More than 350 delegates are expected to attend FRESH2005 in Budapest next week.

The third annual conference jointly organised by Eurofruit Magazine and Freshfel Europe takes place from June 1-3 at the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal.

The conference kicks off with The Fresh Lecture, sponsored by The Greenery BV. Financial Times columnist, renowned business economist and celebrated author Professor John Kay gives his own insights into the future for the fresh produce business and for companies working in it. How can a fragmented supply chain cope with the ongoing concentration among food retailers?

To follow, a panel of leading global retailers will address the issue of ‘Living with low prices.’ This session includes a video interview with Bruce Peterson of Wal-Mart, the world’s largest food retail company, and a presentation by Rudolf Deitert of market analysis GfK on the situation in key European markets and how everyday low prices are changing the shape of the business. Tim Lee, fruit category manager at Tesco, will also be on hand to represent the views of the largest food retailer in Hungary and the UK, and Francisco Contreras of Edeka Germany will be talking about the chain’s recent ‘Wir lieben lebensmittel’ campaign.

Other highlights from the event include breakout sessions focusing on specific areas of the fresh produce sector, and a question and answer session answered by panellists including Dole Europe’s Benoit Galland, Capespan chief Neil Oosthuizen and Bruce McEvoy, head of global relations at Univeg/Seald Sweet. A networking dinner rounds off the first day of events.

The programme continues on the second day with a panel session looking at the challenges to EU producers posed by India and China.

A keynote presentation by Russell Mildon, director of DG-AGRI at the European Commission in Brussels, will brief delegates on the latest trade-political developments at a European level and he will also answer questions on the issues of the day from FRESH delegates.

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