Del Monte has teamed up with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia to develop sustainable disease-resistant bananas. The main focus will be on breeding varieties with resistance to Tropical Race 4, a fungus that has blighted the world’s banana crops over the past decade. Del Monte’s involvement in this research is aimed at ensuring the industry’s long-term sustainability and overcoming the main challenges.

Source: Freshfel

With the UK all but certain to leave the EU in 2020, the European fruit and vegetable industry is viewing with great concern the potential impact this will have on intra-EU trade flows. A recent Rabobank report found that fresh produce will be the most affected food sector following Brexit, along with animal protein. At a time when the EU agricultural sector is still adjusting to the fallout of the Russian embargo, the potential loss of another key market could have devastating consequences.

Frozen fruit sales benefitted more than fresh fruit from the trends towards healthier diets which influenced the fresh food market in the United States last year.

According to Euromonitor, Americans are increasingly “counting ingredients, not calories” and eschewing heavily processed foods for fresh and natural offerings.

What are the top trends in retail? To find out and gain important insights into formats, internet sales, and location-based services, GfK, Germany's largest market research institute, surveyed more than 500 people from 60 countries, including members of the retail sector and relevant experts.

The market for fruit and vegetable ingredients is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% and to exceed $180 billion by 2019, according to a report by market research firm MarketsandMarkets.