Progressive Grocer - December 2008 - (Page 50)

Fresh food High yield A challenging year and uncertain times ahead seemed to make the PMA Fresh Summit more important than ever for buyers and sellers. By Meg Major T he sold-out exposition floor teemed with more than 800 selling firms and nearly 4,000 buyers, representing 61 countries, all convened around a dizzying array of product innovation at the Produce Marketing Association’s latest annual Fresh Summit, in Orlando Fla. For a minute, you might have forgotten the global economic downturn that has made the past 12 months among the most difficult in recent memory. very short amount of time.” The traditional worries “have been compounded by other, more serious market forces—none like we have seen at this level before, certainly not all at once,” said Silbermann. These forces include “the rising costs of inputs, the slowing economy, the recent implosion of financial markets, increasing food safety demands, pressure for greater sustainability, and labor and talent shortages,” all of which Silbermann considers “disruptors of our traditional market paradigms [that] have all merged into a perfect storm, changing our industry forever.” While all of the aforementioned challenges hang in the balance, Silbermann singled out labor and talent shortages as the most pressing. “The search for our next generation of leaders is not only a critical imperative—it is a potential market disruption,” the trade association executive said. Compounding the challenge is the fact that the pool is receding: The next generation is far smaller than the aging baby boomers—30 million fewer, to be exact, in the United States alone. “As you review your business plans after Fresh Summit, if recruiting tomorrow’s leaders today is A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T The trade show’s 17,500 attendees reached an East Coast record for PMA. During the four days of networking, looking, and learning, it was hard not to wonder at how the throngs seemed to defy the prevailing trends of curtailed travel budgets and general fiscal belt-tightening affecting this industry as much as most others. Bryan Silbermann, PMA’s president, aptly suggested an explanation during his annual state-of-theindustry address: During times of economic hardship and uncertainty, he said, gatherings such as the Fresh Summit become even more important than usual for an interdependent produce supply chain that’s being affected profoundly by a series of unprecedented market disruptions. “Our financial markets are going through a correction more agonizing than any my generation has experienced,” noted Silbermann. While the produce industry is inherently more cyclical than most, and prompts its key decision-makers to plan for down cycles, “It seems as though we’re seeing a fundamental change in the wavelength of our produce cycles—something different from the regular ups and downs. It’s as if global forces have conspired to heap on as much as we can bear all in a 50 • Progressive Grocer • December 2008 not at the top of the list, I believe that some of your other objectives won’t matter in five years—and none will in 10,” observed Silbermann. (For more on this, see Progressivegrocer.com.) In the interim, the produce industry’s current crop of front-line operators is easily among the most passionate and committed across all sectors of the trade. This is especially so when it comes to bringing new products and concepts to market. Indeed, making the rounds of vendor booths to view and learn about the latest product innovations remains the single most rewarding aspect of PMA’s Fresh Summit. What follows are some of the highlights. Cuties brighten up citrus A robust $7 million marketing effort for its Cuties brand of mandarins is officially underway at Delano, Calif.-based Paramount Citrus Association, California’s largest independent citrus growerpacker-shipper. Super-sweet, seedless Cuties are a cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin (also known as a clementine), and they pack a low-calorie, vitamin-rich wallop as a snack alternative for both kids and adults on the go. www.progressivegrocer.com http://www.progressivegrocer.com http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - December 2008

Progressive Grocer - December 2008
Contents
Front End: Onstead Becomes Interim Bi-Lo C.E.O.
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/Spotlight: Shelfstable Juices/Vegetable Juices and Drinks
Market Snapshot: .Seattle-Tacoma,Wash
Retailer of the Year: Taking the lead
Lempert Report: Obama Prepares to Tackle Food Industry Issues
Independents Report: What Grocers Need to Know About Market Day
Consumer Research: Reason for Relevance
Shopper Culture: Reimagining Convenience Foods
Wake-up Call: The Ballad of The Egg Man
Eggs: A Kinder, Gentler Egg
Shelf-Stable Juice: Making a Splash
Post-PMA Show Analysis: High Yield
Niche Pork: Go Whole Hog for Local
Pharmacy: Chronic Customer Service
Technology: A Small-Town Grocer Discovers Digital DIY
Equipment Innovations
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - December 2008