WEBINAR - THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON THE PROCESSED FOOD SECTOR IN EUROPE
SIPPO SA facilitated a virtual roundtable meeting on 30 June 2020 for its BSO partners on the effects of the Covid-19 crisis, on the processed foods and organic sectors in Europe.
As part of its ongoing support to partner BSOs in response to the Covid-19 crisis, SIPPO South Africa facilitated this webinar. It was attended by officials from three BSO partners, the Dtic, Wesgro & TIKZN. This flowed from a recent survey undertaken by SIPPO with its BSO partners, on the challenges being experienced by the BSOs and their member companies, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the interactive webinar two SIPPO international sector experts from the processed foods sector shared their insights and knowledge on the current and future effects of the pandemic on the processed food and organic sectors in Europe.
This included discussions on tracking of Covid–19 temporary trade measures, such as export restrictions, quotas, logistical obstacles and the facilitation of phytosanitary certificates. The sector experts shared their experience on the current market trends and consumer behaviour in the European food market as a result of the pandemic. These included the acceleration of E-commerce, increased demand for private label, the rapid growth of organic and health products, as well as sustainability issues.
Further discussions centred around the future of trade fairs and the greater use of virtual platforms for buyers and sellers.
During the session the BSOs were able to share their experiences on the impact of the crisis to their companies, as well as to exchange ideas between themselves and the experts on where opportunities exist and what South Africa’s competitive advantages are for each opportunity. Fruitful discussions included exchanges on the way forward and how to best support their client companies during and after the pandemic.