Recently, Bernard Piton, president of the fresh produce wholesalers’ union in France, had the opportunity to air his views about his country’s industry. The man is well known for his insights and the way he defends the sector.

Giving an interview to Rungis Actualités, he expressed the three main advantages that the industry has in these times of trouble. The situation in France is quite clear: consumers will have to make choices in their purchases while being deeply hit by the credit crunch. First of all, this is common sense: people need to eat everyday.

The second advantage is more related to the debate on the preservation of Mother Nature. What we call the proximity trade, meaning merchants located as close as possible to the final customer, is key for Piton, because this means less transport by car, meaning less oil consumption, and therefore less pollution in the air. In France, an increasing number of people - sometimes not knowing exactly what they are talking about - advocate local sourcing. Ask a Parisian if he is ready to give up citrus or bananas for the sake of a 150km boundary…

Nevertheless, the point is a crafty one. To position wholesale and traditional retail as the guardian of a better environment for everyone is totally fashionable and far from stupid. Very recently, French importers embarked on a long adventure - to settle their environmental footprint. I hope to have the opportunity to say more about this long-term project in a future column.

The third and last advantage that Piton sees for the industry is about the way of buying produce and the development of the concept of smart purchasing. “Smart purchasing doesn’t mean buying at the lowest price,” he said. For him, the intelligent way to buy is to seek an accessible and fair price for produce that will be reassuring in a stressful period and provide social links when consumers get the feeling that the society they are living in is increasingly artificial.

Considering the recent row between wholesalers and retailers, a strong emphasis on the historical link between the two sides is welcome.

And no doubt Fruit Logistica will provide lot of novelties this year. Piton is convinced of it. He said: “I am sure the service providers in the industry will have new things to tell the consumers…” We can hardly wait.

Topics