As the end of 2009 looms and the industry strides through its busiest period, we are mindful that the last 12 months have seen clear winners and losers in all areas of the industry. At the FPC, we have been diligently working to represent your interests and to make a meaningful difference - whether directly or indirectly - to your business with success in a number of key areas.

I attended the fourth National Food Markets Conference at Dewsbury and was pleased to see that traditional markets are clearly high on the agenda of local and national government.

Our monthly visits included a trip to New Spitalfields Market with the wholesale/foodservice division. It’s always fun to walk the market and view exotic produce. Later in the month, we were delighted to return to Spitalfields to join in the Christmas celebrations of Sunny Veg and Cooks Delight with Ronny Liu, his family and friends, who had spectacularly transformed their warehouse into a sparkling grotto. Great company, great food and exceptional hospitality; it was a pleasure to celebrate the success of a valued member.

Out and about taking the FPC to you, we were pleased to visit Herman Engelbrecht at Karston (UK) and further up the A16 to QV Foods’ Simon Martin. We then travelled West to meet with the foodservice technical team at 3663 and, on the windiest, most inclement day of the month, we went East to the Port of Felixstowe to plan a supply chain visit in January to view the new chilled facilities.

We also caught up with friends at the British Potato 2009 in Harrogate - a great venue for this well attended event. And talking of events, our 64th annual dinner is only weeks away and tickets are selling fast so if you haven’t booked yet, get in touch with us to make sure you don’t miss out. Our thanks to sponsor Anglia Business Solutions and for the support of ProMexico. We have a spectacular evening organised for you at the Park Lane, Piccadilly, and we are delighted to host Mexico as the guest nation.

Finally, it remains for me to wish you a very happy Christmas from the FPC team and we look forward to working with you in 2010!

Topics