For the past several weeks, PMA Chief Science Officer Dr. Bob Whitaker has shared insights into building a corporate food safety culture via the Ask Dr. Bob audio blog. In one of his more recent posts, Dr. Whitaker suggests that getting involved – whether at an industry conference, connecting with trade associations, visiting with officials at the local agriculture extension office or university – is one of the best ways to create a “ripple effect” when it comes to food safety knowledge. Obtaining information from these sources can be shaped and molded and implemented in business practices to impact organizational food safety performance.

During PMA’s 2009 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, Dr. Whitaker and PMA Chief Operating Officer Lorna Christie will discuss in greater detail how to create a food safety culture that protects and improves companies’ profitability. This roundtable session will supplement the ideas presented at PMA’s Food Safety Symposia in July and August. To learn more about this and other educational sessions, check out the Fresh Summit schedule, where you can select the sessions you want and add them to your Outlook calendar. If you’ve not yet registered, visit the Fresh Summit registration page soon; the deadline to save by registering online is September 4, 2009.

If you’re unable to join us at Fresh Summit but would like to hear more from Dr. Whitaker, the next PMA Food Safety Symposium will be October 14 in Rochester, New York.

Did you know that one of the top five “hot bills” on the Congressional monitoring site Open Congress is food safety? With all the talk happening over health care reform, financial services, climate change and the like, it’s easy to think that Congress has forgotten about food issues. Clearly though, Congress, the public, and PMA are still paying attention. PMA members should always be prepared for Congressional action on issues that will fundamentally impact your work on a day-to-day basis.

How can you be sure you’re “top of mind” when legislators focus on these issues? The easy answer is to find small ways throughout the year to build a positive relationship with policymakers. This might include arranging a site visit for members of Congress and their staff, attending district-based meetings, forwarding important industry-related news items to the local or DC office, or creating personalized e-mails and sending them through PMA’s Advocacy Action Center.

The key is to ensure that when Congress turns in force to food safety, AgJOBS, or other critical issues, your elected officials already know that you are the “go to” person in their district or state. Just 5 to 10 minutes a week of thoughtful outreach will help ensure your voice is heard – and perhaps even agreed with. We count on members to bring that “outside the Beltway” perspective to the legislators who are making the decisions – your efforts make a difference!

Last year, a PMA industry survey found that more than 89 percent of respondents – from small companies to large firms – agreed that sustainability is a priority for their organizations. However, less than 30 percent of respondents had a projected break-even date for the resources devoted to sustainability during the last 2-3 years, while one-third were not sure and 38 percent said they did not determine a break-even date. As the industry adopts more sustainable efforts and practices, how do organizations really know if their sustainability efforts are cost-effective?

During PMA’s 2009 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, attendees will learn about proven methods for defining and measuring key components of sustainability programs, and how to maximize efforts to increase profits and expand market share. To learn more about this and other educational sessions, check out the Fresh Summit schedule, where you can select the sessions you want and add them to your Outlook calendar. If you’ve not yet registered, visit the Fresh Summit registration page soon; the deadline to save by registering online is September 4, 2009.

On Monday I spoke to an impressive group of global regulators about the size and impact of the U.S. fresh produce industry. In addition to our two closest neighbors and largest trading partners – Canada and Mexico – the event attracted regulators from other key countries, including Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Crosq Caricom, Dominica, France, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Serbia, South Africa, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom. They were attending a fruit and vegetable standardization workshop hosted by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). It was targeted to heads of regulatory/standardization interpretation agencies from key U.S. agricultural export markets and other trading partners. USDA indicated it was designed to promote the U.S. standardization system in support of U.S. positions at international fruit and vegetable standardization meetings.

Attendees were selected from countries which regularly participate in the international standardization meetings of Codex Alimentarius and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Many of these attendees are also leading trainers in standards application in Europe, as well as inspection and standardization policy makers. USDA officials also said that in workshops of this type, it ‘s desireable for participants to have an understanding of the size and scope of the U.S. agricultural production and marketing system.

PMA’s Economic Reach and Impact of the Fresh Produce and Floral Industry study, released earlier this year provides exactly that type of information. So I was pleased to be able to proved a comprehensive over view of the U.S. produce industry to this august group. This was the first national study of its kind for produce (fresh fruits and vegetables) and mass-market floral – across the supply chain and it describes the economic reach and impact of our industry, including the entire supply chain. The produce industry is a major economic force, with substantial employment impact in every state and every congressional district.

In this case, we were happy to have this to help with global standardization efforts. It was an honor to meet with these global regulatory leaders.

Growth over time in the demand for fresh vegetables for at-home consumption may slow because of differences in the behavior of young and old consumers, says a USDA Economic Research Service report. People born more recently are found to spend less money for fresh vegetables than older Americans do. Unless something happens to alter how the current young make food choices, they likely will exhibit a lower level of demand for at-home fresh vegetables in their later years than today’s older generations currently exhibit.

In order to reverse this trend, produce marketers may want to continue introducing new, convenient, fresh vegetable products to grab the younger generation’s now and to keep them engaged as customers as they grow older. Or also consider viral marketing of new items via online social networks to reach this demographic. It will be interesting to see how the innovative minds in the produce industry respond to this shift by developing new products and varieties to increase vegetable consumption.

