Michael Mayntz was elected to a two-year term as president of the European Association of Fruit and Vegetable Processors (PROFEL) during the organization’s recently held general assembly in Paris. He is the fourth-generation owner of the Eystrup, Germany-based fruit processing company Göbber GmbH, and president of the fruit sector of the German Association of the Fruit, Vegetable and Potato Processing Industry (BOGK).
Jean-Bernard Bonduelle, outgoing president, will now serve as vice president representing the vegetable sector within PROFEL. He is director of external relations for the Bonduelle Group and acting president of Unilet, the French inter-professional organization of vegetable processors and producers, and is also president of the Inter-professional Union for the Promotion of the Canning Industry (UPPIA).
Julio Perez Ruiz, chief executive officer of the Spanish Helios Group and currently chairman of PROFEL’s fruit preserves group, has been appointed vice president of the association’s fruit section.
PROFEL officers and staff seen from left to right are: Michael Mayntz, president; Aline Rutsaert, secretary general; Silvia Selandari, regulatory affairs manager; Jean-Bernard Bonduelle, vice president-vegetables; Julio Perez, vice president-fruit.
Together with the Secretariat in Brussels, the executive team will work to ensure that the organization’s newly internal strategic agenda will be executed. An important element of the agenda is recognition of the need for PROFEL to strengthen its contact building among EU regulators and to communicate more on the sector’s assets and its activities.
The trade association has noted that European governments, opinion leaders and consumers still appear to be poorly informed about the ability of producers of frozen and canned fruit and vegetables to provide a wide range of tasty foods that are highly nutritious and can significantly contribute to improving diets as well as help to reduce food waste by offering convenient portion control and longer shelf life. A new communications working group will be established to investigate possibilities for improving PROFEL’s promotion of these key elements.
Representing over 500 companies in 13 European Union countries, products produced by PROFEL members include frozen and canned vegetables and fruits, dehydrated vegetables, jams and fruit preserves, and canned fruit and compotes.
