FPJ readers can get a flavour of how the action unfolded at Festival of Fresh in our 2025 highlights video.
The event – which took place on Thursday 5 June in Spalding, Lincolnshire – welcomed over 250 industry figures to discuss the biggest challenges facing the country’s fresh produce business.
The open-air festival was hosted by FreshLinc and included tours of Worldwide Fruit’s state-of-the-art packhouse, while a heavyweight conference programme saw leading names from across the industry tackling a series of hot topics.
Highlights included interviews with NFU president Tom Bradshaw and Ocado’s trading manager for produce Martha Springham; an insightful discussion about seasonal labour featuring G’s chairman John Shropshire; and a panel on the continued growth potential for avocados in the UK market that included Worldwide Fruit’s Steve Maxwell alongside Westfalia’s Graham Young and The Avocado Company’s Rob Davies.
An array of top-level retail buyers and industry executives were in attendance, and there were plenty of opportunities for them to meet, network and do business with the festival’s wide-ranging exhibitors and other delegates throughout the day.
As part of Worldwide Fruit’s 45-minute tour, representatives from various tech providers were on hand to show visitors how their respective packhouse technologies worked.
And the winners of the third annual Festival of Fresh Awards were crowned for their outstanding performance and innovative work, having been selected by FPJ’s team of writers and editors.
Watch our video above to get a taste of the action.
