After three and a half of promotions, meetings, seminars and receptions the PMA’s Fresh Summit 2010 came to an end on Monday.

Food safety, traceability and marketing opportunities in China topped the event, held this year in Orlando, Fla., from October 15-18.

According to a PMA statement 18,284 members of the fresh fruit industry from 58 countries attended the conference, breaking the previous East Coast attendance record of 17,503 set in 2008.

The conference also included a state of the industry speech from PMA President and CEO Bryan Silbermann that included emerging consumer trends and the  need for the industry to tell its story; highlighted a new campaign to address unfounded attacks on industry; and discussed new research to address consumer misconceptions about the affordability of fresh produce.

"We are hearing that this year's Fresh Summit delivered real business value on many levels, from the networking opportunities connecting buyers and sellers, to the educational sessions designed to help attendees to innovate and to build the new relationships they will need to grow their businesses for the future,” John Oxford, president and CEO of L&M Companies, and vice-chair of the volunteer-led Fresh Summit Committee, said in the statement.

The next conference will be held Oct. 14-17, 2011 in Atlanta.

FreshFruitPortal.com was on hand to launch the site and bring its perspectives of the Southern Hemisphere’s fresh fruit industry. In addition entries for a trip to Patagonia giveaway were collected and a winner will be drawn on December 15.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com