The 2025 edition of medFEL will return to Perpignan on the 23rd and 24th of April. This 15th edition is expected to attract 5,000 visitors and 250 exhibitors, with 6 exhibition sectors, 15 conferences and round tables, 1,500 scheduled business meetings, and 50 VIP top buyers. The traditional summer fruit harvest forecasts for melons, apricot,s and plums will also be presented live, or in webinar format for peaches/nectarines, as part of medFEL Tuesdays on the 20th of May 2025.
What are the themes of this year's round tables?
Processing: developing the French origin of fruit and vegetable products
The share of processed products in food purchases is increasing, in line with changes in consumer behavior and lifestyles. Fruit and vegetables are no exception to the rule, and some companies are investing, integrating processing, or developing partnerships into their business models. The stakes are shifting: manufacturers need above all to secure their sourcing, assuming that it will continue to grow in the years to come. So how do we meet these needs for additional volumes? What new value-adding opportunities are there for fruit and vegetables? While including the French origin, how can we rethink the development of high-performance fruit and vegetable sectors dedicated to processing?
Fruit and vegetables: does communication support consumption?
Coming from the sector, professional organizations, or companies, communication about fruits and vegetables has been abundant and sometimes confusing. But is it effective in a context where consumption is at best stagnant, sometimes even decreasing? Television, radio, press, social networks: which media should be favored?
Organic sector: what is the impact of new distribution concepts?
The last few years have been marked by a crisis in the organic produce sector, with a decline in consumption volumes and a drop in the frequency of transactions. Food retailers have reacted strongly, by reducing ranges among general retailers, repositioning brands, and launching new concepts more in tune with consumer needs in specialized organic distribution. And it seems to be working! Some chains seem to be returning to post-crisis growth. What are these promising new concepts? What are the keys to successful new growth? What are the renewed commitments and ambitions for the future?
The jungle of labels: obligation or real added value?
Private labels, SIQO (PDO/CDO, Red Label, PGI…), refined specifications, HEV, organic and its various segments, scores (Nutriscore, Planetscore...): the list of promises and guarantees about the origin or quality of food products is very long. Amid this upsurge, the feeling that new criteria are being imposed endlessly can be strong. How can we continue to create differentiation and added value for the companies involved, without 'drowning' consumers? How can we steer consumer preference towards products and sectors that are genuinely more virtuous? How can consumer information be improved in the future?
'Great exclusive debate' for the first time at medFEL: "Are fruit and vegetables expensive?"
"Fruit and vegetable prices are soaring," a subject that regularly hits the headlines. But what are we really talking about? What would be a 'fair price' for a kilo of tomatoes or apples? Can we talk about the price of fruit and vegetables when there are about fifty different products on offer on the shelf? Seasonality, climate, and yields can all affect prices, sometimes on a daily basis.
Consumers need to be given a reference point, and the price of fruit and vegetables needs to make sense.
The list of speakers has not yet been released.
medEMPLOI: a new partnership with France Travail
For the third year in a row, medFEL will also be the sector's professional meeting place with its medEMPLOI scheme. In partnership with the Fruit and Vegetable Federation of Occitania, this year's event will feature a series of conferences designed to support professionals in their HR initiatives, as well as a job dating event reserved for the sector, in partnership with France Travail.
Click here for the list of 2025 exhibitors
For more information:
medFEL
medfel.com
Photo: medFEL