On a somewhat related note about vegetable consumption, the 2009 Progressive Grocer Consumer Expenditures Study also shows that, due to economic concerns, consumers are switching to frozen and canned vegetables instead of fresh to avoid food waste and loss at home.

For more insights into today’s produce shoppers, check out the wide variety of consumer research reports available on the PMA Web site.

Recent media reports have shown numerous town hall meetings between Congressional leaders and constituents that have gotten very heated and emotional. While these situations make for interesting soundbites on the evening news, is the confrontational approach truly effective in order to be heard “inside the beltway” in Washington, DC?

As former President Theodore Roosevelt observed, it’s often better to “speak softly and carry a big stick.” This thought applies when talking to members of Congress, but in the sense of a “big stick” message. Well-crafted “big stick” messages are relevant to the recipient (connects to the district or state-level issues); are personalized (informs the recipient of how proposed policy changes may affect your business); are specific (gives direction on how the Congressional leader can help); and are persistent (sent more than once to the leader).

When we communicate with legislators in Washington, D.C., our goal is to make a difference, not to be a sound bite on the evening news. For more ideas on how you can build a “big stick” message with your elected leaders, visit the PMA Web site.

PMA is pleased to announce it is co-sponsoring a two-day irradiation seminar at the University of California - Davis campus on September 1-2. The session will bring together leaders in the food irradiation and agricultural industries to discuss technical information, from both regulatory and industry perspectives, on the benefits and drawbacks this technology can offer to the U.S exporting agricultural sector for fresh fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, and other perishable commodity industries.

The workshop will also examine marketing and retailer consumer perceptions of irradiation. Interestingly, research by the International Food Information Council has found that consumers are more accepting of the idea of irradiated meat than irradiated fruits and vegetables, and that describing irradiation as a way to “extend shelf-life” (even in the context of fruits and vegetables) has a negative impact. PMA supports the government’s decision allowing the irradiation of fresh fruits and vegetables and we believe in providing consumers the choice in the marketplace, including the choice of irradiated and non-irradiated produce.

To learn more about irradiation and its uses in the fresh produce industry, register for this workshop via the UC-Davis Web site.

The movement toward locally grown produce has created profitable new opportunities not only for local growers but for retailers, foodservice operators and others throughout the produce supply chain. But what is behind this growing movement? PMA consumer research has found that 75 percent of consumers are more motivated by support for their community than for individual farmers, suggesting that they are more concerned with economic issues they see directly connected to them, rather than economic support for sustainable agriculture.

During PMA’s Fresh Summit 2009 International Convention & Exposition, attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the locally grown produce phenomenon and discover how to capitalize on the trend to create a real competitive advantage – and newfound profits – for their companies. To learn more about this and other educational sessions, check out the Fresh Summit schedule, where you can select the sessions you want and add them to your Outlook calendar. If you’ve not yet registered, visit the Fresh Summit registration page; remember, the deadline to save by registering online is September 4, 2009.

I’ll be at the Texas Produce Convention in Austin this week (August 19-21), talking about how Texas fits into a key U.S. economic driver – the fresh produce industry. When it comes to produce economic impact, Texas ranks second in terms of retail, third in terms of production, and third in terms of foodservice. This data comes from PMA’s Economic Reach and Impact of the Fresh Produce and Floral Industry study, released earlier this year.

This was the first national study of its kind for produce (fresh fruits and vegetables) and mass-market floral – across the supply chain and it describes the economic reach and impact of our industry, including the entire supply chain. The produce industry is a major economic force, with substantial employment impact in every state and every congressional district.

We use this information in our government relations efforts. Members use it that way as well, but also when looking at a variety of other applications: grants, business loans, local/state government efforts, and more. Check out the study and see how it might help you with your business. And I look forward to seeing you at the Texas Produce Convention!

Last week PMA notified its retail members about recent media reports regarding pesticide residues on 12 fruits and vegetables. Considering that the latest reports may generate questions from shoppers, we offered these facts to aid in developing any consumer response.

• It is not in the best interest of public health to scare consumers away from eating fresh produce of any kind. Fresh fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet, and we should be eating more of them, not less, for our better health.
• U.S. government and international health officials agree that the nutritional benefits of eating fruits and vegetables by far outweigh any risk posed by low levels of pesticide residues. These sensational reports often fail to mention that the mere presence of a pesticide residue does not mean that a food poses a health risk.
• The men and women who grow the produce you sell are 100 percent committed to providing safe and healthy foods, every bite, every time. Fruit and vegetable growers and their families are often the first to eat the foods they sell, and they recognize that their livelihoods depend on the confidence of the consumers who purchase their wares to feed their own families.

We also suggested consumers be reminded that the FDA advises washing fresh produce - both conventionally-grown and organic - before eating them is a healthful habit.

These types of reports continue to surface, often with the nickname “the dirty dozen.” We respond to these, chastising journalists that do not provide facts and repeat fear-mongering. So let us know if you see such stories in your media so that we can support the industry by countering these baseless reports.

For additional information about pesticide residues, visit the PMA Web site.