Executive Leadership Summit: global produce challenges

June 17, 2024

Global produce packaging was among the pressing issues tackled when the world’s most influential fresh produce leaders gathered at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Executive Leadership Summit (ELS) in Santiago, Chile on May 14.

It was the sixth ELS hosted by the IFPA and the first time it had been held in global export power Chile. The invitation-only event brought together delegates including fresh produce executives involved in their company’s strategic planning and execution, the IFPA board and IFPA country leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities for the global industry and overview the association’s vision, mission, core values, and 2024 goals. To support IFPA members worldwide and help them address global and local issues facing the fresh produce and floral industries, IFPA convenes leaders through its ELS in international markets around the world.

IFPA chief education and program officer Doug Bohr said the summit advanced the association’s transformative engagement around high-level universal topics and priorities with produce packaging at the forefront. Consumer trends in fresh produce consumption, the rising cost of labour and inputs, access to organisational resources and networks, and the need to attract high-level, committed talent to the industry were also paramount, he said.

"It is a unique opportunity to engage in a dialogue - to listen, learn and share with members - and identify and address the most pressing opportunities and challenges facing our industry with the ultimate goal to expand production of, access to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables worldwide for the better good of human health," he said.

With the EU Parliament recently passing the Plastic Packaging Waste Reduction (PPWR) rule which set new packaging reduction targets for 2030 and 2040, IFPA’s message to policymakers was that food safety, quality, and no increase in carbon miles were non-negotiable, he said.

IFPA continues to work with the Alliance for Sustainable Packaging for Foods to negotiate industry relief from the PPWR rules. Together, the IFPA and Alliance have successfully negotiated an exemption of liability for operators on hygiene and safety issues, an allowance/exception for industrially compostable sticky labels (functional PLU stickers and promotional labels), as well as plastic pallet wrapping and straps.

“On packaging alternatives and potential tradeoffs in food safety, quality, marketing, and sustainability, the industry must continue to manage and balance costs, along with government involvement. If certain packaging methods/options are banned, this will minimise the consumer experience, undercut their expectations, and negatively affect consumption,” Mr Bohr said.

He said panelists discussed the vocabulary of terms universally applied to packaging such as “biodegradable”, “home compostable” and “green” and recognised the phrases could benefit from clarification and simplification to better educate consumers.

Representing the IFPA from Australasia was managing director A-NZ Ben Hoodless. Earlier this year, IFPA A-NZ called for a national approach on banning plastic non-compostable Price Look-Up code (PLU) produce stickers and said any changes should be introduced in a way that was cost-effective, nationally consistent and supported by practical and effective alternatives.

Summit discussions focused on the universal issues facing the fresh produce industry worldwide. — **Summit discussions focused on universal issues facing the fresh produce industry worldwide.**

Health and wellness a key contributor to consumption growth

Among the ELS's key takeaways was an analysis by NielsenIQ of consumer shopping behaviours, Mr Bohr said.

“The research found global fresh food moved from sixth place to fourth place in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) globally. Contributing to this growth is consumer interest in building, maintaining, or improving health and wellness.

“Health is an overarching trend and opportunity when linked with food as medicine and produce prescriptions – particularly combined with younger generations’ interest in wellness and fitness. Storytelling via technology is a method to embed healthy food messaging as produce is part of the solution to combatting the increase in diet-related disease worldwide," he said.

IFPA Chile country manager Ivan Correa played a pivotal role in Chile hosting the summit. Chile is the world’s leading exporter of cherries and is among the top exporters of multiple fresh produce lines.

He said the event was a great opportunity for more than 150 leaders from Chile’s fresh produce industry – including exporters from the powerful cherry sector – to gain a deeper understanding of issues affecting the global industry from a Chilean context and to network with major importers from key market, China.

“As we’ve seen in Chile, the impact of climate change on the global industry is significant. With traditional seasons becoming increasingly delayed, volumes are more and more difficult to estimate and control. This has flow-on effect to the global supply chain which has become more reactive than strategic,” Mr Correa said.

“For fresh produce businesses operating in this new and increasingly unpredictable landscape, it’s more important than ever to develop strategic growth models that take climate change into consideration,” he said.

The IFPA board and delegates during a visit to Universidad Andres Bello — **The IFPA board and delegates during a visit to Universidad Andrés Bello.**

Specific to Chile, the summit heard the grocery sector had capitalised on the online market with fruits and vegetables a standout food group and there had also been steady growth in traditional brick-and-mortar supermarkets.

Delegates included representatives from world-leading fresh produce enterprises Joy Wing Mau Corporation Ltd of China, tropical fruit multinational Dole plc, Unitec, major retailers Harris Teeter, Walmart and The Oppenheimer Group (Oppy). Joy Wing Mau and Unitec were sponsors of the ELS.

The IFPA board meeting was also held during the summit. The board of directors and a delegation of attendees from the host country visited Universidad Andrés Bello to explore how innovative technologies such as AI, 3D printing, and waste management techniques could be applied to the produce supply chain.

Attention Media

Interviews with IFPA chief education and program officer Doug Bohr, Chile country manager Ivan Correa or managing director A-NZ Ben Hoodless are available on request. Email us

Doug Bohr

IFPA Chief Education and
program officer
Doug Bohr.

Ivan Correa

IFPA Chile country manager
Ivan Correa.

Ben Hoodless

Managing director A-NZ
Ben Hoodless

IFPA Executive Leadership Summit addresses global produce challenges

Health and wellness a key contributor to consumption growth

Attention Media

Additional Press