Istanbul in Turkey was the venue for the 27th edition of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) Congress last week, taking place on 10-13 May and hosted by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipal Market Directorate.
The event, which attracted some 200 delegates from 30 different countries, was held under the theme 'Globalising Wholesale Markets: Ensuring Demand and Supply Between East and West', exploring issues such as food hygiene and certification, transportation, market planning and logistical processes.
In its Congress declaration, WUWM said that delegates had expressed unanimous agreement on a number of subjects, including re-examining challenges in logistical processes faced in supplying food to cities, the essential role that wholesale markets continue to play in the food supply chain, and the increasing importance of food safety.
Focusing on Turkey itself, WUWM noted that the country was ideally placed to support and facilitate east to west trade collaboration and partnership, with Turkish markets vowing to maximise reciprocal trading opportunities to the benefit of the food supply chain.
