From Defra minister Dame Angela Eagle to Sainsbury’s category director Hannah O’Reilly and M&S senior salads buyer Matt Buckingham, event on 10 June features a host of leading voices
Now in its fifth year, Festival of Fresh is heading to Cambridgeshire to be hosted by leading salads supplier G’s for what promises to be its most dynamic edition yet.
There is much to look forward to on 10 June, including major keynote interviews and panels on our Inspiration Stage; insightful tours of G’s production, packing and seasonal worker operations; and a wide-ranging expo, featuring major players in production, tech, varietal development and wholesale (see below).
And with a large turnout expected at G’s main site in Barway, near Ely, the event provides the perfect meeting point for key players across the UK’s multi-faceted fresh produce sector.
Production and politics
In the opening session on production and politics, Defra minister Dame Angela Eagle heads the bill for an interview covering everything from food security to energy price rises, before Martin Emmett (recently re-elected as chair of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board) is joined by Simon Conway (Horticulture Crop Protection) and Chris Rose (UK Fruit & Vegetable Association) on a panel to discuss the policies and strategies shaping the sector.
Red Tractor’s fresh produce technical manager Sam Trevey sheds light on the organisation’s eagerly anticipated standards review. And together with The Port of Dover’s Alison Hall, SHP Group CEO David Bateman assesses the challenges (and solutions) for fresh produce logistics at a time of major disruption for global trade.
Fresh produce trends
The second session on fresh produce trends is all about shopper behaviour and retail innovation, featuring key players from two of the UK’s leading fresh produce supermarkets.
After some expert analysis of the most important retail and consumer trends from Clara Tucker of Worldpanel by Numerator (formerly known as Kantar), Sainsbury’s category director for produce, Hannah O’Reilly, takes to the stage to discuss the supermarket’s supply relationships and health messaging.
She is followed by M&S’s senior salads buyer Matt Buckingham, who tells us how the retailer is leveraging varietal development and in-store innovation to inspire shoppers and add value to the category.
The session is rounded off by a panel of nutritional and marketing experts who explore opportunities for the sector to capitalise on health trends, such as the rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Barbara Bray (Alo Solutions), Dan Parker (Veg Power), and Jan Doldersum (Rijk Zwaan) are our speakers for that one.
Festival of Fresh Awards
After lunch, we announce the winners of the Festival of Fresh Awards, now in their fourth year, as selected by FPJ’s editorial team for outstanding achievement in the UK fruit and vegetable industry. All eyes will be on who is selected for the Editor’s Award after G’s chairman John Shropshire landed the prize in Spalding last year.
Regen revolution
Shropshire’s regenerative farming lead Julius Joel is on the Regen Revolution panel, alongside Harriet Bell of Riverford and Andy Pembroke of Fresh Direct, to explore the potential of regen to cut fertiliser use, restore soils and increase profits.
Automated future
Robotics kingpin Professor Simon Pearson MBE, from the University of Lincoln, brings us up to speed with how automation is shaping the future of the fresh produce industry.
Foodservice focus
And last but not least, Dole’s MD for wholesale and imports, Andy Clarkson, is joined by Will Thorogood from premium New Covent Garden Market trader S Thorogood & Sons to discuss the key trends, challenges and opportunities in UK foodservice – and how can fresh produce suppliers can best serve the sector.
Click here for the Festival of Fresh programme and timings.
Sponsors and exhibitors
Festival of Fresh 2026 is sponsored by: Digipal, Asia Fruit Logistica, Fruit Logistica, Red Tractor, Albert Bartlett, and Hoogstraten.
This year’s exhibitors are: B-Hive, BASF Nunhems, Digipal, FareShare and The Felix Project, Fruit Logistica, G’s, Fruitnet, Hoogstraten, London Markets (NCGM, New Spitalfields Market, and Western International), OAL, Redpack, Rijk Zwaan, and Worldwide Fruit.
