A leading German official called for better pricing structures for food at the Fruit Logistica 2007 opening ceremony.
Dr Gerd Müller, parliamentary state secretary for the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, also spoke out against price dumping.
He said: “Good quality can’t be simply given away for free. In order to prevent price dumping for food, we will adopt a law that forbids the sale of food priced below cost.”
On the topic of pesticide residues, Stephan Fanderl of the Rewe Group said the current situation is inadequate because it is confusing for consumers and because the maximum allowable residue levels differ from one EU country to another.
“In the future, [the Rewe Group’s] fruit and vegetables will contain no more than 70 percent of the maximum legal level of residues,” he added.
Ingeborg Junge-Reyer, the mayor of Berlin, and a senator for urban development, emphasised the logistical tasks that the modern fruit and vegetable industry must master.
“The job of supplying major cities with fresh produce is an enormous logistical challenge,” she said, adding that policymakers must reconcile the consumer’s desire for short distances to the next supermarket with logistical requirements, such as adequate roads around the city centre.
