Freshfel Europe is pleased to announce the election of Mr. Stephan Weist as President and Mr. Salvo Laudani as Vice-President to the Freshfel Board, which took place during Freshfel Europe’s Annual Event on the 7-8 June 2018 in Hamburg, Germany. This year the Annual Event was held jointly with the German Fruit Trade Association (DFHV), focusing on changing consumer purchasing habits and the digital economy, and Freshfel Europe’s Board elections took place alongside discussions on implications for the European fruit and vegetable sector due to the rapidly evolving global digital economy.
Freshfel Europe’s elections took place during the Statutory Annual General Meeting at the beginning of the Annual Event, during which Mr. Weist (Rewe Group) and Mr. Laudani (Fruitimprese) were elected to Freshfel Europe’s Board as President and Vice President respectively. Upon election, Mr. Weist affirmed, “I am happy and also proud to be the first retailer representative representing our sector. This will allow me to support a product group that I am passionate about. Over the coming years we need to make sure politics understands and supports our sector in its specificities versus those of other agricultural sectors”. Mr. Laudani also expressed, “By working together, producers, traders and retailers can create value in the fruit and vegetable market and will be able to engage more final users, offering them unforgettable experiences”. Mr. Weist and Mr. Laudani join Mr. Marc De Naeyer (Treasurer) on the Freshfel Europe Board for a two-year term and will be assisted by the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Freshfel Europe’s Divisions and Committees.
The General Meeting provided an opportunity to review the wide diversity of topics covered by the association, which range from agricultural policy, food and plant safety, sustainability, research and innovation, trade, nutrition and promotion. This coverage of policy areas aims to create a favourable environment to stimulate the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables across Europe. The 2018 Freshfel Europe Activity Report provides an overview of the association’s activities in 2017-2018.
Presided over by Freshfel Europe’s General Delegate Philippe Binard and DFHV’s Managing Director Dr. Andreas Bruegger, the Annual Event plenary session included presentations from key experts from the fresh produce sector. Ms. Heike Scholz (Strategy Consultant), Prof. Gunther Hirshfelder (University of Regensburg), Mr. Jean Jacques Vandenheede (formerly at Nielson Europe) and Mr. Bert Graafsma (PWC) presented their views and debated the direction of supply and demand relationships in the evolving digital business environment. Following the Annual Event, Mr. Binard commented, “The event provided food for thought for the fresh produce industry to successfully address the challenges in B2B and B2C relations emerging from advancing technology and new connected consumers’ expectations”.
ENDS
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
Note to the Editors:
Freshfel Europe is the European Fresh Produce Association, representing the interests of the fresh fruit and vegetables supply chain in Europe and beyond. Freshfel Europe currently has over 200 members, including both companies and associations. For more information, contact the association at info@freshfel.org or visit the association website www.freshfel.org.