PRODUCE-ING SOLUTIONS

ROBERT VOSBURGH

SAN DIEGO -- Retailers attending the annual convention of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association here Feb. 6 to 8 will find that this year's gathering is a key location to discuss the changes sweeping an industry undergoing a merger and acquisition shakeout.

United's officials say that the annual trade show will provide a glimpse into the future as to what products and ancillary items are under development and could soon end up in a store near you.

"Our exposition showcases the tools, technology, equipment, goods and services that are available to those people who bring produce to market," said Caren Schumacher, United's vice president of member services and marketing. "In this sense, United '99 is not a produce-selling show. It's an opportunity for the retailer to walk the trade show floor with the supplier, and have an input into the decision-making process about things that affect the way they do business."

A number of retailers have been tapped to participate in the convention's seminars. Among the highlights will be the fifth annual panel discussion that examines the industry from top to bottom for the coming year. "Your Business Vision for Success -- Produce Outlook '99," the luncheon general session Monday, Feb. 8, will be moderated by Bruce Peterson, vice president of produce merchandising for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Supercenters. He will be joined on the retail side by Jim Donald, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Pathmark Stores, Carteret, N.J.

Retail participation will also be evident in a seminar titled, "Marketing to the Ethnic Consumer," Saturday, Feb. 6. Here, Ed Ferguson, urban administrator of merchandising and community relations for Schnuck Markets, St. Louis, will be invited to share his experience from a store-level vantage on what works and what doesn't in selling to the ever-growing ethnic population.

Another retail-oriented discussion will look at packaging options currently available to the industry. Tom Anderson, director of produce for Nash Finch Co., Minneapolis, and Al Garner, vice president of produce operations at Jackson, Miss.-based Jitney-Jungle Stores of America, will lend their views on transportation, handling, labor, waste management and merchandising considerations that determine which containers they use in bringing products to their shoppers.

"If retail attendees know that a particular kind of box works better for their distribution system, they have a chance to give that kind of input if they and vendors walk the trade show floor," said Schumacher. "What the retail community wants has an influence on what goes to market. The [retailer participants] are actually going to discuss the considerations that determine which containers they might use in the future."

Even seminars not directly applicable to retail operations can affect the end-user, she added. For example, the seminar examining the "Future of Organic Production" will provide a glimpse of the direction grower/shippers are taking in this growing profit center.

"That's key for a retailer who's looking to expand the space they're giving to organics," said Schumacher. "It allows them to be forward-thinking, which helps them understand the business better."

Tangible evidence of the points discussed in the seminars will be found during a special retail tour of a Ralphs unit in Del Mar, Calif., and a Vons store in La Jolla, Calif., during the United '99 "Mobile Classroom Tours" segment.

According to officials with Ralphs, a subsidiary of Portland, Ore.-based Fred Meyer Inc., the Del Mar store has one of the highest percentages of produce sales throughout the chain, with approximately 400 varieties of produce available. Vons, a Safeway company, will walk attendees through its upscale La Jolla unit, which opened in July, 1998.

Scientific challenges such as food safety, and the advances made to date, will also capture a large amount of attention. This perennial subject is consistently on the front burner any time suppliers and retailers gather, regardless of the product.

"Food safety is a very important area, where United focuses a lot of our time and energy," said Schumacher. "Everyone needs to be on the same page, and what is learned needs to be applied from the ground to the retail back door and through to the consumer. Food safety affects everyone in the industry."

Part of United's commitment to produce safety can be found in the first-ever "New Variety and Research Showcase." Here, researchers from eight universities, government representatives and allied industry experts will staff the area and provide information on new food and nonfood development, current applications of research technology and new varieties of produce currently under development.

"I think it's extremely interesting for the retailer to know what's in the pipeline for vegetables under development that have higher [levels of] beta carotene, or what kinds of packaging are being developed," said Schumacher.

Additionally, United has just announced the addition of Donna Garren, Ph.D., to its staff as director of scientific and technical affairs. Formerly director of research and development/product safety for Boskovich Farms, Oxnard, Calif., Garren now heads all science-related initiatives undertaken by the association concerning food safety, crop protection, nutrition and related issues.

At Boskovich, Garren was responsible for field and packing-house sanitation programs, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point programs for fresh-cut processing facilities, employee training and customer education.

After the convention, where she will make appearances all three days the exhibition floor is open, she will work with John Aguirre, United's vice president of governmental affairs on food-safety regulation issues with the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Also, she will develop members-only consulting, education and training programs for United member organizations. She received her Ph.D. in food science and technology from the University of Georgia, where she specialized in microbiology. Garren succeeds Stacey Zawel, who joined the Grocery Manufacturers of America last year.