Global Coalition of Fresh Produce Highlights Strategies for Building More Resilient Supply Chains

MADRID — What happens when shipping disruptions delay fresh produce shipments, leaving perishable goods stranded and at risk of waste? What if a trusted transport company turns out to be fraudulent, or a routine email contains a fake payment request?

Fresh produce businesses increasingly face multiple, concurrent challenges as they work to protect product quality, minimize losses and maintain business relationships across complex global supply chains.

These issues took center stage at The Resilient Supply Chain: Collaborating to Safeguard Produce, From Cyberspace to Cargo Holds, a speaker event organized by the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce at Fruit Attraction 2026 in Madrid. Industry experts explored how collaboration, greater transparency and stronger security practices can help protect products and build more resilient supply chains from farm to market.

The program featured keynote speaker Greg Palmer of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) and the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce, along with Mike Laws of Laws Logistics and the International Fresh Produce Association, Drew Zabrocki of Totem Ltd., Steve Alaerts of Foodcareplus, and Ellen Pay of the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce.

Diversified Sourcing and Flexible Logistics

In his keynote address, Palmer highlighted how changing growing conditions and market requirements are increasing the need for flexible sourcing and stronger connections between buyers and alternative production regions. Diversifying sourcing locations can create new opportunities, but it also increases the importance of reliable logistics, timely information and coordination among supply chain partners.

Rising demand and the need to protect highly perishable products are putting additional pressure on the industry to move shipments faster and more frequently. Palmer emphasized the importance of efficient shipping routes, seasonal planning and investment in port and road infrastructure.

“These trends underline the need for a more responsive supply chain—one that can adapt to changing production conditions, shipping disruptions, and market demands while protecting product quality and reducing waste,” Palmer said.

Three Doors, One Shared Vulnerability

Flexible logistics alone cannot guarantee resilience. In his presentation, Three Doors In: Security, Fraud, and the Trust Layer Fresh Produce Has to Build Together, Zabrocki examined the growing vulnerability of supply chains to cyberattacks, cargo theft and fraudulent information.

Drawing on real-world cases, he outlined three potential points of failure: vulnerabilities in shared software, criminals impersonating legitimate transport operators, and falsified documents, including fraudulent origin paperwork and payment requests. A familiar email address, convincing certificate of origin or seemingly legitimate invoice may not tell the whole story.

Zabrocki noted that businesses often lack independent ways to verify claims made by their partners.

“Because these relationships extend across the entire industry, no single company can solve the problem alone,” he said.

He recommended several practical safeguards, including understanding dependencies on third-party software, maintaining and testing backups, verifying carriers using independently sourced contact information, and confirming payment changes through separate communication channels.

Zabrocki also called for a shared, independently verifiable foundation of trust supported by common standards and open, community-owned tools. He highlighted a proposed precompetitive working group under COSSAF—the Collaboratory for Open Software & Services in Ag and Food—as a potential avenue for industry collaboration.

Laws and Alaerts echoed Zabrocki’s concerns, emphasizing that cybersecurity is becoming increasingly critical for the fresh produce industry. They stressed the need for secure, robust systems connecting supply chain operators to protect data, prevent fraud and preserve the trust that underpins reliable business relationships.

A Shared Charter for Resilient Supply Chains

How can the fresh produce industry reduce delays, prevent waste and build more resilient global supply chains? For Pay, disruption is an unavoidable reality of global trade, but its impact can be reduced through better preparation and collaboration.

“We cannot prevent every disruption, but we can prepare for it better. Through proactive planning, greater coordination, and stronger responses when challenges arise, we can build supply chains that are more stable and more resilient,” Pay said.

To support that goal, Pay presented the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce’s Charter of Good Shipping Practices, a voluntary initiative designed to provide a shared framework for more transparent, efficient and fair logistics.

The Charter is built around five guiding principles:

• Collaboration and communication
• Fair and transparent business terms
• Competition and efficiency
• Cargo integrity and product quality
• Resilience and risk preparedness

Together, these principles address practical challenges facing fresh produce businesses, including the need for timely information, clearer commercial terms, fairer sharing of costs and risks, and logistics practices that protect the quality and value of perishable goods. Better coordination can help businesses respond to disruptions, avoid unnecessary inefficiencies and reduce food waste.

Pay stressed that the Charter is not intended to impose new rules, but to establish a common reference point for the industry.

“This is not about one player versus another,” she said. “It is about the supply chain we all share. If we can build greater transparency, fairness, and efficiency into our relationships, we can create a system that is stronger and more sustainable for everyone.”

Pay concluded by encouraging businesses and industry associations to contribute to the Charter’s development and help make it a practical tool for the entire supply chain.

Building Resilience Together

Discussions at Fruit Attraction highlighted the interconnected nature of the industry’s challenges. Climate disruptions are changing where produce can be sourced, evolving markets are demanding faster and more flexible transportation, and growing digital and commercial risks are making trust and verification essential.

No company can build a resilient supply chain alone. Progress depends on cooperation among growers, exporters, logistics providers, buyers and industry organizations, supported by shared standards, reliable information and practical safeguards.

The Global Coalition of Fresh Produce’s Charter of Good Shipping Practices offers a voluntary framework for turning that shared commitment into action through better communication, fairer business practices and stronger risk preparedness.

Put the Charter Into Practice

The Global Coalition of Fresh Produce invites stakeholders across the global fresh produce supply chain to support the Charter of Good Shipping Practices and apply its principles in their day-to-day operations.

By embracing the Charter, organizations can help foster greater transparency, fairness and collaboration; improve logistics efficiency; reduce avoidable waste; and strengthen supply chain resilience.

Participation also demonstrates a commitment to transparency and environmental stewardship while supporting more efficient, fair and sustainable logistics. Collaborative practices can streamline operations, optimize resource use and reduce waste, delivering lasting financial benefits.

The Charter and a summary are available through the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce. To learn more or express support, contact the coalition’s secretariat at info@producecoalition.net.