ATLANTA — Industry work toward creating responsible sourcing standards is a major priority for the new chairman of the Produce Marketing Association board of directors.

Standards for ethical sourcing and treatment of workers are important for the fresh produce supply chain to pursue, Russ Mounce, vice president of produce for Sam’s Club and chairman of PMA’s board of directors, said in remarks to Fresh Summit attendees Oct. 25.

“At the end of my year, I hope to see progress toward aligning around responsible sourcing standards, improved supply chain transparency and finding solutions to take on unethical behavior.”

Extending the global reach of PMA is important and also will be a priority, he said. “PMA is becoming more global because all of our businesses are becoming more global,” he said.

Bringing more consumer insight and data to PMA’s floral industry members is a third priority, Mounce said.

That data — largely absent from the market place now — will be an important tool to help build demand for floral products, Mounce said. PMA floral membership has doubled since 2011, he said.

Fresh Summit kudos

Attracting nearly 20,000 attendees from 63 countries, the Oct. 23-25 Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit broke East Coast attendance records and drew strong reviews from exhibitors and participants.

Both national retailers and regional retailers were well represented at the show, said Steve Lutz. vice president of marketing at Columbia Marketing International, Wenatchee, Wash.

Lutz said it was important for CMI to be at Fresh Summit every year.

“With packaging innovations and new products every single year, you need to be able to show (those) to retailers,” he said.

The 2015 Fresh Summit beat the previous East Coast attendance record of 18,284 set in 2010, according to a news release from PMA. There were 3,380 buyers at the show, the highest for an East Coast show since 2011, and more than 1,000 exhibitors.

“The show is bigger than ever and has kept its momentum for both days,” said Mark Hanks, vice president of North American sales and marketing for DNE World Fruit Sales, Fort Pierce, Fla.

Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Southern Specialties Inc., Pompano Beach, Fla., said the firm’s booth was busy.

“We have had really good response from potential customers and have great opportunities to meet existing customers as well as our growers,” he said.

At the show, PMA announced a new strategic alliance with the Entertainment Resource & Marketing Association. The initiative will join produce industry and entertainment marketing professionals to highlight fresh produce in television shows, movies and online entertainment, according to the release.

In a video played at the Oct. 23 “State of the Industry” address by PMA CEO Bryan Silbermann and association president Cathy Burns, first lady Michelle Obama thanked the industry for its promotion efforts — especially for industry leaders supporting the Eat Brighter! and FNV initiatives.

The 2016 Fresh Summit will be Oct. 14-16 in Orlando, Fla. While the event has sometimes alternated between Eastern U.S. and Western locations, the PMA website reports Fresh Summit won’t be in the West again until 2019, when it will be in Anaheim, Calif.

No matter the location, Mark Munger, vice president of sales and marketing for 4Earth Farms, Los Angeles, said there is great networking value in the show.

“People are willing to make the expense to come to the show from the West Coast because it is the must-attend show of the year,” he said.

Future dates and locations of upcoming Fresh Summit expos, according to the PMA website, are:
• 2016: Oct. 14-16, Orlando
• 2017: Oct. 19-21, New Orleans
• 2018: Oct. 18-20, Orlando
• 2019; Oct. 17-19, Anaheim
• 2020: Oct. 15-17, Dallas
• 2021: Oct. 21-23, New Orleans