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Marcel Dings discussed the importance of taste during the Aardbeienketen 2020 meeting, held this week in the IDC Smaak at Wageningen UR in Bleiswijk. During the meeting, the future of the strawberry chain took centre stage. To be prepared for that, Dutch growers should still make a step in entrepreneurship according to Dings. "We are top-notch in cultivation, but have had little attention for the role in the chain. That's fine in a balanced market, but now there is a structural surplus in a number of cultivations. With strawberries that still appear to be going well, and we have to learn from other fruit vegetable sectors." That's why the role of the grower in the chain has to change from producer to chain partner. "Think from strength, not from power," Dings clarified. "What is the customer's demand, and can you fulfil it? By working together, you realize something someone else can't. That makes your position unique."
Ahold
What does the retailer expect from the earlier links in the chain? Onno Franse of Ahold went into that. He notices that the chain is now so fragmented, that the connection of the consumer with the origin of the food has disappeared. "And that causes unrest. The story has to remain valid." That's why Franse not only looks at the development of the product itself, with year-round availability, better taste and diversity in varieties playing a part, but looks further along the chain as well. For instance, he sees the importance in communication between the links in the chain, so that peak moments can be responded to better. The consumer can also be stimulated by telling more about the substances strawberries contain, for instance. Franse warned the sector though: watch out for negative news about residues or pathogens – something like that sets the sector's reputation back years – and prepare for the future, in which personalized food and the LCA (life cycle analysis) could play an important role.
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