orange River crop now stands at 16.6m cartons, which exceeds both of the previous two season’s crops.

Recent hail and rain in the Hex River region have slowed down packing, but the total crop from this region is still estimated at between 17.3m-17.7m cartons. Up to week four only 2.8m cartons have been packed in the region, and the harvest will continue until April.

Kuehne + Nagel acquires Link Logistics

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:13:30 +0000

Germany's Kuehne + Nagel has taken over Australian freight forwarder Link Logistics to strengthen its perishables network

German global logistics company Kuehne + Nagel (K+N) has inked a deal to take over Australia's leading perishables freight forwarder, Link Logistics International, reports www.analytiqa.com.

The move is in line with K+N's strategy to globally expand its perishable logistics business, the article said.

Link Logistics, which is headquartered in Melbourne and has facilities in Sydney and Tasmania, specialises in coldchain management, and offers perishable goods services to hospitality and consumer markets mainly in Asia and the Middle East.

The acquisition will help accelerate K+N's growth in the perishable business segment, and will strengthen the company's position in the wider Australian air freight market, the report said.

Watermelon ‘likely source’ of outbreak

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:25:44 +0000

UK government agency indicates watermelon, possibly from Brazil, may be source of salmonella outbreak in UK, Ireland and Germany

The UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) has identified fresh-cut watermelon as the “likely” source of the recent salmonella outbreak in the UK, Ireland and Germany, although the organisation has yet to determine the origin of the fruit.

The HPA is investigating an outbreak of a strain of Salmonella Newport infection that has affected 30 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the beginning of December 2011.

Cases of illness caused by the same strain have been confirmed in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Germany.

Although the origin of the outbreak has still to be determined, an HPA spokesperson said the recent cases matched the same strain of Salmonella Newport as contaminated fresh-cut watermelon, imported from Brazil, discovered during a UK food survey in November 2011.

She said: “It looks like watermelon is the likely source, but we are carrying out further investigations with the Food Standards Agency about where these watermelons came from.”

However, trade sources believe Brazil is the probable origin of the watermelons, should they be found to be the source of the outbreak, as the South American country is said to be the only major supplier of the fruit during December.

Zespri investigates 'illegal' kiwifruit

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:19:28 +0000

Group appoints former judge to examine allegations surrounding its deputy chairman and unlicensed kiwifruit planting

Zespri has reportedly asked a former judge and commercial arbitrator to investigate claims that a “board member” of the New Zealand company has been involved in the 'illegal' planting of a new gold kiwifruit variety.

As Fruitnet previously reported, several growers whose orchards have been affected by Psa-V vine disease are understood to have grafted Zespri’s new gold G3 variety to trees on around 13ha of land, despite the new kiwifruit still being at a trial phase.

The G3 variety is being tested as a possible replacement for the previously widely-cultivated Hort 16A gold variety, which has proven to be highly susceptible to the Psa-V bacterial disease.

With Psa-V currently hitting the multi-billon dollar industry hard, desperate growers are believed to have resorted to planting the unlicensed new variety, prompting a stern response from Zespri, which said it would vigorously defend its intellectual property.

Zespri has now reportedly appointed Sir Peter Trapski, a commercial arbitrator and former judge, to examine the allegations, which Waikato Times has claimed concern Zespri’s deputy chairman Peter McBridge.

According to the publication, McBridge’s brother, Murray, is alleged to have grafted unlicensed G3 in a large orchard in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty.

Univeg embarks on modernisation drive

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:41:36 +0000

New service centre in Germany has been given go-ahead as group targets upgrades across European distribution network

Leading international fresh produce company Univeg is pushing forward a major programme of modernisation across its European distribution network, a move which it says will ensure it remains at the frontline of fruit and vegetable category management and supply.

Prompted by a recent strategic review concluded in late 2011, which has already seen the group shift its focus partly away from production by inviting outside entities to invest in existing and future projects, Univeg is aiming to update a number of its handling and packing centres across Europe by 2015.

Francis Kint, chief executive of Univeg's fresh produce division, told Eurofruit the company would roll out its modernisation programme this year and also confirmed plans to open a state-of-the-art new service centre in Duisburg, western Germany.

The facility, for which planning permission has now been granted, will handle imported fruit including bananas and exotics, as well as managing quality assurance, storage and packing.

In terms of what this means for Univeg's continued growth, it's clear the new Duisburg distribution centre will bring new opportunities to expand in Germany and other parts of Europe.

"In the service and distribution companies we realise that we need ot be state of the art, both when it comes to ripe and ready-to-eat products, and when it comes to packaging," Kint told Eurofruit.

"We also know that with the increased demand for private label packaging, we need a state-of-the-art infrastructure," he added.

"As part of our strategic review we just had a look and we realised need to go faster. We have about 25 DCs in Europe and in two or three years time we need to have all of these state of the art."

Infrastructure

Last year, Univeg's Katopé France division applied the finishing touches to a new operations centre at Rungis International Market near Paris.

The 7,000m² centre boasts the latest energy-saving technology and includes a warehouse area, ripening store, packing station, quality monitoring laboratory.

During the spring of 2012, the group plans to inaugurate its new large-scale distribution centre in Duisburg.

