Healthy living will pay off

Co-worker It might be a crazy time to take the chairmanship of the Produce Marketing Association, but incoming chairman Dwight Ferguson, President and CEO of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, has some ambitious but realistic goals.

SHARING HIS INAUGURAL thoughts, Ferguson said during the historic virtual Fresh Summit that he is excited about the contribution he might be able to make in helping to execute PMA’s new strategic plan. “I really look forward to increase our PMA membership base globally.” Measured against the revolutionary innovative thought, strategy and plan implementation by PMA since the start of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in March 2020, he noted that PMA has “delivered the industry more content than ever before, and we should look for that to continue”. Ferguson invited members and the industry to see even faster progress in the field of technology as he anticipated the launch of an extensive new consumer research platform in the early parts of 2021. “This development will address market intelligence gaps in produce and floral,” he said. He committed PMA to continue promoting fresh fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet “but also essential to a healthy life. “Our vision remains to bring together the global produce and floral communities to grow a healthier world”. He said that PMA will use some new “filters” to unite floral and produce stakeholders internationally. These include: • A sharper focus on improved global relations with produce and floral sectors. • A renewed and continuing effort to deliver non-stop dif ferentiated value in “ produce safety, technology, sustain ability, talent, and demand creation.” • A view of inclusion of a more diversified membership “to ensure we do all that we can to welcome new talent and new thinking into our community”. • An exponential expansion of the PMA reach to include all who are passionate about “the joy of fresh produce and floral”. The newly elected PMA Chair concluded in saying: “Now more than ever we must reinforce the importance of produce and floral as part of a healthy lifestyle – in body and spirit.”