Thai time
I think I will eat at a Thai restaurant next week. In fact, Thai restaurants will be my only option.
I'm headed to Thailand for an AsiaFruit Congress, leaving Monday and returning Saturday. I expect I will be able to post on the blog from Bangkok, if the Internet connection at the Amari Atrium Hotel is in fine working order.
One of the stories I started following this week was the Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia and their process of privatizing the Department of Defense Fresh Program that supplies fresh produce to schools and military foodservice facilities. As I understand the process, they are shutting down government field buying offices for produce (with about 11 remaining right now) and are in the early stages of awarding more than 40 long term contracts to produce distributors throughout the country.
Already a year after the bids were received by the Department of Defense, the vast majority of long term contracts have yet to be awarded. I noted there was some frustration with the pace of the privatization process when I talked to one distributor this week and I wonder if others feel the same way; shoot me any thoughts with a comment here, on the discussion board or at tkarst@thepacker.com.
Labels: FDA, The Packer
posted by Tom Karst @ 1:01 PM
1 Comments:
I understand that there will be a collateral show launching there in its maiden voyage called, Fruit Logisitica. A forum for fresh foods.
http://www1.messe-berlin.de/vip8_1/website/MesseBerlin/htdocs/www.fruitlogistica.de/en/General_Info/Description/index.html
If I were there I'd try to do a little research on the culture of "gifting the gatekeepers" (if you get my drift) to learn how to get US exports in. You may have to gather data in one of those restaurants. On the DoD issue, I've been in the office in Philly. It's a few doors down from the AMS office. The agency that operates it is called the Defense Logistics Agency. It's been a back and forth situation there for a while. Soft duty. Looks like the end is near. I'd call them. My guess is that they'd have little to say over the phone though. There's an office in LA too. You may find an office in Okinawa as well. Contracts probably going to firms with connections.
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