Plenty on Canada’s plate

Canada might be dwarfed in population and financial terms by its southern neighbours, but the world’s second-largest country is a respected player in fresh produce in its own right.

According to figures from Mordor Intelligence, Canada’s fruit and vegetable market is worth some US$13.7bn in 2024, a figure that is expected to rise to US$15.9bn by 2029 as consumer appetite for healthier food drives demand.

Bridging the gap between industry, government and consumer is the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), whose broad brief touches everything from lobbying government on key issues to running public marketing campaigns and organising trade events. The group boasts some 850 members from across the length of the supply chain, representing 90 per cent of fresh fruit and vegetable sales in Canada.

Probably the biggest topic of discussion in the Canadian fresh produce sector over the past year has been packaging, and in particular the Trudeau government’s proposals to all but ban the use of plastic packaging in fruit and vegetables by 2028. That has caused nervousness and alarm among suppliers, who have pointed to food waste and inflationary concerns, as well as the lack of viable alternatives.

Active role

CPMA has been taking an active role in discussions with the government, trying to steer it onto a pragmatic course that shows more appreciation of the fact that only 2.9 per cent of Canada’s plastic packaging is on fresh produce. “The government went through a consultative process that was very aggressive, looking at a near elimination of plastic packaging,” explains CPMA president Ron Lemaire. “It is a voluntary strategy, but you have to report on outcomes. So it’s a quasi-regulating tool – the government would regulate bodies to need to report on their successes and the court of public opinion would then gauge whether it’s good or bad.”

Ongoing legal challenges around the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and its use in relation to plastic packaging have left a lack of clarity on how new regulations will ultimately shake out. “Until then, we will continue to work with the government to find non-regulated approaches to packaging waste,” Lemaire says.

Adding to the industry’s case has been a joint study in August by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and Environment & Climate Change Canada, which highlights the critical role of packaging in fresh produce supply chains. The study looks at such aspects as the functionality of the seals, convenience of portion control and the importance of usage instructions, as well as the value of packaging in food safety.

“CPMA is pleased to see the Government of Canada commission an industry-informed study which highlights the critical role and function fresh produce packaging plays to ensure that high-quality fruits and vegetables are available to Canadians year-round,” Lemaire says. “Consumers are requesting safe, affordable, and high-quality fresh produce which is only available when respective supply chains – and the critical packaging forms they rely upon – are readily accessible.”

Packaging strategy

CPMA recognises the industry also has a role to play in finding sustainable outcomes, and has hosted events looking for solutions and strategies to help minimise the sector’s impact. Increasing the adoption of sustainable fresh produce packaging was one of the four key priorities outlined in the CPMA’s updated Sustainability Strategy in August, which also focuses on minimising fresh produce loss and waste, minimising the carbon footprint of the supply chain, and promoting the harmonisation of fresh produce sustainability practices.

The Sustainability Strategy also identifies the need to support and collaborate with key produce stakeholders on essential sustainability outcomes, including soil health, water stewardship, biodiversity, adapting to climate change, financial resilience and sustainable finance.

In its broadest sense, sustainability also includes making sure the industry is inclusive and welcoming, bringing through a future generation that is representative. In what is often seen as a predominantly white male industry, CPMA has therefore been working hard for several years on the issue of diversity, equality and inclusion. At the CPMA show’s Delegate Breakfast in April, legendary Canadian ice hockey player Cassie Campbell-Pascall discussed her personal journey in sport and broadcasting in an inspirational speech that tapped into a lot of the organisation’s key messaging. “As we move forward, we need to look at how do we address unconscious biases,” Lemaire notes. “How do we address the changes we need to make sure we have the resources, the intellectual property and the workforce that we are going to require, and that workforce is changing.”

Education action

Much of the CPMA’s work is public-facing, and that includes running a Half Your Plate programme, which aims to show consumers how they can cost-effectively fill half of their meals with fruit and veg every day. The educational initiative offers simple and practical resources such as recipes, blogs and videos, alongside a #Fresh$20 campaign to highlight the amount of produce that can be bought for $20. The Freggie Children’s Program is also aimed at getting kids to eat more fruit and veg to benefit their overall health.

“CPMA functions on an integrated approach to our marketing and market development strategies,” Lemaire explains. “So the trade show and convention is one [area], while our government relations and advocacy ensures trade barriers and the fluidity of our industry, and then there’s food safety, innovation and our sustainability strategy. So you bring that all together with our consumer marketing as a full unit, and all these elements play together to make sure the market is stable.”

Coalition coordination

In addition to leading the CPMA, Lemaire is also chair of the Global Coalition for Fresh Produce, a recently established body that brings together industry trade associations – including Freshfel, Shaffe, IFPA and CPMA among others – to create resilient global value chains for fruit and vegetables. “This group of ten organisations is extremely dynamic,” Lemaire stresses. “Earlier this year we hosted a sustainability webinar online and launched our policy paper around sustainability, which goes back to the concept that sustainability has been hijacked by activists and environmental groups. We wanted to reset the narrative around the elements that we need in sustainability, not just based on segmented views of what sustainability is, but social, environmental, and economic [elements]. And let’s effectively deliver that and look at policy that supports it.”

This article was written for Fresh Focus North America, a new publication from Fruitnet, which is available now