As the global produce business prepares to journey tothe largest US gathering of the fresh fruit, vegetableand floral industries and with the Produce MarketingAssociation (PMA) marking its 60-year anniversary in2009, it seems appropriate to look back at thesubstantial growth of the US import trade in the lastfew decades.
Traditionally a major supplier of fresh produce, the UShas become a significant importer in the years sincePMA was founded on the back of rising consumer income,growing demand for year-round availability, globaltrade agreements and advancements in technology.
Indeed, fresh fruit and vegetable imports into the USmore than doubled in value between 1994 and 2004 toUS$12.7bn, according to the US Department ofAgriculture (USDA), compared with exports of US$9.7bn.
As a result, US consumers are eating more importedfresh produce (as well as canned, frozen and juice)than ever before. On average, each American consumed31lbs of imported fresh vegetables and 20lbs ofimported fresh fruit in 2007 – twice as much asin 1993, according to consumer advocacy group Food& Water Watch.
Out of the 50 commonly eaten and produced fruit andvegetable products in the US, around one fifth of freshfruit (22.3 per cent) and fresh vegetables (23.9 percent) were imported in 2007, Food & Water Watchsaid. In total, 40bn lbs of produce entered the US in2007.
Geographical proximity and low or zero tariffs mean theNorth American Free Trade Agreement region, theSouthern Hemisphere and Latin American banana-producingcountries are among the key sources for fresh fruit andvegetable imports into the US.
Bananas, table grapes and tropicals are the major fruitimports, according to the USDA, with bananas stillrepresenting the number one fresh fruit consumed in theUS. Imports of tropicals are also growing rapidly,driven by successful marketing initiatives forpineapples, mangoes and papayas. In the fresh vegetablecategory, meanwhile, tomatoes, peppers and cucumberscontinue to rank as the main imported products.
With organizations remaining committed to drivingconsumption, the industry can once again expect greatbusiness opportunities at the 60th PMA Fresh Summit inAnaheim, California, on 2-5 October.
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