“Together we have to find healthy and sustainable solutions for the food challenges in Europe,” it was said on 21 June. Cooperation has been a topic of discussion for years, but an actual and important step was taken yesterday. Representatives from the fresh and processed fresh produce sectors sat in a room to talk about these topics and to listen to presentations in Brussels, Belgium. On 21 June 2017, a Freshfel and Profel conference took place. It was the first time these two European associations for the fresh and processed sector have organised an event together.
Opening by Romain Cools and Philippe Binard.
Growing
Philippe Binard and Romain Cools opened the event together. They both emphasised the uniqueness of this event, during which two separate entities took a step towards each other. “Both parties have a communal interest, which is increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Besides, competition from other sectors is large, and trade is uncertain. We therefore have to work together, and look for trends and opportunities to grow.”
Various speakers
Many different speakers and visitors attended the event. In the morning, Aldo Londo from the European Commission spoke about a changing political environment. Additionally, David Hughes and Daniel Fritz held presentations about the future in a changing market and communication environment. David expanded on the ways in which supermarkets promote healthy products, and Daniel demonstrated that Google knows everything and how we can use that.
Panel discussion at European level.
In the afternoon, there were other speakers. In one panel, four people from the European Parliament and the European Commission held a discussion. They talked about the challenges for the sector in more depth. The gentlemen from ProVeg showed the enormous impact that eating meat has on planet earth, and the topics of sustainability and health naturally cropped in other presentations as well. These will be published by AGF and Freshplaza later.
Enjoying a companionable lunch. Top left: Stephan Weist (REWE Group), Richard Schouten (Fresh Produce Centre) and Anne Marie Borgdorff (Fresh Produce Centre). Top Right: Hein Deprez and Nancy Goovaerts from Greenyard. Bottom left: Jollien Sporten and Leen Matthé from Coöperatie Hoogstraten with Geert Hermans from TOG /Vigef. Bottom right: Thomas Maiwald (FEFCO), Anders Lind (Coop Trading) and Nathalie Schneegans (FEFCO).
The annual meeting of Freshfel took place before the event. During this, Richard Schouten was chosen as successor of Hans van Es on the Board. In the photograph Richard is being congratulated by Freshfel’s chairman Luc Clerx.