NEWARK, Del. — Leaders from the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), National Restaurant Association and International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) have joined forces on a multi-phase project to identify opportunities to increase fresh produce use in foodservice to promote healthy lifestyles.
The joint project will begin with a comprehensive research project, led by the National Restaurant Association with assistance from produce industry leaders, to examine the opportunities and barriers for greater produce use in the foodservice sector. The research findings will then be used as the starting point for facilitated discussions by an "Executive Invitation Think Tank" of top executives representing restaurant, distributor and produce supplier segments.
The think tank's first discussion will take place July 24 in conjunction with PMA's annual Foodservice Conference and Exposition, to be held July 24-26 in Monterey, Calif. The research findings and highlights of that discussion will be presented by a panel of project participants at the conference's opening general session. The associations also plan to publish a joint report summarizing the research and the July think tank discussion.
