As we approach the end of what has been a memorableyear, a look back at my editorial comments in the previous 10issues of Eurofruit Magazine is pretty revealing: only two of thosecomment pieces didn’t mention the global recession.And now I’ve gone and mentioned it again. The trouble is,very few things in this world – let alone this industry– are truly independent of the international financialsystem. Even if we are now heading out of recession in Europe, somuch of the fresh fruit and vegetable business is linked tomarkets, spending, demand, investment, banking, loans, confidence,cash flow…


The list goes on. The fresh produce trade has been changedirreversibly by the economic downturn. As our lead news story on p5of the November/December issue of Eurofruit Magazine aboutTesco’s drive towards increased direct sourcing confirms,supply relationships have come under pressure as retailers seek totrim costs in the value chain. Producers and growers, havingwitnessed dramatic price decreases amid rising costs, now want tomeet that demand and cut out the intermediate stages that some inthe trade feel add an unnecessary layer of extra cost. In the nextyear, it is likely that alliances and marketing partnerships amongrival producer groups will continue to make a comeback, restoring amore unified approach that, in stark contrast to consolidationwithin the retail sector, has been missing over the past decade.Importers and marketers, as a consequence, will be compelled morethan ever before to justify the role they play in the chain andunderline the value they add.

Every consumer trend has been shaped by the recession. In someinstances, such as price, the effects have been obvious: who wouldhave predicted, for example, that high-end retailers would suddenlybegin to extol the virtues of their value proposition instead ofdistinguishing their products on the basis of terms of things liketaste and provenance? Elsewhere, changes have been more subtle:interest in ethical sourcing has grown, despite the premium placedon Fairtrade. As we head into the next decade, all we can predictfor certain is that this trade will never stand still.

See you in 2010!

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