Bayer hosts an expert forum on Fruit Logistics to discuss the challenges of the fruit and vegetable sector

Bayer has participated in Fruit Logística 2017, held in Berlin, through a forum of experts in which it has analyzed and debated on the challenges and opportunities of the production of fruits and vegetables in Europe. Through this initiative, Bayer is firmly committed to the association of all parts of the food chain to meet the needs of consumers.

The Bayer Forum held in the framework of Fruit Logística 2017 has brought together national and international experts to respond to the “Challenges and opportunities of fruit and vegetable production in Europe”. Juan Colomina,Chief Executive Officer of Coexphal (Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers’ Organizations of Almeria) has highlighted as the main challenge, together with innovation, both economic and environmental sustainability and has insisted on the importance of the collaboration of all the parties involved since it shares the same customer: the consumer.

For Christophe Bouchet, production manager at Primor Fruit, collaboration on the Bayer initiative, Food Chain Partnership (FCP), has enabled them to work on further reducing waste levels and environmental effects.

International experts such as Freshfel, Greenyard and Netafim have emphasized customer orientation and the need to work from creativity to find new forms of fruit and vegetable consumption easier

Food Chain Partnership

Bayer’s Food Chain Partnership initiative is based on the proposal of integrated and tailored solutions that address the local challenges of producers and the supply chain. “We do not work with prepared solutions”, says Ronald Guendel, global director of Food Chain at Bayer’s Crop Science division. “In each of our projects we check the situation on the spot and talk to our partners to find out what their real needs are. Once we have this information, we develop individual action plans and provide producers with the tools they need to meet their needs”.

“Food Chain Partnership has had a great evolution during the last decade. It has become an indispensable link between the different parts of the food chain and of the 230 projects that are taking place in the world, 125 are taking place in Spain“, says Francisco Miró, director of FCP in Iberia.

For Bayer, sustainability is an integral part of its strategy. “We are committed to sustainable agriculture and we are committed to ensuring global food safety through the production of efficient, healthy and nutritious crops,” explains Mathias Kremer, Head of Crop Strategies and Portfolio Management at Bayer’s Crop Science division. “Together with our partners we are looking for systems that allow agriculture to be more sustainable and ecological, but also viable for farmers from the economic point of view”.

More practical proposals for the consumer

Bayer’s Vegetable Seeds team has used the Fruit Logistica meeting to launch some of its innovations for the fresh produce chain. As an example, a trend that has been clearly established has been the production of hydroponic lettuce. These plants grow in a greenhouse from a solution of water rich in nutrients. At first glance, producing hydroponic lettuce is more expensive than growing it on the land. However, there are many benefits. Growing in a greenhouse means that producers do not depend on the climate, they see the results before and they can grow much more often. For consumers and processors, hydroponic lettuce is easier to handle, as they do not have to wash the crop with such dedication. In addition, during the growth stage, consumers can buy a sustainably manufactured product that requires fewer substances to protect the crop.

Bayer has also introduced a new carrot-based snack format that contains four different colors and is based on different varieties of NunhemsTM Imperator. Each snack has its own flavor and components, and growers benefit from their resistance to pests

Compared to traditional carrots, these are crisper, sweeter and have a much more attractive color. In addition, the company has also introduced the brand MinigustosTM, which has recently launched and represents the world’s first brand to produce tasty, crisp and attractive vegetable snaks. Minigustos, a cucumber-based snack, will become the first launch of the brand.

Source: Bayer

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