Grower-shipper backs IFPA’s initiative with executive leadership on harmonized standards and shelf-life prediction, aiming to cut waste, boost transparency, and unlock hundreds of millions in savings across the global produce chain
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. and the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) have launched a joint push to modernise the way fruit and vegetables move from field to shelf, naming the global grower-shipper an executive sponsor of IFPA’s “Supply Chain of the Future” programme in a bid to slash waste and boost transparency across more than 90 origin countries.
The multi-year initiative assigns Fresh Del Monte’s chief operating officer Mohammed Abbas to steer two high-impact workstreams Harmonised Standards and Shelf-Life Prediction while senior logistics executive Raul Saca and quality chief Walter Tordoff embed day-to-day expertise in their respective committees.
Those groups will catalogue existing industry standards, define data sets needed to forecast shelf life, and craft pilot projects that prove commercial value for growers, shippers and retailers.
“Waste across the supply chain is one of the most urgent issues facing our industry… Fixing just those two things could unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in savings. There’s so much waste out there and what’s missing is predictability and a more integrated supply chain.”
Mohammed Abbas, Fresh Del Monte’sChief Operating Officer
His assessment echoes figures cited in IFPA’s recent white paper, which warns that “retailers today contend with 4 to 8 percent shrink on the shelf,” losses the paper calls unnecessary in an era of sensor-driven cold chains and real-time demand signals.
Backed by more than 135 years of farming know-how, Fresh Del Monte will lend its vertically integrated network spanning farms, container ships and ripening rooms to beta-test new data pipes and incentive models.
Saca, a veteran of Maersk and DP World, will guide the Harmonised Standards team as it maps bar-code protocols, pallet tags and electronic bills of lading now scattered across regional schemes.
Tordoff’s Shelf-Life group, meanwhile, intends to pair harvest-level quality readings with predictive algorithms so that distributors can route loads to the right market before spotted skins or soft shoulders trigger rejections.
The broader Supply Chain of the Future blueprint rests on four pillars: Shelf-Life Prediction, Dynamic Incentives, Harmonised Standards and Smart Data Escrow each designed to chip away at the opacity that props up “outdated, extractive business models.”
Steve Alaerts, chair of IFPA’s Supply Chain Council, drives home the cultural shift required: “Data doesn’t move food. Collaboration does.”
Fresh Del Monte’s sponsorship signals that message is gaining traction among multinationals with scale to influence packaging specs and purchase orders.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Fresh Del Monte to this movement. This isn’t just a trend it’s a revolution… We’re building a new operating reality where data transparency and collaboration deliver value for all, from grower to consumer.”
Drew Zabrocki, Innovation Lead for theInitiative
Industry stakeholders eager to shape that reality can join working groups, sign on as programme sponsors or attend a Supply Chain of the Future Symposium scheduled for June 9 in Washington, D.C. an event IFPA is offering free to both in-person and virtual participants.
Pilot projects will expand later in the summer, culminating in a global showcase at IFPA’s Produce & Floral Show in October 2025.
Alaerts positions the timeline as urgent: “The crossroads is clear embrace open collaboration or risk continued value erosion.”
With Fresh Del Monte’s operational muscle now on board, organisers believe the initiative has the critical mass to translate slogans into shrink-reducing code and, ultimately, into fresher produce for shoppers worldwide.
