Takeaways from CPMA’s first virtual Fresh Week conference

Sure, there were the usual how-your-company-pivoted-during-the-pandemic discussions, with insightful solutions that companies found.

But Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s first virtual version of its Fresh Week trade show and conference, April 12-16, included more takeaways than that, helpful as that discussion can be.

And there were almost 2,900 virtual attendees from 42 countries to weigh in on these issues and solutions that affect North America and beyond.

First, let’s hit home: Inside your head while you’re working.

Pandemic fatigue is a real issue that employees are facing more than a year after COVID-19 first starting felling people in alarming numbers, said Mary Ann Baynton, a workplace mental health consultant and author of several books, including The Evolution of Workplace Mental Health in Canada and Mindful Manager.

“It’s something all of us are dealing with, and it’s normal,” she said in the CPMA session she led.

Focusing on what leaders can do to prevent their employees from burning out, Baynton suggested leading by example: Take outdoor breaks during the workday; use all your vacation days even if you’re going nowhere; establish a clear boundary between work time and personal time no matter how tough that is these days; make time for small talk with colleagues; give positive feedback for small daily tasks; be clear about project priorities; and be flexible about when work is done.

Employees can “coach up” too, she said, so that their managers know what they’re actually juggling at work, can discuss issues and priorities, and come up with a plan.

Conversely, another CPMA session reached across the globe with useful suggestions for the future.

The pandemic showed that regulators and lawmakers need more education on how the produce industry works, said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association.

And there needs to be more digital connection worldwide for global trading, including the ability to transmit food safety and phytosanitary certifications virtually.

The global session also pinpointed a transition in consumer behavior — higher demand for locally grown food — that was also touched upon in another session led by David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, a market research and strategy firm based in Ottawa and Toronto.

The two biggest forces of change for consumer decision-making are generational change and technological change. Millennials and Gen Z, as well as the internet, cell phones and other digital technology, are the drivers, he said.

The importance of investing in better and more technology brings us to possible solutions for labor shortages and rising costs, a growing challenge mentioned by the 2021 CPMA Lifetime Achievement Award winner, John Anderson, CEO, chairman and managing partner of The Oppenheimer Group.

“I think labor issues and consumer buying habits are the issues I’m concerned about going forward,” Anderson said in the final session. “Labor is going to be more difficult to get around the world, but there is going to be more automation to help that and different growing methods that are going to be out there to allow us to be more efficient in the future.”

Also, Anderson said the industry needs to follow closely another coming shift in consumer behavior, post-pandemic.

“I see foodservice coming back, and I see it coming at the expense of retail,” he said. “It’s not going to be what it was before.”