Global Produce & Floral Show Recap

Fresh produce industry moves forward with focus on sustainability, traceability

Over the years, Matthews Marking Systems has had the opportunity to work with many top produce brands including household names like Sunkist and Calavo Growers helping them to improve automation, traceability, operational efficiency and to reducing marking and coding costs. After a two-year hiatus it was invigorating to once again connect with industry members in the thick warm air of Orlando at the Global Produce & Floral Show organized by the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA).

The IFPA is a new association that resulted from the merger of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA, founded in 1949) and the United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA, founded in 1904). Following the merger, IFPA took over responsibility for the Global Produce & Floral Show from the PMA and by all accounts and our first-hand experience, the event is in good hands. This year’s event drew over 1,100 exhibitors and had strong attendance throughout the three-day event.

The IFPA plays a vital role in helping the diverse and far-flung fresh produce industry achieve important goals such as sustainability, global produce traceability and mange through difficult challenges including inflation, labor and extreme climate events. Consumer interest in “farm to fork” traceability is higher than ever, placing traceability high on the agenda for many of folks we met with at the show. A tough task indeed.

As IFPA CEO Cathy Burns noted in her show keynote, putting fresh produce on the menu at homes and restaurants is “not for the faint of heart and it’s not only for our prosperity. What we do is produce products that impact the health and well-being of every human on the planet.”

Marking, coding and labeling play a vital role in enabling produce growers and packers to achieve that mission by accurately tracking every carton, case and pallet as produce winds it way through the supply chain and out to consumers. At the show, industry members stopped by the Matthews booth to learn how our inkjet printers, labelers and advanced MPERIA controllers and integration solutions could help them automate processes and improve efficiency – all with the goal of boosting productivity, ensuring accurate track and trace, and becoming more sustainable.

Matthews Marking Systems booth and staff at Global Produce and Floral Show

A team of Matthews marking and coding experts assembled in Orlando for the Global Produce & Floral Show.

In the coming year, we look forward to continuing to support the IFPA and the fresh produce industry by sharing our deep industry knowledge and by providing high-quality, reliable marking and labeling technology. If you are in the produce industry, please reach out and contact us to learn how we can help you achieve your most ambitious goals and overcome tough challenges. We’d love to hear from you.