According to research by industry analyst Rijk Zwaan, the supply chain of fruit and vegetables and fresh food is undergoing similar changes around the world. From Asia, up to Europe and North America, also in this sector the pandemic has accelerated the transition to online grocery shopping and home delivery, with large traditional retail chains now fully entering this channel. And along with purchasing habits, end customers are also changing their consumption habits. Once again according to Rijk Zwaan, consumers around the world are not only switching to new channels, but are increasingly choosing fresh and healthy foods, with particular attention to vegetables with long shelf life.

To help companies respond effectively and with flexibility to these new consumer demands, in its last edition TUTTOFOOD launched TUTTOFRUIT: fresh fruits and vegetables, along with IV gamma (fresh packaged fruits and vegetables) and V gamma products (cooked packaged fruits and vegetables) have officially entered the exhibition, enhancing even more the value of fruit and vegetables with high servitization. In addition to IV and V gamma products, operators at TUTTOFRUIT can find dried, dehydrated and fresh fruit, as well as fresh vegetables, legumes, organic fruit and vegetables, but also herbs and spices. Italian and foreign target operators for this area include, among others, importers and wholesalers, large-scale retail buyers, representatives of the Ho.Re.Ca. sector and managers of distribution platforms.

An opportunity for operators around the world to expand their product range

Representing a major player in the U.S. market such as Specialty Food Sales, Co-owner Jeff Landsman explains: “Consumers in the United States consider Italian products to be among the best in the world also for this segment. The main difficulty for exporters is understanding the complexity of the U.S., which are actually composed of at least six different markets with very different demographics, from East Coast to West Coast, from South to Midwest. If I had to identify a common feature among all these areas, I would say the demand for convenience and servitization. Perhaps as a result of the pandemic, we noted that among our products ready meals have become the one where demand is growing the most, and we are convinced that 'ready to eat' food can have great room for growth also in the world of fresh food. These are the products we are going to look for at TUTTOFOOD”.

“The market is finally positive”, adds Hani Ayloush, Owner of Fruit Line Trading, a leading importer of another key market such as Dubai. “My impression is that our market had returned to pre-pandemic levels already last year. Since then, the situation has continued to improve, especially with regard to out-of-home dining: we are seeing new projects and new restaurants opening all the time, and we are being asked for new proposals and new products”. In this context, also for Fruit Line Trading TUTTOFOOD represents an important opportunity to search for new quality references within a constantly growing market.

For the 2023 edition, at fieramilano from May 8 to 11, TUTTOFOOD is working on an organic growth of the area, so as to foster new business opportunities for both Italian and foreign exhibitors and operators.