IFPA board to vote on new European division
IFPA board to vote on new European division
WASHINGTON " Top officers with the International Fresh-cut Produce Association are expected this April to give a go-ahead to a plan to create a European division, a model that, if successful, could be exported to other regions of the world.
The appetite for fresh-cut produce is growing in Europe, said IFPA President Jerry Welcome, who noted that European processors pitched the idea to IFPA last year. "Obesity is not as hot an issue as over here," he said. But time-starved shoppers, who continue to look for convenient products, are driving the market.
At a meeting in Berlin, Germany, earlier this month, a group of 20 European processors worked with IFPA to draft a document that laid out the goals and technical day-to-day operations of an IFPA division and tackled some of the issues particular to a European-based organization, he said.
European processors wanted to hold more frequent meetings and create a more formal structure to work on technical issues important to the industry, he said. A European trade show that caters to fresh-cut processors is one of the reasons for a new IFPA division.
?The Fruit Logistica convention is really geared toward growers and shippers," said Mr. Welcome, who added that IFPA believes that there are a few hundred fresh-cut processors that could be tapped to join the new division.
Europe is not the only place where the fresh-cut industry could prosper with help from IFPA. Mr. Welcome said that he could see new divisions that would cater to fresh-cut processors based in the Pacific Rim and South America. "If enough processors with regional issues want to meet more frequently, this is consistent with our vision of being international," he said.
Since last year, IFPA has moved ahead with lining up a consultant, a microbiologist based in France, with experience in the fresh-cut produce business. The consultant would work on technical issues for European processors, serving in the same fashion as Jim Gorny, IFPA?s vice president of technology and regulatory affairs, in the United States. Another fit is that IFPA?s consulting law firm, Keller & Heckman, already has an office in Brussels.
Under the proposal, members of the newly minted IFPA division would pay dues, just like U.S. members, except they would pay in euros to offset the price of running the new office, said Mr. Welcome. In return, IFPA-Europe would provide members with a forum to meet and share information on matters that affect their businesses; offer research, education, training and networking programs; and help improve business operations and ensure the safety and wholesomeness of the products they sell.
But there are still budgeting issues that must be worked out at the April IFPA meeting before the new division is approved. The board would have to add two new slots to give IFPA-Europe a voting stake in the organization, and the new division would have to move ahead and form its own governing council.
?Our work on the technical, regulatory, operational and consumer issues facing the fresh-cut industry can be applied across the Atlantic into the operations of European processors," said Mr. Welcome. "We feel strongly that the new IFPA-Europe division will solidify our vision to become the global voice of the fresh-cut industry."
The appetite for fresh-cut produce is growing in Europe, said IFPA President Jerry Welcome, who noted that European processors pitched the idea to IFPA last year. "Obesity is not as hot an issue as over here," he said. But time-starved shoppers, who continue to look for convenient products, are driving the market.
At a meeting in Berlin, Germany, earlier this month, a group of 20 European processors worked with IFPA to draft a document that laid out the goals and technical day-to-day operations of an IFPA division and tackled some of the issues particular to a European-based organization, he said.
European processors wanted to hold more frequent meetings and create a more formal structure to work on technical issues important to the industry, he said. A European trade show that caters to fresh-cut processors is one of the reasons for a new IFPA division.
?The Fruit Logistica convention is really geared toward growers and shippers," said Mr. Welcome, who added that IFPA believes that there are a few hundred fresh-cut processors that could be tapped to join the new division.
Europe is not the only place where the fresh-cut industry could prosper with help from IFPA. Mr. Welcome said that he could see new divisions that would cater to fresh-cut processors based in the Pacific Rim and South America. "If enough processors with regional issues want to meet more frequently, this is consistent with our vision of being international," he said.
Since last year, IFPA has moved ahead with lining up a consultant, a microbiologist based in France, with experience in the fresh-cut produce business. The consultant would work on technical issues for European processors, serving in the same fashion as Jim Gorny, IFPA?s vice president of technology and regulatory affairs, in the United States. Another fit is that IFPA?s consulting law firm, Keller & Heckman, already has an office in Brussels.
Under the proposal, members of the newly minted IFPA division would pay dues, just like U.S. members, except they would pay in euros to offset the price of running the new office, said Mr. Welcome. In return, IFPA-Europe would provide members with a forum to meet and share information on matters that affect their businesses; offer research, education, training and networking programs; and help improve business operations and ensure the safety and wholesomeness of the products they sell.
But there are still budgeting issues that must be worked out at the April IFPA meeting before the new division is approved. The board would have to add two new slots to give IFPA-Europe a voting stake in the organization, and the new division would have to move ahead and form its own governing council.
?Our work on the technical, regulatory, operational and consumer issues facing the fresh-cut industry can be applied across the Atlantic into the operations of European processors," said Mr. Welcome. "We feel strongly that the new IFPA-Europe division will solidify our vision to become the global voice of the fresh-cut industry."
