Fresh Produce Consortium president Richard Brighten addressed the association’s 57th annual dinner and dance on Saturday, the first being held under the FPC - rather than its importers’ division - banner.
He said the change in emphasis “reflects council’s decision to co-ordinate activities under a more transparent and integrated format for the benefit of the membership overall”. As always, there was one host nation, France. “This dinner dance would lose a certain degree of its identity, charm and appeal if it was not characterised by having the support of a host nation,” said Brighten. The country, he added, “changes on an annual basis and has been selected for that country’s importance to the UK in respect of its fresh produce supply”.
It was the sixth time that France has hosted the event and the UK’s nearest neighbour sends around 300,000 tonnes each of fruits and vegetables to the UK market. “The list of high quality fresh produce and its derivatives is endless,” said Brighten. “For that we say merci beaucoup.”
He added a big thank you to Hans van Zetten and his wife Jean. This was the 24th dinner dance organised by Hans, the “ringmaster and Maitre d’Affaires”. Brighten paid tribute: “Having worked very closely with him for the last two years I can only applaud his determination, resilience, enthusiasm and professionalism in organising this event,” he said.
The principal guests at this year’s dinner were Stephane Gompertz and Didier Gourdin, minister counsellors at the French Embassy; Monsieur Madre, the embassy’s agricultural counsellor; Daniel Onfroy, president of Interfel, pictured centre with his wife; Remy Leprette, director, Interfel, also pictured with daughter Aurélie; Sr Martinez-Burgoz, counsellor, Spanish Embassy; Maria José Sevilla, director, Foods From Spain; Luis Montero, commercial counsellor, ProChile; David Jones, head of horticulture, Defra, Henry Bryant, master of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers; George Bray, Philip Emanuel and John Olney, the chairmen of Western International, New Covent Garden and New Spitalfields markets respectively; and Justin Hope-Mason, managing director of Lockwood Press.
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