Industry work toward creating responsible sourcing standards is a major priority for the new chairman of the Produce Marketing Association board of directors.

1. Sam’s Club’s VP sees need for industry sourcing standards | ISweek - Industry
sourcing
ATLANTA — Industry work toward creating responsible sourcing standards is a major
priority for the new chairman of the Produce Marketing Association board of directors.
Standards for ethical sourcing and treatment of workers are important for the fresh
produce supply chain to pursue, Russ Mounce, vice president of produce for Sam’s Club
and chairman of PMA’s board of directors, said in remarks to Fresh Summit attendees
Oct. 25.
“At the end of my year, I hope to see progress toward aligning around responsible
sourcing standards, improved supply chain transparency and finding solutions to take on
unethical behavior.”
Extending the global reach of PMA is important and also will be a priority, he said. “PMA
is becoming more global because all of our businesses are becoming more global,” he
said.
Bringing more consumer insight and data to PMA’s floral industry members is a third
priority, Mounce said.
That data — largely absent from the market place now — will be an important tool to help
build demand for floral products, Mounce said. PMA floral membership has doubled since
2011, he said.
Fresh Summit kudos
Attracting nearly 20,000 attendees from 63 countries, the Oct. 23-25 Produce Marketing
Association Fresh Summit broke East Coast attendance records and drew strong reviews
from exhibitors and participants.
Both national retailers and regional retailers were well represented at the show, said
Steve Lutz. vice president of marketing at Columbia Marketing International, Wenatchee,
Wash.
Lutz said it was important for CMI to be at Fresh Summit every year.
“With packaging innovations and new products every single year, you need to be able to
show (those) to retailers,” he said.
The 2015 Fresh Summit beat the previous East Coast attendance record of 18,284 set in
2010, according to a news release from PMA. There were 3,380 buyers at the show, the
highest for an East Coast show since 2011, and more than 1,000 exhibitors.

2. “The show is bigger than ever and has kept its momentum for both days,” said Mark
Hanks, vice president of North American sales and marketing for DNE World Fruit Sales,
Fort Pierce, Fla.
Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Southern Specialties Inc.,
Pompano Beach, Fla., said the firm’s booth was busy.
“We have had really good response from potential customers and have great
opportunities to meet existing customers as well as our growers,” he said.
At the show, PMA announced a new strategic alliance with the Entertainment Resource &
Marketing Association. The initiative will join produce industry and entertainment
marketing professionals to highlight fresh produce in television shows, movies and online
entertainment, according to the release.
In a video played at the Oct. 23 “State of the Industry” address by PMA CEO Bryan
Silbermann and association president Cathy Burns, first lady Michelle Obama thanked
the industry for its promotion efforts — especially for industry leaders supporting the Eat
Brighter! and FNV initiatives.
The 2016 Fresh Summit will be Oct. 14-16 in Orlando, Fla. While the event has
sometimes alternated between Eastern U.S. and Western locations, the PMA website
reports Fresh Summit won’t be in the West again until 2019, when it will be in Anaheim,
Calif.
No matter the location, Mark Munger, vice president of sales and marketing for 4Earth
Farms, Los Angeles, said there is great networking value in the show.
“People are willing to make the expense to come to the show from the West Coast
because it is the must-attend show of the year,” he said.
Future dates and locations of upcoming Fresh Summit expos, according to the PMA
website, are:
• 2016: Oct. 14-16, Orlando
• 2017: Oct. 19-21, New Orleans
• 2018: Oct. 18-20, Orlando
• 2019; Oct. 17-19, Anaheim
• 2020: Oct. 15-17, Dallas
• 2021: Oct. 21-23, New Orleans
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