Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Chat - Mark Munger




On April 6, I chatted with Mark Munger, vice president of marketing at San Diego-based Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce and immediate past chairman of the Produce for Better Health Foundation.



10:31 a.m. Tom Karst: Hi Mark
Mark Munger Good Morning Tom!
Tom: Glad you were able to get on. Thanks for taking part in another Fresh Talk chat.
10:32 a.m. Mark: My pleasure! This is a first for me, so I'm looking forward to the chat!
10:33 a.m. Tom: Well, there is much to talk about, issues wise. But first, tell me about your background and how you first connected to the fresh produce industry.
10:36 a.m. Mark: Although it's hard to believe, I've been in the produce industry for 24 years now. I received an Ag degree from UC Davis and my first job out of college was for the California Kiwifruit Commission. From there I worked for the The Nolan Network, a merchandising and marketing firm, then took a position as Retail Director for PMA. After that I was fortunate to work for Driscoll's as their Marketing Director. I've been with Andrew Williamson Fresh Produce now for seven years.
I've been fortunate to have worked for commodity boards, industry trade association and grower/shippers. It's given me a great view of the industry from many angles.
10:37 a.m. Tom: Very interesting background, coming from a variety of industry perspectives. What do you like most about what you do now and what is a typical week like for you?
10:40 a.m. Mark: I work with a terrific company. The absolute best thing about A&W is the people I work with. We are passionate and try to have a lot of fun working together. One of the most challenging yet rewarding parts to my job is that there is not typical week. My focus is primarily business development, so I spend a great deal of time identifying and meeting with new customers.
10:41 a.m. Tom: Mark, I know you had a busy week last week, having just come from the PBH board of trustees meeting. Big news from the task force about the possibility of a generic promotion program. What was the overall mood/vibe of the group about what was shared with them?
10:45 a.m. Mark: Tom, I was really pleased with our meetings this week. PBH has done a tremendous amount of work in gathering information and setting the stage for dialog on a proposed National Promotion Board. In general, I felt the proposal was well received. Our goal for the meeting and for the announcement of a proposed Promotion Board was to create industry dialog. We didn't want anyone to come down immediately for or against the idea, but to give the idea some deep and thoughtful consideration.
10:48 a.m. Tom: Having been with a trade association, a grower commission and a first handler, you could probably anticipate many of the thoughts from each of those groups. Do you think the industry has changed since the GAO report of 1991 and is more ready for a plan of this type?

10:55 a.m. Mark: That's a great question. As a first handler myself, I know the challenges we all face in fighting rising costs and tougher competition. So, I have known all along that the industry may have some hesitation at the idea of National Promotion Board. The clear reality though is that American's are not eating enough fruits and vegetables. For too long our industry has looked at other produce items as our competition and the reality is that our real competition is ALL of the other foods that consumers are eating. When I think of the collective power our industry could have if we all contributed and worked together to promote fruits and veggies, I really feel we could make a difference. If, as an industry, we could get consumers to raise their produce consumption, then we are all going to benefit.
10:59 a.m. In doing her research, we were directed to a publication called The Economics of Commodity Promotion Programs - Lessons from California. The researchers who wrote this publication studied a number of commodity boards and determined that the economic evidence was overwhelmingly in favor of generic promotion. This information helps add some value to our discussions.
11:01 a.m. Tom: Mark, know you have had a leadership role at PBH as chair. Will you be involved with PBH for the upcoming year - what have you enjoyed about working with Elizabeth and the board during your time of leadership?
11:08 a.m. Mark: For the next year I will have a role as immediate Past Chairman and will still have a seat on the Executive Committee. After that I will still stay very involved in the Foundation. My involvement with PBH has been one of the most rewarding activities in my produce career. When you have an insider’s view into PBH, you really realize how passionate and committed the entire staff is to the mission. PBH really makes a difference! Their work with the CDC, with nutritionists, with public health officials, with retailers and shippers, gives the Fruits & Veggies - More Matters brand tremendous reach. I think the most rewarding aspect of my tenure as Chairman has been my work with Elizabeth. I cannot think of a person who is better placed to lead our efforts at PBH. I have much respect for her and feel our industry is lucky to have her as our ambassador for increasing produce consumption!
11:11 a.m. Tom: Yes, I agree. Her work has been tireless and inspired. One more question, cause I've kept you quite a while. Why do you think the task force didn't want food safety to be an element of a generic promotion agreement? Do you feel the industry is getting some traction in getting food safety issues resolved?
11:16 a.m. Mark: At first I was a bit surprised with the task force recommendation. On giving it some thought though, I believe that food safety is being addressed from many angles within the industry and the federal government. There are already a large numbers of champions for improving food safety. By removing food safety, I believe the task force wanted the focus to be solely on changing consumer attitudes and behavior about increasing consumption of fruits and veggies.
11:17 AM Tom: Great perspectives from someone inside the process. I appreciate your time and thanks again!
11:18 AM Mark: Tom, I really appreciate the time! It's both a pleasure and privilege to be considered for a Fresh Talk Chat!

