Organic Produce Summit Reveals New 2022 Educational Session; Tom Barnes Details
MONTEREY, CA - As inflation in the United States continues to directly impact the food industry, the Organic Produce Network (OPN) announced that it would be taking on the topic at this year’s Organic Produce Summit (OPS). “Organics in the Era of Inflation and Changing Consumer Behavior” will be the fourth educational session at the event and will feature exclusive sales analysis and discuss how inflation has impacted consumer buying patterns.
“After the last two years of constant change due to the pandemic, supply chain issues, and now inflation, the United States consumer is being forced to be more flexible in their buying behaviors, but the desire for consistency is still human nature, and we need to deliver that whenever possible,” said Tom Barnes, Chief Executive Officer of Category Partners and panelist for the session. “We see from the data that rising prices on organic produce is not affecting the volume to the same degree as conventional, meaning that there is a loyal consumer base looking for organic and willing to buy at these higher prices. Consistency and maintaining a healthy price gap between conventional and organic are paramount for success.”
The education session will be moderated by Kevin Coupe of Morning News Beat, who will be joined by Barnes and Richard Gonzales, Vice President of Global Produce Sourcing for Walmart, as the two panelists.
Barnes will start the session with an overview of organic fresh produce sales throughout the first six months of 2022, according to a release. He will use that information to analyze the price gap between organic and conventional produce, geographic differences, and specific category performances.
Following Barnes’ introduction, Gonzales will discuss how inflation and the changing economic environment are impacting consumer purchases and buying behavior in terms of organic fresh produce.
Together, both panelists will provide an overview of what the future might look like for shopper buying trends, diving into opportunities for greater organic fresh produce sales moving forward.
OPS 2022 will be held July 13–14 at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, California.
To register, click here.
For more updates on the event, keep a tab open for AndNowUKnow.
