Debates at Fruit Focus 2010

The NFU and Syngenta Bioline Fruit Forums have become an established and popular attraction at Fruit Focus which will be held at East Malling Research on the 21st July 2010. “The Forums provide an opportunity to discuss and debate key issues, challenges and developments within the fruit industry,” explains Event Director Jon Day. “They aim to help businesses evolve and respond to opportunities within the market place.”

The Future of Fresh Produce Procurement - satisfying supermarket demand

Waitrose’s director of food technology Mary Vizoso will give her view on ‘The Future of Fresh Produce Procurement – satisfying supermarket demand’. Issues she plans to cover include the current trading environment, increasing environmental and food security pressures, balancing value for money for consumers with fair deals for the growers, and building supplier relationships.
 
A Kings College London graduate, Ms Vizoso is well suited to discussing these topics having held a number of both technical and commercial roles in food technology, brand development and produce buying. Responsible for Waitrose’s produce buying division, Ms Vizoso also established the Waitrose Foundation that aims to empower small-holders and farm workers in South Africa, Ghana and Kenya. She also introduced LEAF accreditation to the Waitrose worldwide supply base.

Future challenges for Science and Research – helping secure the future of the British fruit industry

Professor Ian Crute, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s  (AHDB) first chief scientist, will examine future challenges for science and research with the aim of helping secure the future of the British fruit industry. He will be discussing the importance of science and research to the British fruit industry in context of a global market as well as how to ensure levy money is used to best effect, maintaining competitiveness and the challenges of food security and sustainability.

Prof Crute says: "Fruit consumption in the UK is steadily increasing and there is plenty of scope to substitute imports with home-based production. It is regrettable that short-term and expedient government decisions over the past decade have severely eroded the capacity to deliver publicly-funded research of strategic long-term value to the fruit production industry.

"This has occurred at just the time when competitive advantage is likely to be derived from the UK's warming climate and reducing summer rainfall in southern Europe. With the advent of recently introduced EU regulations governing pesticide availability, the effective control of pests and diseases will be increasingly challenging.

"A priority for the UK industry is to find ways of exploiting the promise provided by international advances in fruit genomics, which seem set to deliver significant genetic improvement of tree and soft fruit crops in terms of yield, eating quality and resistance to disease."

Professor Crute joined AHDB in September 2009 and ensures collaboration and co-operation across its investment of levy funds in research and knowledge transfer programmes. Previously he had been a director at Rothamsted Research with overall responsibility for all scientific, operational, commercial and external liaison activities.

The Political Debate

There will also be political representation which will concentrate on where the horticultural landscape lies under the new UK coalition government.

Fruit Forum timetable

10:00am - The Future of Fresh Produce Procurement - satisfying supermarket demand
Speaker: Mary Vizoso, Director of Food Technology at Waitrose

11:00am - Future challenges for Science and Research – helping secure the future of the British fruit industry
Speaker: Professor Ian Crute, Chief Scientist, AHDB

12:00pm - The Political Debate
A review of the horticultural landscape post election day.
Speaker:  Lord Henley Defra Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

1pm – Vines to Wines – ‘what place does Englsih Sparkling wine have in the UK Market.’
Speaker:  Frazer Thompson, Managing Director of Chapel Down Wines (English Wine Group plc)

2pm – Vines to Wines question time.
Speakers: The panel will be made up of Frazer Thompson, Managing Director of Chapel Down Wines (English Wine Group plc), consultant Owen Elias and viticulture advisor Duncan McNeill.

The two dedicated seminars for visitors interested in the vines and wines content of the event will be held in the afternoon. At 1pm, Frazer Thompson, Managing Director of Chapel Down Wines (English Wine Group plc) will talk about the future of English sparkling wine. He will debate ‘what place does English sparkling wine have in the UK market’ now that the volume is overtaking still wines.

Tickets for Fruit Focus are available free of charge by registering through the event website at www.fruitfocus.co.uk.  Visitors will also earn points for attending: 3 NRoSO points and 3 BASIS points.

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Contact for more information:
Jane Craigie
Tel: 01466 780078
Mob: 07795 278767
Email: jane@janecraigie.com

Notes to Editors
Fruit Focus 2010:
• Fruit Focus takes place on 21stJuly 2010, at East Malling, Kent.  Opening times are 9am – 4pm.
• Show features include leading suppliers’ stands, crop plots, a live demonstration area, the  NFU and Syngenta Bioline Fruit Forums, fruit research farm tours and the Vines to Wine exhibition and seminar programme
• Key sponsors are the NFU, Berry Gardens and Syngenta Bioline
• Fresh Produce Journal is the event media partner
• Fruit Focus is organised and presented by Haymarket Business Exhibitions and supported by Horticulture Week/Grower
• Fruit Focus is registered for BASIS and NRoSO CPD points.  Point allocation is:
       o 3 NRoSO CPD points.
       o 3 BASIS points. Points allocation: 1 x crop protection, 1 x environment, 1 x application
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