A group of US retailers have witnessed first-hand the stringent measures undertaken by the Chilean fresh fruit industry to assure that only top quality and safe fresh fruits and vegetables are exported to the US.
At the invitation of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) and the Chilean Exporters Association (Asoex), the retailers gained a personal insight into all of the fundamental elements of the business – visiting a number of Chile’s orchards and vineyards as well as the busy Port of Valparaíso.
CFFA said the week-long trip in early February opened the eyes of the visiting retailers to each element of the seamless infrastructure that merges the Southern Hemisphere with the Northern Hemisphere to bring healthy fresh fruit to their stores throughout the winter.
“This was a two-way learning experience, for both the retailers and the exporters, as they had the opportunity to discuss questions, experiences and needs,” said Tom Tjerandsen, North American managing director at CFFA. “The exporters and other stakeholders are anxious to please their retail partners and are always wide open to their comments and impressions.”
One of the trip highlights was a visit to the new USDA inspection site in Teno, which is one of two new inspection sites (for a total of five) in collaboration between the USDA, APHIS and Asoex.
“The rapid increase in the volume of fruit exported to the US, necessitated the building of more inspection sites in order to avoid bottlenecks in the system,” Mr Tjerandsen explained.
Last year, Chile exported 106m cartons of fruits and vegetables to the US, representing 41 per cent of the country’s total fresh fruit exports, and worth more than US$1bn.
The annual Chile tour for retailers is just one of the ways the industry is seeking to keep channels of information and communication flowing back and forth, according to CFFA.
As part of that effort, CFFA said the Chilean fruit industry puts out a weekly In the Loop e-newsletter to importers, retailers and other stakeholders in order to bring everyone up to date with news, advertising and retail pricing.
Regular reports also are available regarding point-of-sale displays and activities throughout the country, and the industry also operates a new market intelligence system called SIMfruit to share relevant and timely information.
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