Mr. Gérald Lamusse: “In the fresh produce business you need trust and what the fair does essentially is provide that personal bridge”

Interview with Gérald Lamusse, Global Brand Manager of Fruit Logistica 2010
During Fruit Logistica 2010, Global Brand Manager Gérald Lamusse explained to Tomatoes Today the importance of attending the fair and Freshconex. Over 2,300 exhibitors decided to join Fruit Logistica 2010, whose main objective, according to Lamusse, was to bring together buyers and sellers to secure quality business by creating a personal bridge that enhances trust.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - February 2010

Mr. Michael Kester: “Innovation is a driver behind vegetable growing”

Interview with Michael Kester, Syngenta Regional Head of Vegetable Seeds EAME
At Fruit Logistica 2010, Syngenta presented itself as an integrated company which offers not only seed, but also crop protection solutions.  In an interview with Tomatoes Today during the fair, the Regional Head of Vegetable Seeds in EAME, Michael Kester, highlighted the importance of innovation and outlined how Syngenta aims to build a knowledge base on crop protection, biological control, seeds and resistances in order to contribute to sustainability.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - February 2010

Interview with Julia Stewart, Public Relations Director of the Produce Marketing Association

Julia Stewart: "The PTI simply offers a voluntary solution to help industry achieve existing mandatory traceability requirements."
New product tracing systems was the subject of discussion in the United States last December. Traceability is already mandatory and since 2007 the supply chain has been working on a new Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) to find voluntary solutions in order to help industry meet the existing requirements. Julia Stewart, public relations director of the Produce Marketing Association, outlines the main points of the new PTI, which aims to assist the fresh produce sector in achieving chain-wide, electronic produce traceability by 2012.

S&G Brassicas Today - February 2010

Interview with Ray Gilmer, Vice President of Communications, United Fresh Produce Association

“Recalls in the produce industry are necessary to ensure public health and product quality, but they can also be very costly"
Why has it become so necessary to have the knowledge to manage a product recall? Who are the key players involved? How can a product recall damage the image of your company? And most importantly, how can a product recall be managed successfully?

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - January 2010

Elizabeth Pivonka: “Fruits & Veggies—More Matters offers a gentle reminder to consumers to do what they already know they should be doing”

Interview with Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation

Fruit and vegetable intakes in the United States have remained at more or less the same level in recent decades; indeed, data from the Economic Research Service of the USDA confirms that the intake of tomatoes is now fairly stable.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - January 2010

Mr. Fermín Sánchez Navarro: “If consumers want to fill their shopping basket with reliably healthy products, they should buy Spanish”

Interview with Fermín Sánchez Navarro, General Manager of the HORTIBERIA Group
Hortiberia is a Spanish company owned by fruit and vegetable growers with a total annual production of more than 370,000 tonnes. Cultivation covers an area of 9,200 hectares spread across Valencia, Murcia and Almería in south-east Spain.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - December 2009

Interview: Mr Ahmed Mouh Mouh, producer and co-manager of Société Suncrops Maroc in Agadir, Morocco

Established at the Saint-Charles International Market in Perpignan for a year, Suncrops France, Société Suncrops Maroc and its French partner Iber France have opened other markets these days. The Suncrops group are diversifying their tomato segment, producing cocktail tomatoes for the first year before moving on to further diversification in future years (e.g., peppers, beans and courgettes) and increasing their cultivation area from 130 ha to 190 ha this season.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - December 2009

Interview with Mr. Omar Zeidan, Head of Vegetable Department, Extension Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Israel

What are the challenges currently faced by the Israeli tomato sector? How are growers managing to position their products in today’s atmosphere of economic recession? What projects are under development at present? In order to answer these questions and gain an overview of the Israeli vegetable market, Syngenta Tomatoes Today spoke to Mr. Omar Zeidan, Head of the Vegetable Department in the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture’s Extension Service and author of a manual on tomato production, in addition to numerous articles about the sector.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - December 2009

Interview with Dr. Wayne Wiebe, Seed Technology Leader, Vegetable Production Research • Syngenta Seeds/ ROGERS®

Mr. Wayne Wiebe has been in the seed industry for over 20 years and has considerable experience with vegetable production and diseases. His current responsibilities include production research, seed technology and pathology, which allow him to stay informed on new plant science technology and to work with growers to improve their products.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - November 2009

Interview with Raquel Izquierdo from Freshfel

According to the Freshfel Consumption Monitor 2008, in 2007 only half the European Member States achieved per capita consumption of 400 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables a day, the minimum intake recommended by the World Health Organisation. Raquel Izquierdo de Santiago of Freshfel Europe spoke to Brassicas Today about what can be done to encourage people to consume more fresh products.

S&G Brassicas Today - November 2009

Mr. Erik van Berkum: “Using Combined Heat and Power will save 20-30% on energy bills”

Hoogendoorn is known as the most innovative supplier of process automation systems in the horticultural industry. For 40 years, the company has been striving towards the optimal greenhouse climate, increasing crop yields, and managing costs and risks in glasshouse horticulture.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - November 2009

Interview with Ms. Milza Moreira Lana, author of the book “Antioxidant activity of fresh-cut tomatoes: effects of minimal processing and maturity stage at harvest.”

Ms. Milza Moreira Lana, a specialist researcher in post-harvest loss prevention, quality evaluation and minimal processing of vegetables, has recently published a book entitled Antioxidant activity of fresh-cut tomatoes, which draws together the results of her study on fresh-cut tomato storage.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - October 2009

Interview with Mr. Robert Kuczara · Technical Manager at TESCO

“Since 2008, we have been promoting fruit and vegetables through our “Green Revolution” campaign, whereby we offer 50 different high-quality fruits and vegetables at low prices,” says Mr. Kuczara, Technical Manager at Tesco in Poland. He is the man who ensures that fresh vegetables and salads meet customer expectations at Tesco, the second largest investor in retail in Poland.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - October 2009

Mr. Ben Miller: “Shoppers are the key winners, learning new habits that are clearly meeting their needs”

The latest research from international food and grocery expert IGD reveals that new shopper loyalties are emerging across Europe, as food retailers and manufacturers engage in an intense ‘contest for value.’

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Tomatoes Today - October 2009

Mr. Taylor: “Consumers are becoming more value conscious, but this should not be confused with price-consciousness”

In these difficult economic times, food has demonstrated itself to be very much recession proof as people still needs to eat. Buying decisions have changed, as is evidenced from consumer survey data “UK consumers are shopping for value in the recession, but are reluctant to compromise quality". Is it a contest for value or quality? We talk about this with Mr. Matthew Taylor, consumer market analyst in Datamonitor.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today - October 2009