WASHINGTON, DC - Another valuable resource has become available to our industry leaders, as The United Fresh Produce Association has recently launched its 2021 Compensation Survey for the fresh produce industry to aid employers in understanding critical compensation benchmarks.

“In these precarious times, it’s crucial for our industry to have reliable data and benchmarks to inform our decisions,” said United Fresh’s Finance and Business Management Council Chairman, Mike McGee, L&M Companies. “Broad industry participation in this year’s survey will lead to a robust report, providing industry employers with reliable metrics to ensure they are offering competitive compensation.”

The Compensation Survey is issued every two years by Industry Insights and is open to any U.S. or Canadian-based produce employers ranging from growers and shippers to brokers, wholesaler-distributors, fresh-cut processors, importers, and exporters. New additions to the 2021 survey include two new positions centered around sustainability and various questions related to the changes companies have made to salary and benefit practices as a result of COVID-19, according to a press release.

“With more companies hiring for full-time sustainability and social responsibility positions, we’ve added questions for Director and Manager roles in this area,” said Vice President of Member Services Miriam Wolk, United Fresh. “This data should enable produce companies to present competitive offers to these sought-after professionals.”

In addition to collecting information about sustainability and COVID-19, the survey will also gather benefits and compensation data from produce companies for more than 30 different positions, including production and operations, quality control and assurance, sales and marketing, administration, executives, and finance and accounting.

The results of the 2021 Compensation Survey will be available at the United Fresh 2021 Convention and Expo in Los Angeles, California, in June, as well as published in a detailed report specifically designed to help produce employers compare their benefits and compensation. In addition to its traditional publication, this year the results of the survey will also be available in a secure online portal.

The survey is open to all U.S. or Canadian-based produce companies free-of-cost until March 12. Companies that submit data to the survey become eligible for a fully customized report and company access to the report portal for a discounted rate of $195. Companies who do not want to participate in the survey can order the final report and access to the portal for $495 for United Fresh members, and $695 for non-members.

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United Fresh Produce Association