OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA - Industry members are looking back on what was an incredibly successful International Sustainability Summit held this past April in Vancouver. In partnership with the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS) and the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) brought together 100 participants from seven countries for an insightful one-day event.

"The harmonization of sustainability practices is integral to achieving the sustainability of the fresh produce sector both domestically and around the world,” said Ron Lemaire, CPMA President. “Parallel to the industry's experience with food safety, harmonization is integral to achieving the sustainability required to make the industry resilient and sustainable in the long term. The International Sustainability Summit panelists and those in attendance reinforced the importance of working together to achieve the level of sustainability so critical to the fresh produce industry."

Taking place on April 26, the event attracted produce leaders from around the world, who gathered to discuss sustainability challenges, barriers, and opportunities in the fresh produce arena. Garland Perkins, Director of Innovation and Sustainability at Oppy, kicked off the event with a keynote address, joined later by John Anderson, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Managing Partner of Oppy for a fireside chat about what it takes to enable a globally sustainable fresh produce supply chain.

As a press release stated, the event also featured panel sessions where speakers from Canada, Netherlands, and New Zealand expanded on the challenges and opportunities facing global produce supply chain sustainability. This includes:

• An overview of the state of sustainability, efforts impacting global produce supply chains
• A fireside chat decoding environmental, social and governance reporting and investing trends
• A review of United Fresh New Zealand’s best practices for aligning global produce supply chain sustainability with UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Exploring sustainability in action—produce sector leaders taking a holistic approach to sustainability

Following the successful event, a draft Fresh Produce Sustainability Charter will be developed in Q2 2024 to promote the importance of sustainability within the fresh produce sector, advocate for support of sustainability efforts and initiatives, accelerate the adoption of sustainability actions, and help achieve the desired state of sustainability for the fresh produce industry, the release explained.

Video recordings and presentations from the event are now available on the CPMA website.

As our industry continues to push forward on the sustainability front, ANUK will be here with the latest insights.