Obama to push immigration issue and other shockers

Drudge leads this morning with a report from the New York Times stating that "Obama to push immigration reform bill despite risks." From the NYT, quoting a senior Administration aide:

He said then that comprehensive immigration legislation, including a plan to make legal status possible for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, would be a priority in his first year in office. Latino voters turned out strongly for Mr. Obama in the election.

TK: This is certainly an ambitious plan, and if there success to be had on this issue, I suppose it must start early. But if Obama becomes mired in the passions of this issue, his whole presidency could be at risk. Ag employers will benefit from this resolve if he is successful, no doubt.


Other headlines this morning....

Sharfstein urges FDA staff to reshape agency Bloomberg
“From day one, the FDA gave consumers advice to stop eating pistachios while they figured out where the contamination was,” said Mary Pendergast, a deputy commissioner at the FDA from 1990 to 1998, in a telephone interview. “This is the exact opposite of how they handled peanuts, which took them weeks, if not months, to warn the public.”


Eating fresh in the last frontier ABC
Although Orso and many other hot spots in Alaska thrive on local produce they have to make do with receiving shipments of produce from elsewhere, such as California and Florida, during the winter months.
Bill Webb of Webb's Consulting Management Services says, "We do eat a lot more in the summer there's no question. When its fresh and you've got the fresher taste to it by far there's no question you'll eat more of it. But I buy fresh vegetables year round and I think most Alaskans do."

Lack of Vitamin C, fruits and vegetable linked to high blood pressure Examiner.com
My take on this? I would like to see time, effort, and money dedicated to teaching Americans to eat right and to giving them the facts about the connection between diet and health. Past research has not supported multi-vitamins as a means of dodging heart disease or cancer. Teaching people to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables diet supports cardiovascular health and significantly reduces the risk for cancer.

Stockton farmers' market expects big year Recordnet

EU tree nuts semi annual USDA FAS

Ask Joe Weider Ordinary fruits just as good as "super" fruits Bend Weekly
Q: What are your thoughts on all the "super foods" that are being advertised today? I'm talking about acai, goji, noni and mangosteen, among others. These are all supposed to be nutritional miracles, able to cure anything and everything that ails you. Do you know anything about them, Joe?
Joe: In short, I'm not convinced that any of these much-hyped products are any better than all of the wonderful fruits commonly available, and for much less money, at your local grocer.
I did a little research on these exotic fruits, and while they certainly do have healthful nutrients, they are not the wonder foods marketers would make them out to be. If you have the money and want to take them, that's fine — no harm done to anything but your pocketbook.
My advice, however, would be for you to simply buy fruits like blueberries, strawberries, apples, oranges, pears, bananas and a variety of other "common" fruits at the supermarket and enjoy similar benefits and their taste, while saving a whole lot of money.

Labels: