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The FPJ Big 50 People has listed the 50 most influential people in the fresh produce business according to their activities and actions over the past 12 months.

The list, which is not ranked, has been compiled by selecting 10 subcategories from the sector, and shortlisting the most newsworthy, or influential, people within those categories. The shortlist was created by the FPJ editorial team, along with support and advice from industry insiders.

Primarily focused on those active within the UK market in categories ranging from suppliers to policymakers, the 'international' section highlighted influential figures across the global fresh produce business.

'In putting the list together, we decided it would be unfair and, more importantly, irrelevant to pit wholesalers against growers, politicians against supermarkets, suppliers against industry bodies. That is why the FPJ Big 50 People is not ranked,' said FPJ Big 50 People editor, Nina Pullman.

'Instead, we selected 10 categories from the sector and shortlisted the key people within their specialities, before choosing those who have been the most newsworthy, and had the most impact on their business or the wider sector, during the last year.

'The result is nonetheless a fantastic record of who is driving the industry forward across the full range of subcategories and related sectors. Inside you will find leaders of countries alongside English top-fruit growers, influential chefs alongside foodservice’s finest, and successful retail suppliers next to forward-thinking wholesalers.'

The FPJ Big 50 People 2015:

Suppliers

Angus Armstrong, Greenvale

Ronnie Bartlett, Albert Bartlett

Ian Craig, Fresca Group

Neil Fraser, Produce World

Sevki Isin, Dole Europe

Steve Maxwell, Worldwide Fruit

Adam Olins, BerryWorld Group

Mark Player, Total Worldfresh

Neil Sanderson, Florette

John Shropshire, G’s Fresh

Growers

Chris Chinn, Cobrey Farms

Clive & Ross Goatham, AC Goatham & Son

David Langmead, Langmead Group

Paul Mansfield, FW Mansfield & Son

Greville Richards, Southern England Farms

Wholesale

Johnathan Kershaw, Bradford Wholesale Market Tenants Association/Burbank Produce

Jan Lloyd, Covent Garden Market Authority

Gary Marshall, Covent Garden Tenants Association/Bevington Salads

Jason Tanner, Premier Fruits

Mark Tate, Birmingham Wholesale Market Tenants Association/George Perry

Supermarkets

Matthew Barnes, Aldi

Dave Lewis & Kris Comerford, Tesco

Mike Luck, Sainsbury’s

David Potts, Morrisons

Jonathan Tremayne, IPL

Foodservice

Mike Attwood, EIPC

David Burns, Fresh Direct Group

Stephen Oswald, Bidvest Fresh

Tony Reynolds, Reynolds

Industry bodies

Adrian Barlow, English Apples & Pears

Nigel Jenney, Fresh Produce Consortium Peter Melchett, Soil Association

Laurence Olins, British Summer Fruits

Jack Ward, British Growers Association

Politics andpolicymakers

Phil Hogan, European commissioner for agriculture

Jane King & Peter Kendall, AHDB

Guy Poskitt, NFU

Christine Tacon, Groceries Code Adjudicator

Liz Truss, Defra

Science and R&D

Ian Boyd, chief scientific adviser to Defra

Susan Jebb, health policy adviser

Bill Parker, HDC

Chefs and Media

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Jamie Oliver

Jay Rayner

Gregg Wallace

International

Hein Deprez, Univeg

David McCann, Fyffes

José Luis Cutrale, Sucocitrico Cutrale

Vladimir Putin, president of Russia

To order extra copies of the FPJ Big 50 People please contact lucy@fpj.co.uk.