A Truly Fresh Summit

Last month’s Fresh Summit was my fourth time attending the show, and it the best, in my opinion. I’m sure many of the attendees and exhibitors would agree. The show floor was packed with a record-setting 19,000 attendees and the educational sessions were nearly all standing room only.

The first Fresh Summit I attended was in San Diego in 2006. There were many new products, but the produce industry was still reeling from the spinach crisis. The next year in Houston it seemed there were fewer new products as everyone focused on food safety. But by Orlando in 2008 the climate was changing and more new products were rolling out. And in 2009, fresh-cut processors were introducing a number of new and innovative products at the Anaheim, Calif., Fresh Summit Expo.

One of the biggest trends I noticed was the emphasis on snack-sized items. Fresh-cut containers that people could quickly grab, open, eat and discard were prominent at many of the booths. Not only do snack sizes hit a growing market category, they also provide a low price point that allows consumers to try a new product for around $1.

Another trend was the popularity of hummus. Perhaps driven by consumers eating at home more or the expanding palate of the American consumer, hummus paired with fresh-cut carrots and celery or other produce could be found in snack packs, meal replacements and party trays.

The last trend I’ll mention was the popularity of Twitter. Companies like Ocean Mist Farms, Sunkist, Dole and this magazine used the social media site to inform those watching from their mobile devices – “followers” – about new products and contests through 140 character “tweets.” It wasn’t too long ago that most produce companies didn’t see the benefit to even having a Web site, but many now are using social media sites to stay connected to consumers 24 hours a day.

The 2010 Fresh Summit is scheduled for Orlando, and the dates move back to later in October. I think we’ll continue to see the snack trend grow, but it will be interesting to see if we’re all still tweeting then, or if we’ve moved on to some other trend.



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