On this occasion in Veggies from Mexico/Eleven Rivers, we had the opportunity to interview Georgina Felix Berrueto, who is currently the Director of Operations and International Affairs of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas. Georgina shares with us the importance of the binational exchange of the fresh produce industry, the main efforts made by FPAA, and the trends that she observes have shaped and will impact the industry in the coming years.

We invite you to read this fascinating interview, from which Georgina’s passion and commitment to her work at FPAA are evident.

1. Could you please share a little about your professional background and what it has been like working at the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) for 16 years?

I have a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arizona and a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Celaya. The truth is that throughout my life I have been related to the Mexican countryside. My father is a farmer and whenever he could, he would take me with him to the farm.

After graduating from the University, I started working in the Commercial Coordination of Export Promotion of Agricultural Marketing Support and Services, a decentralized body of the Ministry of Agriculture (two decades ago). At that time, I was responsible for organizing the meetings of the Working Group for the promotion of Exports, formed by the different government institutions and the National Agricultural Council, and the area of export promotion of Mexican floriculture. 

In 2006 the FPAA invited me to work with them, originally on a project for the National Mango Council, where we created the first database of growers and mango associations in the Americas since then I continue working with the FPAA in the facilitation of exports and marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico to North America.

2. What are your main responsibilities as director of Operations and International Relations?

A large part of my work consists of maintaining FPAA’s relationships with government institutions and growers’ associations in Mexico, developing information for trade facilitation of fresh fruits and vegetables that our members import, and coordinating research activities of relevance to our industry. Another part of my job also consists of supervising the staff and operations of other association areas.  

3. What are the main agricultural organizations and agencies with which the FPAA collaborates?

The FPAA has excellent collaborative relationships with all of Mexico’s grower-exporter organizations. We work very closely with the National Agricultural Council, AHIFORES, AMHPAC, CAADES-CIDH, AALPUM, Eleven Rivers, APEAM, EMEX, and Aneberries, just to mention a few. 

4. Could you share with us a little about the history and importance of FPAA?

FPAA was founded in Nogales, Arizona in 1944, when several importer-distributors of fruits and vegetables joined together to address common problems.  Since then, FPAA has become one of the most influential fruit and vegetable industry groups in the United States. 

FPAA represents and defends the interests of its members like no other organization in the United States can. FPAA members are American companies involved in the import, marketing, and distribution of fruit and vegetable products in North America.

One of the main issues that the FPAA focuses on is market access. The FPAA works to ensure that the access and marketing of our members’ fruits and vegetables to the North American market is not stopped by issues such as trade investigations, non-tariff barriers, tomato suspension agreement issues, food safety, and social responsibility.

5. How important is Mexico’s agricultural industry for the fresh produce sector in the U.S.?

Mexico’s fruit and vegetable products have allowed U.S. consumers to consume fresh fruits and vegetables of their choice throughout the year. It is important to mention that most of the volume of these products that Mexico exports to the United States cover windows of demand that the United States alone could not cover. 

Studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture have even found that consumption and demand for fruits and vegetables have increased year after year thanks to imports of these products, and Mexico is the main supplier of these products. 

6. What do you consider to be the main areas of opportunity you identify for fresh produce trade between Mexico and the U.S.?

One big area of opportunity we have is to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of trade for both countries, far beyond the economic value it represents for Mexico. For example, fresh produce from Mexico imported through Nogales alone has an economic impact in the U.S. of about 5 billion dollars; and in the state of Arizona alone our industry creates about 5,000 jobs. Now imagine the many benefits that fresh produce trade between Mexico and the U.S. must count in economic impact, health benefits, environmental and sustainability impacts, etc. 

Another great opportunity for U.S. and Mexican growers is to join to increase North American consumption of their products. As I mentioned before, the year-round availability of produce alone has increased the consumption of fruits and vegetables, if the different industries in both countries join efforts to improve the consumption of these products, the demand will continue to increase creating bigger opportunities for the industry. 

