United Fresh volunteer leadership groups to remain through 2021
With the recent decision of the Board of Directors and endorsement of the membership to combine with the Produce Marketing Association to form a new association in 2022, the current United Fresh Board of Directors, market segment boards and expert advisory councils will remain in place and continue to guide the association through 2021.
In addition, the current Chairman-Elect Danny Dumas, President of Courchesne Larose USA, will become Chairman of the Board effective June 1. He will take the reins from Michael Muzyk, President of Baldor Specialty Foods, who led the association through the pandemic year since March 2020.
North America pallet shortages putting supply of fresh produce at risk
In the letter below, produce industry associations share their concern about the current, acute pallet shortage in North America and the impact it could have on the availability of fresh produce.
Although conversations are occurring within the North American (and global) industry relative to the current acute pallet shortages, we believe many do not yet realize the potential scope of the issue, including the availability of produce to consumers.
Multiple issues are impacting pallet availability including:
Efforts of wholesalers, distributors, and retailers to ensure sufficient inventory of non-perishables given previous pandemic-related impacts.
Registration open for new United Fresh program
Registration is now available for United Fresh’s Reimagine Conversations, which will take place throughout the month of June. The 25-session series kicks off June 1 with five tracks of thought-provoking sessions, including both education and group discussions to foster discovery, present new ideas and develop new relationships across all channels of the produce supply chain.
“We have created a value-added summer for our members by developing content across a variety of topics and issues that directly impact their business operations,” said Amanda Griffin, vice-president of education & program management, United Fresh. “This June, we invite the industry to reimagine how they do business in 2021, and join us for the conversations that will drive our industry forward.”
United Fresh releases statement on immigration reform for agriculture
United Fresh Produce Association has released a statement following President Joe Biden’s comments on immigration reform for agriculture.
“United Fresh Produce Association and its members thank President Biden for his leadership in recognizing the grave importance of reforming our immigration laws as they relate to our agricultural workforce. By raising the importance of passing the agricultural immigration reform during his address to the nation, President Biden has made it crystal clear that this issue, which has vexed agriculture for decades, can and must be addressed immediately by the U.S. Senate in the same bipartisan manner that enabled it to pass the House of Representatives. United Fresh looks forward to continuing to work with the Biden administration and Congress to have meaningful immigration reform signed into law this year.”