For a lot of us, the start of a new year heralds the promise to change our ways for the better. It is also a time to take stock: of all that has been done and of what remains to be achieved.

For the French fresh produce industry a number of large files remain on the desk. For the sector as a whole, 2007 will not be a quiet year. The industry is facing a number of major challenges and for wholesalers in particular, the continuation of a troubled period is a very real threat with consumption of fresh produce among the French population more fragile than ever before.

Gilles Vignaud, the new incumbent as head of Interfel, the French inter-professional trade association for the fresh produce industry, recently met with French wholesalers. His message was clear: the chain of supply must act more laterally and as a whole and avoid the confrontation we saw in 2006 between its upstream and downstream links.

The politics of alliance must also be built on: especially with Carrefour et al but also with the foodservice sector. The recent adhesion of CCC - the trade association that represents in-house catering and hospitality restaurants -- to Interfel, will certainly please president Vignaud.

But a closer relationship with consumers is, I believe, instrumental if sales are to be invigorated. To achieve this, real attention must be paid to what consumers actually want - and that is not necessarily lower prices every time. It seems to me this will prove the only way to increase the fresh produce share of the consumer’s meal table.

Part of the process will involve the industry looking very closely at what the rest of the agrifood sector is doing. Recent advertisements claiming processed fruit desserts are similar to fresh fruit and vegetables in nutritional content deeply annoyed Interfel. Stronger communication is definitely going to be needed. And promotion, even in times of crisis, will be one of the four main thrusts of Interfel’s work in 2007 along with pricing, packaging and working groups looking at the organisation of the industry, particularly upstream in the chain of supply.

At the Vignaud-wholesaler meeting, the traders acknowledged the programme proposed by the new president and reminded themselves that their focus is ultimately on consumers and increasing consumption.

Wholesalers will also be following closely the fate of the after-sales pricing system. The French authorities have already given the green light to proposals to revamp the system but the topic remains extremely hot and producers are poised to oppose any new developments. The fresh produce industry cannot afford to be caught napping in 2007.