In two recent FPJ articles – one on why the UK is no longer the destination of choice for European fruit and vegetables, and another on how we can make the UK a lower-maintenance destination for produce – I suggested that the current system of Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)
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He will take over the finance department from CEO Dr Steffen Greubel, who has been responsible for this task on an interim basis since August 2023, according to the Metro AG press release. Eric Riegger is currently Vice President Finance & Administration at Aldi USA, where he is responsible for all financial areas and M&A,
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For the first time, the states are negotiating a concrete text, the so-called "Zero Draft". For an effective plastics agreement, the WWF is calling for plastic products with a high risk of pollution and particularly problematic or toxic polymers and chemicals to be banned or their use to be prohibited.
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Fresh Produce India is back in person in 2024. India’s leading business event for fresh produce professionals returns to Mumbai, taking place on 21 March 2024 at the deluxe Trident Nariman Point Hotel.  read more

Australian state-of-the-art research facility, the Almond Centre of Excellence, has received an A$6.2m injection to continue supporting growers to adopt global best practices suited to their local conditions. read more

The Australian avocado industry has progressed in its efforts to gain access to China following a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in Beijing. read more

More than 75,000 shoppers have signed a petition urging the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets and their suppliers to treat British farmers more fairly. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament. read more

During this period, the industry recorded revenue of more than USD 715 million. It is also expected to exceed the one billion US dollar mark reached in 2021 by the end of December this year. The most important fruits for exports include mangoes with a
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South African table grape industry body Sati has slammed “sensational” media reports that have claimed the country’s fruit exports may be affected by new ’race-based’ rules on exporting to the European Union and the UK. read more

A series of trials have kicked off to help develop new precision slug control solutions. read more

Fresh Del Monte Produce has announced a strategic partnership with Arena Packaging, a leading packaging, design, and pooling company in North America, to introduce reusable plastic containers (RPCs) for bananas. read more

The southern African stonefruit and table grape seasons are gaining momentum and, in light of ongoing problems at Cape Town’s container terminal, there are now plans to significantly increase shipments via specialised reefer vessels between December and February. read more

"It is good that the planned regulations are intended to cover the entire breadth of industry and not just energy-intensive companies. After all, more favourable energy prices abroad represent a competitive disadvantage for all companies based here.
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Florette is giving 50 UK shoppers the chance to win £500 each this Christmas though an on-pack promotion on its best-selling Classic Crispy and Mixed SKUs. read more

The Edeka Potrzebski store on Messe-Allee in Leipzig is to become the Group's first climate-neutral store, according to Edeka. The "climate-neutral food retail" pilot project organised by the German Retail Association (HDE) is a ground-breaking initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of food retail.
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Harvesting of early table grape varieties in Namibia is underway, with the first shipments of this year’s Southern African table grape season due to leave the port of Cape Town last weekend. South Africa’s northern region is expected to start from this week, with the Orange River coming on
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The California Prune Board (CPB) has launched a major promotional push in South Korea as part of multi-channel marketing efforts to highlight the nutritional and taste benefits of California Prunes. read more

McCain has launched Baby Hasselbacks in what it has described as its biggest new product development in over a decade. read more

South Africa’s Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, paid a visit to the port of Cape Town last week in a clear sign that the government is taking the logistical problems at the port seriously. Ongoing challenges have come at great cost to the South African import and export economy. read more

The level of self-sufficiency in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Germany is already secure, said the Minister: read more