United Fresh 2016 tipped to be biggest yet

Craig Boyan, president and COO of H-E-B, one of America’s largest independent food retailers, will give a key address at United Fresh 2016, being held June 20-22 in Chicago.

A major convention and expo for the fresh produce industry, United Fresh brings together companies across every segment of the fresh produce supply chain, including growers, shippers, fresh-cut processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, industry suppliers and allied associations.

The United Fresh Produce Association says the event will be the largest to date, showcasing creative new produce innovations and fresh food trends, cutting-edge tools and technology, business-to-business meeting suites, an expert consultation centre, produce innovation awards and industry-leading education.

In the opening breakfast session on June 21, Boyan will share Insights into the challenges and opportunities facing today’s supermarkets and the role of fresh produce in serving today’s consumers. Headquartered in Texas, H-E-B currently operates more than 370 stores in the US and Mexico and has over 86,000 employees.

Wednesday’s general session breakfast keynote speaker will be Kevin Brown, president and CEO of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc.® (LEYE). Brown directs innovation and development of new concepts for LEYE, which owns more than 100 restaurants nationwide with 51 different concepts ranging from fast casual to fine dining.

Innovation in fresh foods for retail

New this year, the session Fresh Foods: The Retail Revolution, on Monday, June 20, will see top speakers offer a deeper look at how consumer demand for fresh foods is driving retail merchandising, new store formats, overall business strategies and profitability as never before. It kicks off with a presentation from Supermarket News’ Liz Webber on the results of the magazine’s new 2016 study, State of Supermarket Fresh Foods, providing the most up-to-date picture of fresh foods in retail today.

Fresh Marketplace & FreshTech learning centres

The grand opening of the United Fresh Marketplace and United FreshTech expos takes place on Tuesday morning. Fresh Marketplace is where marketers highlight what’s new in fresh foods, produce merchandising and sales solutions, while at FreshTech, innovators debut supply chain technologies, packing and processing equipment, and food safety solutions.

These are also the places to gain critical business insights in daily education sessions held right on the show floor. Topics include:

• How “Food Waste” is Changing the Retail Landscape
• Organic Produce: What’s Driving This Growing Sector
• Supermarket Innovators – Increasing Fresh Produce Sales to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Families
• Who’s Buying Your Produce? Understanding Consumer Behaviors
• Chef Insights: Foodservice & Restaurant Trends from the Kitchen
• Women in Produce: Overcoming Challenges in the Workplace
• Produce Manager Insights: Retail Merchandising Strategies from the Front Lines
• Selling to Schools – Understanding the Needs of the Largest “Restaurant” in Town
• FSMA: A Comprehensive Update
• Attracting & Retaining Frontline Workers
• Training Employees: How Understanding the “Why” Behind Food Safety Motivates Culture Change
• Does Mandatory GMO Labeling Affect You?
• Sanitary Design, Sanitation Practices and Listeria Control

United Fresh workshops

These educational ‘power-hours’ aim to advance business and professional growth. Topics include:

• The Food Renaissance: Creating “Brand Love”
• Leadership Lessons from the Corner Office
• Negotiating Strategies to Improve Your Sales Performance
• An Insider’s Look into Congress and the Administration
• The Keys to Successful Succession Planning

Co-located partners’ expos

United Fresh will again be co-located with the International Floriculture Expo and the Food Marketing Institute’s FMI Connect, as well as a new partner this year, the Global Cold Chain Expo, which is designed specifically for executives and managers of cold storage facilities and refrigerated transportation.

“By co-locating with FMI Connect, the International Floriculture Expo and the new Global Cold Chain Expo, United Fresh 2016 is the single destination event for the total fresh supply chain. You’ll experience four trade shows, unlimited networking opportunities, education across the supply chain and tangible value to take back to your day-to-day,” the United Fresh Produce Association said.

Find out more at United Fresh 2016 at: www.unitedfreshshow.org