7. What are the main services/benefits for a company to belong to FPAA and what are the main projects you are currently working on?

FPAA’s mission is to represent and defend importers of fresh fruits and vegetables reliably and effectively. In other words, the FPAA is always working for the benefit of our members by representing them before federal and state legislators; federal, state, and international government agencies; other industry organizations; gathering relevant information such as studies from prestigious universities that speak to the importance of the industry, market information, etc.  

In addition to advocacy for our industry, other benefits of FPAA membership include crisis management assistance; preferential health insurance programs; free training; advice on tomato suspension agreement rules; preferential costs for participation in industry events; and several discounted service programs for our members. 

8. What events do you organize annually and how do they benefit the membership?

We have two events a year: 

The Spring Policy Summit that we do in the spring, the next one will be March 14-15, 2023, and is focused on trade facilitation and working with regulatory agencies, such as customs, the department of agriculture, FDA, among others. In this event, we seek to find solutions or facilitation programs between the industry and government agencies that benefit our members. For example, during one of our events between U.S. and Mexican Customs and the industry, the joint inspection program that is now used in almost all border customs between Mexico and the U.S. was discussed. 

The second event is the FPAA convention, now the Southwest International Produce Expo (SWIPE), which we are having November 2-4, 2023, where we celebrate the start of the Mexican fruit and vegetable import season with a golf tournament and a trade show where buyers from all over North America have the opportunity to learn about our members’ product offerings and also through the conference program attendees learn about market trends and other issues of importance to the industry. 

9. How does an organization like FPAA manage to remain serving the fresh produce industry for more than 70 years? 

As I mentioned, one of the reasons for the creation of the FPAA was to deal with issues common to the association’s members. And as the industry has evolved, so have its problems; FPAA continues to be relevant because it has also adapted to these changes and continues to solve industry problems and find ways to optimize and facilitate the marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables.

10. What impact do you see safety, social responsibility, and sustainability having on the industry and how has it changed over the years?

As the fresh produce industry has evolved, so have its requirements. More than 20 years ago, the idea was to give “added value” to products that had a safety certification; today there are safety laws (such as FSMA) and safety programs required by the self-service chains, and if they are not complied with, the products cannot be marketed. In other words, if the product is not safe, it cannot be sold. 

Now I see movements like the safety issue 20 years ago but in the areas of social responsibility and sustainability. There are even specific sections on these issues in trade agreements, where countries commit to implementing regulations on the treatment of workers and hiring, as well as environmental and sustainability issues. The advantage the industry now has is that it has already been down the road on other issues, such as food safety, and now can work with other parts of the supply chain and government to find solutions that are tailored to the fresh produce industry specifically and are in everyone’s best interest. 

The FPAA, like Eleven Rivers, keeps its members updated and informed about regulatory changes and industry marketing trends. 

11. What are the biggest trends that in your opinion will influence the industry in the coming years?

I think the industry will have to focus on sustainability, not only because it is an issue that consumers are looking forward, to but also because of the benefits of a sustainable policy in terms of cost reduction and input savings. 

The industry is facing climate change, labor shortages, rising costs of fertilizers and agrochemicals, supply chain disruptions, and so on. This is forcing the industry, in general, to adapt to seek more sustainable solutions, from moving production operations to places with better climates such as Mexico to adopting technology to replace some labor-intensive activities or minimizing the use of agrochemicals. 

The industry will continue to adapt to these changes. In my experience, whenever the industry faces a challenge, it always finds a way to take advantage of the solutions it finds to get ahead and take advantage of them.

12. Is there anything else you would like to add?

As fruit and vegetable consumption continues to increase, Mexico’s exports to the U.S. market will continue to grow. Mexico’s growers have understood the needs of the market and continue to adapt to market changes and requirements. The FPAA will continue to work to ensure market access for the fruits and vegetables that our members import and feed North America.