FRUIT LOGISTICA 2018: Expert insight on the future of the fresh produce business

Where will fruit and vegetables be sold if stores become redundant?

Digital communication has already revolutionised the way we consume information, and now it’s changing the way we consume fruit and vegetables. By disrupting and changing the status quo, it’s provoking a remarkable transformation in all parts of the fresh produce supply chain as methods of communication and distribution become more sophisticated, complex and interconnected.

Artificial intelligence, for example, could render some of our most established business practices redundant. Farmstead, a new startup launched in San Francisco last month, says it will reinvent the supermarket model and bypass real stores by using automated, analytical technology to manage food delivery from farm to fridge within the space of an hour.

Faced with such radical future developments, the question most in the fresh produce industry are asking is: what must we do differently as a result? Every day, we are faced with a steady stream of new ideas and innovations, but which of these require immediate further investigation and which should be filed away for later?

One of the strengths of FRUIT LOGISTICA, the leading global trade fair for the fresh produce business, is that it brings together a vast array of experts who offer valuable advice on such developments. From its annual curtain-raiser “Fruitnet World of Fresh Ideas”, which presents the latest trends and newest innovations in the world of fresh produce, to the “Fresh Produce Forum”, which addresses a series of key challenges facing the industry, FRUIT LOGISTICA’s programme of events is your fast-track to finding the right answers.

There is also the “Future Lab”, where the industry’s brightest minds highlight some of the most interesting products, services and trends in their conceptual stage. Plus you can learn about new developments in cold chain logistics at the “Logistics Hub”; see tomorrow’s technology in action today at the “Tech Stage”; and stop by the “Frutic Symposium” to hear how water use is being optimised in the fresh produce supply chain.

At FRUIT LOGISTICA, there really is a wealth of new ideas to discover.

Image Source: FRUIT LOGISTICA