In France, the farming and retail committee of agricultural think tank SAF last week announced the creation of a drive for progress in the fresh fruit and vegetable sector by improving relations between retailers and their suppliers, according to Fld.
In implementing the new approach, operators have met regularly over the last year and a half, with Casino Group stating its total commitment.
'With fresh fruit and vegetable consumption continuing to decline in France, repeated crises have regularly led to conflicting relations,' said Damien Bonduelle, director of the FAS and salad producer in the Nantes region. 'We have decided to work together to come up with new ideas to create value.'
The process has been divided into five themes: increasing knowledge of individuals' roles, looking for added value by encouraging increased consumption in stores, improving the exchange of information on product quality, improving the supply chain, and encouraging better management of campaigns.
'We have created a forum for SMEs and are working with FEEF `the French Federation of Businesses and Enterpreneurs`,' said Claude Risac of Casino. 'We are very committed to this type of relational issue, and our goal is to transfer this to the fruit and vegetable sector.'
