National Promotions, Global Safety

There are some exciting things happening in the produce industry that are bigger than any one segment of the market.

The first could make a dramatic difference in the fresh-cut produce industry. The Global Food Safety Initiative is working to make an interchangeable food safety standard that would cut down on the number of audits processors have to undergo. Audits are quite similar already, and creating a baseline for food safety standards would improve the monitoring and verification in the industry.

The second issue that could benefit the fresh-cut industry is the national fruit and vegetable promotion board program being led by the Produce for Better Health Foundation. The program is being presented to the industry, and so far the response has been lukewarm. Some don’t want to pay mandatory assessments in a down economy when there’s no guarantee of positive return on investment.

But there are plenty of examples of marketing programs that have significantly increased consumption – “Got Milk?” is the most memorable. That slogan has taken on a life of its own, and celebrities want to be a part of it. The difference is the dairy industry is representing one generic product: milk. A fruit and vegetable campaign would have to promote every product equally – so producers of less glamorous products, like potatoes, are concerned they’ll be overlooked by promotions in favor of colorful or exotic fruit.

The fresh-cut produce industry should get behind both programs. Increasing food safety while reducing the number of required audits only makes sense. The national promotion board for fruits and vegetables has the very real possibility of increasing consumption of produce – something I’m sure every processor wants to see. Not only can the program result in more healthful eating habits of American consumers, it also can result in increased sales.

Even in the midst of a recession, it makes sense to move forward with a national promotion. Consumers are cutting back, and they need to be reminded that fresh and fresh-cut produce items provide healthful snacks and meal options at multiple price points.

Elizabeth Pivonka, president and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, told industry members at the United Fresh show in Las Vegas that what was needed for the program to take off was vocal supporters. Detractors will often be the loudest voices heard, so supporters of a national promotion need to be just as vocal.



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