Association’s Supply Chain Council is determined to foster significant advances towards better, more sustainable logistics
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) says it is pushing ahead with its plan to future-proof fresh fruit and vegetable supply chains around the world as it heads into 2025.
Following the success of its recent Supply Chain of the Future Collabathon, the trade body’s Supply Chain Council – headed by Steve Alaerts of Antwerp-based Foodcareplus – plans to spread awareness of logistical solutions that it says can make fresh produce supply chains faster, more efficient, and more sustainable.
The Collabathon, which was held in December in Las Vegas, brought together over 100 industry leaders to collaborate and tackle pressing challenges facing global fresh produce supply chains.
According to IFPA, the event focused on unlocking the value of data sharing between different players in the chain. And as Alaerts explains, that means overcoming data silos, building trust, enhancing efficiency, and meeting consumer demand.
“For produce supply chains to work in future, we must develop open standards and protocols to facilitate seamless data sharing across stakeholders,” he says. “We also need to establish secure, transparent mechanisms to foster collaboration across the supply chain, implement predictive analytics and automation to streamline logistics and reduce waste, and ensure traceability and sustainability to align with evolving consumer expectations.”
The IFPA also plans to hold two more virtual collabathons – for Europe and Africa on 20 February and Middle East, India and Asia on 27 February – to explore those challenges further.
“These interactive sessions will gather insights from growers, retailers, logistics providers, and technology innovators,” Alaerts notes. “Stakeholders are encouraged to participate and contribute their expertise to shape the future of the industry through collaborative problem-solving and open dialogue.”
Next week, Alaerts will be joined by Drew Zabrocki, managing partner at Totem, for a session at Fruit Logistica’s Logistics Hub all about resilience, collaboration, and improvement in produce supply chains.
The session will explore how the fresh produce industry can adapt to global disruptions and make use of improved logistics to build faster and more efficient supply.
Attendees will also gain insights into IFPA’s Fresh Supply Chain of the Future initiative and learn how collaborative efforts are driving significant industry advancement.
“This isn’t just an incremental improvement; it’s a revolution,” says Zabrocki. “The future of fresh produce depends on collaboration, transparency, and a commitment to industry-wide benefit. The time to act is now.”
