Representatives of the fruit and food distribution sectors met yesterday with the Administration under the Fruit Sectoral Committee to implement common measures to improve the market situation in this sector and encourage the consumption of fruit. At the meeting, which was chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (DARP), Meritxell Serret, all parties expressed their willingness to add synergies and collaborate, under the Code of Good Business Practices, in improving promotion strategies for quality fruity, information and presentation of products in the chain, and improving the transparency and modalities of the current contracts.
Minister Serret stressed the "need for everyone, including the Administration, which has offered the maximum collaboration, to chip in submitting proposals and building the necessary consensus that will generate concrete actions."
Regarding promotion, the participants of the meeting agreed on the need for greater coordination among all actors in the chain to promote joint campaigns that give value to seasonal and proximity fruit, especially stone fruit and apple, which have been most affected by the crisis in recent years. The aim is to undertake strategies that have a bigger consent within the entire chain.
The parties also agreed on improving the information and presentation of the fruit in outlets. They committed to study how to differentiate the product on the shelves depending on their variety, quality, and origin so as to improve consumer information and retain consumers.
Another issue discussed at the meeting was the improvement of contractual arrangements. The goal is that these contracts be oriented to the strategies aimed at enhancing the quality and proximity fruit. The goal should be that the contractual relationship adds value to the product of a certain quality.
Moreover, the minister stated that the DARP was committed to improve and ensure the transparency of market prices through Catalonia's Observatory of agricultural products and prices. In this sense, the general director of Economic Development, Competition and Regulation of the Generalitat, Albert Castellanos, who also attended the meeting, announced that the Catalan Authority for Competition would analyze the changes that have taken place in recent years in price formation within the food chain to ensure the sustainability of all actors in the chain.
All parties committed to work in coordination under the Code of Good Commercial Practices and within the specific work groups created, which represent the production, industry, and food distribution sectors. The government of the department is the precursor of this initiative and will coordinate its meetings. The main objective of this initiative is to improve relations between the different types of operators along the entire value chain.
Source: Gencat