The centre will be almost twice the size of the Rungis facility at 13,300m², with a strong focus on ripening bananas and exotics.

"The produce industry does not tolerate mediocrity," continued Kint. "In order to fulfill our customer’s requirements we need a high-performing infrastructure in which the best people of the fruit and vegetable industry are proud to work."

He added: "By combining our state-of-the art service network with our caring and committed approach, we can offer customers new opportunities for product and service differentiation and drive a more sustainable future for generations to come."

Land struggle for Aztropex

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:45:02 +0000

Saudi-owned banana grower-exporter Aztropex is having difficulty securing land for a 1,200ha plantation project

Securing land for a mooted 1,200ha banana plantation in the Philippines is proving difficult for grower-exporter Aztropex.

Aztropex, a Philippine subsidiary if major Saudi Arabian fresh produce distributor Abbar & Zainy, is hoping to invest up to PHP2bn in the 1,200ha banana project, which is focused on supply to Middle Eastern markets.

A reportedly highly-placed source told the Malaya Business Insight that Aztropex had so far only secured 60ha, and had been advised to register the project with the local Board of Investments (BOI) in phases.

The delay in securing space was largely a result of authenticating individual land titles, the source said.

The company is working with the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao BOI and the Region 12 Department of Trade and Industry on sourcing land.

Aztropex is aiming to develop the project in the southern province of Maguindanao. The company has become one of the largest banana growers in the Philippines since being established in 2008.

Fears over losses to lettuce crop

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:32:10 +0000

Spanish lettuce growers say frost damage to harvest could get worse over coming days

Lettuce producers in Spain’s Murcia, Alicante and Almeria regions have suffered “serious losses” as a consequence of the bout of freezing weather that has affected much of Europe over recent days, and there are fears the damage could get worse.

According to Murcia-based export consortium Proexport, severe frosts over the last few nights in south-eastern Spain have led to a “hugely worrying” drop in production, with much of the lettuce crop left damaged by the icy temperatures.

With weather forecasters predicting temperatures could decrease still further during the coming days, dropping to negative figures in Mediterranean areas of Spain, there is concern the damage to the harvest could become yet more serious.

In a statement, Javier Soto, president of Proexport’s lettuce group, said: “Over the last three weeks, production was brought forward due to unseasonably warm temperatures.

"However, after the sudden fall over recent days and the frosts, we are now forecasting a natural gap during the coming weeks that will affect availability of the product.”

“We are worried the cold weather will cause major damage to the lettuce, leading to a significant halt to the development of production sites, as well as volume losses,” added Francisco Morales from Agrícola Aguileña.

Despite the problems, Soto was keen to emphasise that Proexport’s lettuce producers would “continue to work to meet the needs of clients and comply with supply programmes”.

Spain exported 381,027 tonnes of iceberg lettuce in 2010, with Germany and the UK accounting for the main markets.

Trade on alert over salmonella outbreak

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:26:18 +0000

Possible link to watermelons still unconfirmed as cases of Salmonella Newport infection are reported in UK and Germany

A salmonella outbreak in the UK in December last year may be linked to watermelons, the Fresh Produce Journal reports.

The country's Health Protection Agency (HPA) is apparently investigating an outbreak of a strain of Salmonella Newport bacterial infection among 30 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the beginning of December 2011.

Cases of illness caused by the same strain have also been confirmed in Scotland, Ireland and Germany.

The 30 cases documented in the UK ranged in age from six months to 85 years, with one person understood to have died – although they reportedly had serious underlying health complications.

More than two-thirds of cases were women, with the east of England having more cases than other regions.

Dr Bob Adak, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at the HPA, said: “Although it’s too soon to say with certainty what the likely cause of infection is, early indications suggest that a number of people became unwell after eating watermelon."

He added: "This has also been noted in the cases in Scotland and Germany although further investigation is ongoing."

Salmonella Newport has been found in many different foods in previous UK outbreaks: the largest one was in 2004 and was associated with the consumption of lettuce at restaurants and takeaways.

Alison Gleadle, director of food safety at the FSA, said: 'We’ve been notified by the HPA about the outbreak of illness caused by a particular strain of Salmonella Newport. We are monitoring the situation and working closely with the European Commission, other countries, local authorities and the food industry, to investigate further.”

Handling crisis management in focus

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:33:28 +0000

Andalusia's Clara Aguilera Garcia will report on her experiences through the E coli crisis at this year's Fruit Logistica

The first day of Fruit Logistica in Berlin will feature a special look at last year's E coli crisis in the hall session 'How to handle crisis management', featuring expert speaker Clara Aguilera Garcia.

A top-level visitor at Fruit Logistica this year, Garcia has served as the Minister of Agriculture and Fishing in Andalusia, Spain, since April 2009.

In May 2011, she responded to the E coli scare with a number of crisis management measures, after several European countries unilaterally decided to close their markets to fruit and vegetables from Spain – a significant setback for the country's growers and exporters.

Garcia will report on her experiences, the latest developments and how future crisis management can be organised during the forum session, alongside Raquel Izquierdo de Santiago of Freshfel Europe and Dr Robert Schaller from the German Federal Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection.