FRUIT LOGISTICA Think Tank: Supporting programme 2016

Knowledge and expertise form the best foundation for solid business planning and sound decisions in an increasingly complex world. FRUIT LOGISTICA, the leading international trade fair for fresh produce marketing, provides valuable support with its comprehensive professional programme from 3 to 5 February 2016. All events will be simultaneously translated into German, English, French, Italian and Spanish. The 35th Fresh Produce Forum will kick things off with the theme "Climate change – The challenges for global production and procurement". Shifting climate zones are resulting in changes to the growing and production cycles across entire agricultural regions. For the industry, this means that global sourcing is changing. Climatologists and international experts from different trade segments discuss the issues facing the fresh produce and retail business along with the potential impact on consumers. (Tuesday, 2 February 2015, 15:00 to 18:30, Hall 7.3, Saal Berlin). The following events represent only a selection. For a complete programme overview, please visit the Events section on the FRUIT LOGISTICA website. The programme of events from 3 to 5 February 2016 includes six Hall Forums. In the Hall Forum "Innovation in fresh produce – Sustainability at POS" shows how today's consumers expect the highest environmental standards for products as well as for the POS. What options are there to conserve energy and natural resources? (Wednesday, 3 February 2016, 15:00-16:00, Kleiner Stern). The Hall Forum "Varietal diversity versus patent rights – Will product variety suffer?" focuses on the question of whether the "Broccoli judgment" means that the previous legal situation guaranteeing an open-source basis for research will change. Will this lead to less product diversity? (Thursday, 4 February 2016, 11:00-12:00, Kleiner Stern). The entire value chain is making enormous efforts to comply with standards and certifications. The Hall Forum "Food Safety at the POS" sheds light on how the retail sector can contribute to food safety. (Friday, 5 February 2016, 11:00-12:00, Kleiner Stern) The FRUIT LOGISTICA Future Lab events present products, projects and solutions aimed at enhancing the fresh produce sector with innovations in the coming years, or contributing significantly to optimisation along the value chain. The programme focuses on ten different themes, including "Learning from nature: auto defence-mechanisms in musa acuminatar". The Cavendish variety of bananas has dominated many years. Are there alternatives? (Wednesday, 3 February 2016, 11:00-11.30, Hall 21, Stand D-10). Vertical production – only the sky is the limit! The focus in this session is on smart technologies, vertical farming and new food systems designed to help feed a growing world population. (Thursday, February 4, 2016, 14:00-14:30, Hall 21, Stand D-10)."Big data – from the cloud to the field" demonstrates how computer programming and drones can help plan the use of pesticides and irrigation. (Friday, February 5, 2016, 11:00-11:30, Hall 21, Stand D-10) Logistics Hub is a new three-day series of events presented at FRUIT LOGISTICA. The sessions will address ten current issues relating to the logistics chain. This is where producers, exporters and traders will find the information they need to help them take the right logistic decisions when it comes to transporting their goods. Ten different themes are on the agenda, including "Developing Logistics Solutions for Trade between Emerging Markets". Global purchasing power is gradually shifting towards emerging economies. As a result demand for shipping services between emerging economies is also increasing. What are the critical issues to look out for? (Wednesday, February 3, 2016, 11:00-12:00, Hall B, CityCube Berlin, Stand C-04). Privatisation of the transport infrastructure has for various reasons come to a standstill in a number of Latin American countries. In many cases, the private sector is tasked with closing infrastructure gaps. How this can be successfully achieved is the main theme in "Focusing on the First Mile: Country and Produce Case Study Latin America". (Thursday, February 4, 2016, 15:00-16:00, Hall B, CityCube Berlin, Stand C-04). The discussion in the "Frozen Vegetables - Opportunities, Challenges and Threats" session focuses on whether frozen vegetables could be a viable alternative to fresh products. After all, frozen logistics are easier to organise and manage. (Friday, February 5, 2016, 10:00-11:00, Hall B, CityCube Berlin, Stand C-04) Technology is indispensable in the fresh produce trade. Increasing automation has led to the rapid development of innovations in recent years. To emphasise the importance of technical solutions for the industry, the Tech Stage at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2016 will serve as an exclusive forum for machinery and equipment with seven exhibitors presenting their latest technical solutions. (Hall 7.1c, Stand B08)   Download PDF