Sustainability, a shortage of raw materials and strong partnerships are the three main factors surrounding the food industry in 2013, according to frozen fruit expert Dirafrost.
“Despite a difficult year 2012, with high raw material prices and some problematic crops, our investments into traceability, product quality and sustainable growing have paid off in terms of safer supply. We intend to continue on this path in 2013. We have seen some developments in the frozen fruit market in 2012 that are there to stay in the year ahead as key factors in the industry”, said company representatives in a statement.
“Key factor number 1 is sustainability, as customers and consumers are increasingly aware about where and how the fruit was grown. Together with our supplier farms, we try to grow strawberries in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Key factor number 2 is the shortage of raw materials, as demand for qualitative frozen fruit will continue to exceed the offer, resulting in rising prices for several food products. These rising food prices are becoming the new norm, as the World Bank said in November. Finally, partnerships represent the third key factor: food manufacturers are looking for reliable and certified partners to build a long-term partnership. We see less spot business because customers are looking for security in terms of supply and food safety. In this respect, the vertical integration of our strawberries is an added value for customers: we are able to control every step of the supply chain”, the company added.