The United Fresh Produce Association announced today that 21 companies have signed on thus far to participate in the first edition of the association’s upcoming Management Resource Center at the Washington Public Policy Conference.

          The Management Resource Center is designed to provide produce industry business leaders and managers who attend this annual policy-oriented event with solutions to challenges in traceability, food safety, sustainability, and other business areas increasingly shaped by public policy.  Industry leaders can now not only learn about the issues likely to affect their business in the future, but also find solutions for dealing with those issues.

          A variety of companies have signed up to participate with table-top displays and small informational exhibits:

·         Accu-Label, Inc.

·         AgWorks Solutions, LLC

·         Bayer CropScience

·         Blue Book

·         CHEP

·         Delta Technology & Software, LLC

·         DuPont Qualicon

·         HarvestMark

·         IFCO Systems

·         iGPS

·         International Paper

·         John Deere Agri Services

·         KPG Solutions, Inc.

·         Moss Adams, LLP

·         Produce Careers, Inc.

·         RedLine Solutions, Inc.

·         Sensitech

·         Spokane Software Systems, Inc.

·         USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service

·         USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

·         Videojet Technologies

"Our members attending WPPC will find a great array of business solutions from the 21 companies signed up thus far," said John Toner, United’s vice president of convention and trade relations. "The resource center features companies and government agencies that can help guide the way through complex issues such as traceability and food safety, and will foster a great deal of personal interaction among attendees and sponsors.  With this early interest from so many companies, we encourage other solution providers to take advantage of this cost-effective opportunity to meet with a wide cross-section of produce industry leaders."

The Washington Public Policy Conference is expected to attract 350 produce industry business leaders from throughout the entire supply chain.  Concurrent with the event, United Fresh Produce Association’s Board of Directors and its four market segment boards serving the grower-shipper, wholesaler-distributor, fresh-cut processor, and retail-foodservice sectors will all meet.  Also holding meetings will be the Government Relations Council, Food Safety & Technology Council, and Supply Chain Logistics Council.

The conference features a keynote presentation by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a march on Capitol Hill to visit more than 140 congressional offices, a town hall meeting at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and numerous other events.

For more information about the Management Resource Center, please contact Jill Grigg at 202-303-3400 ext. 420, and for more on the Washington Public Policy Conference, please contact Angela Bezon at 202-303-3400 ext. 416.