The International Fruit and Vegetable Fair, Fruit Attraction, which will take place in Madrid between 16 and 18 October, will be a meeting point for the processed fruit and vegetable sector with the organisation of a technical workshop on "Trends and Innovation in the commercialisation of processed fruits and vegetables in the United States and Europe."
The workshop will be divided into four presentations: The processed fruit and vegetables sector in Spain, Market trends in the United States, Quality and safety and Research on these products.
The workshop will take place during the final day of the fair, Friday 18 October, in the morning. The first presentation, on the evolution of the processed fruit and vegetables sector in Spain, will be given by Juan Miguel Floristán, General Director of Florette Ibérica, president of the Spanish Association of Washed and Ready-to-eat Vegetables, AFHORFRESH, and president of FEPEX's Committee of processed fruit and vegetables.
The second presentation, called "Trends of the Processed Fruit and Vegetables Market in the United States", will be given by Lorna Christie, marketing specialist within this sector in the United States and head of some areas of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) for eleven years.
The third presentation will analyse "The Quality and Safety in the Production of Processed Vegetables: from Field to Fork", given by the doctor from the Department of Science and Food Technology of Cebas-Csic Murcia, Mabel Gil.
Lastly, the fourth one will analyse trends in research related to processed fruit and vegetables in Spain. To be precise, it will deal with "Predictive Microbiology: Tools to Ensure Microbiologic Safety," given by the technical director of Biotechveg Labs, Francisco Benítez.
Processed fruits and vegetables, which are washed, chopped and packed, ready for consumption, generally reach their expiration date after around 7 days. The product maintains its natural properties and does not include any type of additive or preservative. Processed fruits and vegetables are normally packed in bags, containers or trays and can include a single product or a combination of varieties and species.