Hot Topics

Produce Traceability Initiative

A resource site dedicated to the Produce Traceability Initiative has been designed by PMA, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) and United Fresh Production Association (UFPA) to help the industry maximize the effectiveness of current traceback procedures, while developing a standardized industry approach to enhance the speed and efficiency of traceability systems for the future: www.producetraceability.org.

More Information

Food Safety

As part of its commitment to providing consumers at supermarkets and restaurants with safe, nutritious products, the fresh fruit and vegetable industry has devoted considerable attention to food safety. PMA encourages its members to have thorough food safety programs.

PMA supports reasonable, science-based food safety solutions and supports consumer and foodservice worker education on safe food handling. PMA supports federally mandated, risk-based, commodity-specific regulation of fresh produce.

On the consumer front, PMA is a proud supporter of the Partnership for Food Safety Education, particularly the Be Food Safe education campaign. You can follow the latest developments on FightBac! and the Partnership via Twitter.

In 2007, PMA helped established the Center for Produce Safety at the University of California, Davis. The CPS is a public-private partnership that includes industry, government, academia, and consumer groups with the goal to enhance the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables through research, information exchange, and training worldwide.

More Information

Advocacy & Issues

Advocating for our members and promoting the value of the fresh produce and floral industries to legislators and policymakers is an important priority for PMA. To do this, we monitor legislative and regulatory issues that affect the produce and floral communities. We also strive to keep our members informed about Washington’s legislative and regulatory activities through daily and weekly feeds in Headline News, PMA’s Connected monthly newsletter, issue briefs, PMA’s Field to Fork blog and member-driven, grassroots efforts.

More Information

Sustainability

Sustainability is a growing trend in the fresh produce industry. It is viewed by consumers and the produce industry through different lenses, but the ultimate result is a commitment to increased sustainability: planet (environmental sustainability), people (social and worker sustainability), and prosperity (economic sustainability). To that end, PMA has been compiling sustainability stories, research, and resources to help its members learn more about the topic.

More Information

Floral GTIN Initiative

Six key trade associations, PMA, WFFSA (Wholesale Florists and Floral Suppliers Association), AFIF (Association of Floral Importers of Florida), CAFGS (California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers), CCFC (California Cut Flower Commission), SAF (Society of American Florists), along with support from GS1 US, are focused on helping the industry implement use of the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) as the standard product identification number for four floral categories (basic flowers, bouquets, specialties, novelties) and the use of UPCs on bunches and bouquets, in order to improve efficiencies and drive profitability throughout the floral supply chain.

More Information

Floral Holiday Sales Data

PMA compiles regular benchmarking research through the year to help the supermarket floral industry develop a “snapshot” of the industry’s performance during the following holiday periods: Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and the December holidays. The sales data provides supermarket retailers and suppliers to track industry performance from year to year, and offers insight and analysis on potential strategies and opportunities for increasing floral sales and profitability.

View Floral Market Watch Reports