Florida Citrus Logo

FDOC’s Doug Ackerman presented at the Foodnews World Juice conference in Barcelona, Spain on Sept. 10.

BARCELONA – Speaking to members of the international juice industry, Florida Department of Citrus Executive Director Doug Ackerman emphasized the unwavering efforts of the Florida Citrus industry, despite the threat of greening.

Held this week in Barcelona, the 19th annual Foodnews World Juice conference featured presentations from leaders in several juice industries on topics such as buying trends, trading tariffs and economic and agricultural factors.

In his presentation on Wednesday, Ackerman noted that while citrus greening continues to threaten the industry worldwide, researchers and growers have not given up. They are instead working fervently to come up with a solution to the problem.

At the same time, the FDOC is working collaboratively with industry brands to create a unified approach to build stronger relationships with consumers. The FDOC is placing more emphasis on social media, public relations efforts and shopper marketing programs.

Using messages of health and nutrition coupled with a tradition of resilience and innovation, the industry, Ackerman said, is working to remind consumers why Florida Citrus continues to be the right choice.