![Eye on Fruit Logistica](http://www.aircargonews.com/FT18/EyeOnFruitLogistica.gif) |
Next
month Fruit Logistica, the gigantic fresh produce event, meets February
7-9 at Berlin ExpoCenter City and CityCube Berlin for the 26th time. For
all the glitz and glamour and displays and technologies it brings to the
world, the expo might also be branded Fruchtsalat.
Move over “Chiquita Banana,”
this expo has cumquats doing the Lambada in the aisles.
And looking at the growing numbers at this
show, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Fruit Logistica in 2018 is 3,077 exhibitors
and 76,000 attendees covering every single sector of the fresh produce
business.
But what makes Fruit Logistica top banana
in our book, in addition to the obvious, lies in the unusual things it
brings to the table.
For example, read “Fruit Trade 2025
Ideas-Impulses-Insights.” Created in 2017 on behalf of Messe Berlin,
the organizers of Fruit Logistica, it was written by Marta Kwiatkowski
and Christine Schäfer at The Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI)
based in Rüschlikon near Zurich.
Non-profit GDI creates social and economic
studies and also happens to be the oldest think tank in Switzerland.
Here is a taste…
Meeting
Fresh Expectations Ahead
“Alternating between
Aldi and Armani:
“That is how market researchers and
businesses experience today’s hybrid consumer, and they have quickly
become wise to him.
“When ego involvement is high, brands
take the limelight and prices become irrelevant.
“For low ego involvement goods, however,
the drivers are convenience and price.”
McDonald’s
& Haute Cuisine
“But it is not so
simple when it comes to diet.
“In one scenario, a religious diet
philosophy for the conscious consumer dictates that an apple can only
be eaten if he knows the name and the physical distance to the producer,
as well as the production methods used.
“But in a take-away situation, personal
karma is not compromised if the same apple is procured cheaper in bulk
– and even sourced from a distant time zone. Supported by a new
range of food products, hybridization of eating habits is on the increase.
“While it used to be anchored at
the extreme poles of McDonald’s and Haute Cuisine, it (diet) now
revolves around Soylent and experience gastronomy –and all that
without neglecting a healthy diet.”
The
Soylent Voice
“Soylent is synonymous
with completely liquid food, ‘astronaut food’ for everyone
– healthy, tasty, nutritious and affordable.
“Social media act as a high-speed
news ticker, constantly transmitting new diet-related trends.
“However, rapid changes in food trends
and hypeproducts, demanded instantaneously by a large number of consumers,
can be a problem for the fresh produce industry.”
Exceeding
Expectation A Must
“A natural product
is limited in its capacity to cater for such erratic and volatile levels
of demand.
“Nevertheless, these popular social
channels are also open to the fresh produce sector itself.
“It can therefore try to use social
media mechanisms to position the issues it considers important.
“Bloggers (Instagram), YouTube channels,
celebrity cooks – the field is wide ranging.
“New production technologies can
also facilitate better production options, independent of seasonality
and weather. This will allow a quicker, more targeted response to demand
in the future.”
Recipe
For Supply Chain Success
“Establishing transparency
will become increasingly easy, though this will be a challenge for food
safety.
“Nevertheless it is an opportunity
for the entire supply chain.
“Producers have a direct line to
the consumer, providing opportunities to differentiate themselves from
the competition.
“The provision of consumer information
is becoming simpler and faster.
“This also offers the opportunity
to highlight seasonal production, and even address the consumers’
willingness to pay higher prices.”
Don’t
Forget the Individual
“Healthy food is
tested for its specific health effects, and tailored to individual diet
plans.
“New technologies make it easier
to prepare customized diet plans based on fresh products such as fruit
and vegetables.
“This significant development goes
beyond the current organic trend (‘Beyond Organic’).”
Read The Rest here.
Nobody wore a fruit fedora
better than the 1940s film star Carmen Miranda.
Next month during Carnival in Rio de Janiero,
Brazil, (February 9-17) look for a half-dozen drag queens and others to
appear in her much loved image.
In 2005 the Museum of Modern Art in Rio
marked the 50th anniversary of Ms. Miranda’s passing with an exhibit
that included over 700 items including her clothing, jewels, old records,
magazines, and pictures.
Geoffrey
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