If you’re looking for fresh produce, then Fruit Logistica is one to mark on your annual calendar.

Held in conjunction with fresh produce convenience sector trade fair Freshconex, Fruit Logistica is an annual smorgasbord for the fresh produce industry. This year’s show ran from the 3-5 February and attracted a total of 53,000 trade visitors from 130 countries, an increase of 6% on the previous year (2009: 50,000 from 125 countries).
Christian Göke, chief operating officer, Messe Berlin GmbH said: “Fruit Logistica is clearly a premium product for Messe Berlin. Hardly any other industry worldwide has a trade fair with such an indisputable market leadership position. It brings together all trading partners across the global value chain.”

With 2302 exhibitors from 71 countries it must have been quite some feat to ensure all produce stayed in impeccable condition for the show, although the frosty conditions in Europe helped. The third Freshconex, the only European trade fair for the fresh produce convenience sector, also had a good showing with 71 exhibitors from 15 countries presenting their products and services. 

The Freshconex 2010 Business Forum, an integral part of the three-day trade fair, presented concentrated information on the latest trends in fresh convenience products. Each day, internationally-recognised experts reported on the current developments with a focus on the following themes: ‘New technologies for fresh produce convenience’, ‘Innovations in marketing for fresh produce convenience’ and ‘Improved logistics and distribution for fresh produce convenience’.

It wouldn’t be a trade fair without an award or two and Israel scooped the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award (FLIA) 2010 for a pomegranate seed removing device developed by Israeli company Mehadrin Tnuport Export. The coveted innovation prize was awarded for the Arils Removal Tool (ART). The device enables consumers to remove pomegranate seeds quickly, cleanly and easily – making it simple to enjoy this vitamin-rich fruit. 

Noa Ohad, Shoham Product Development, accepted the award. She anticipates that the development of the Arils Removal Tool will also result in increased pomegranate sales.
The recent Haiti disaster featured worldwide. Euro Poll System, Europe’s largest logistics service provider of returnable packaging for fresh produce, donated 0.25 Eurocents cents for every rotation during the trade fair. With Fruit Logistica running for three days (at an average of 1.8 million rotations a day), that equated to about €13,500. 

With 45 service centres spread across Europe, the company deploys 123 million blue and green recyclable containers that rotate more than 600 million times a year. “We have an average market share of 41% in the six largest European fruit and vegetable-producing countries. What’s more, our packaging is considered some of the best on the market,” says Peter Willems, CEO.

The next Fruit Logistica will take place from 9-11 February 2011.