CULIACÁN, SINALOA, MEXICO - As Mexico continues to be a premium source of high-quality fresh produce, the Vegetable Commission for Defense, Research, and Development (CIDH), an agency of the Sinaloa Growers Association (CAADES), specializes in fresh vegetables and is dedicated to defending the interests of growers and promoting agricultural research and produce exports in international markets. In addition to its invaluable contributions to Sinaloa and Mexico vegetable growers, CIDH and its members are responsible for the creation of the Veggies From Mexico (VFM) community.
“With the first outbreaks of contamination associated with Mexican melons and then undeservedly to fresh tomatoes, Sinaloa, Mexico, growers became concerned about establishing mechanisms for strict compliance with standards to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the country,” explained Mario Robles, CIDH Chief Executive Officer. “For this, the Eleven Rivers Growers Program, now Veggies From Mexico, was created. It designed standards of food safety, quality, sustainability, and social responsibility, which should meet each of its members while also taking growers who are interested in joining the community by the hand and take them to the level where they could obtain a certification audit to join.”
Throughout its evolution, VFM has grown to a community of 13 companies that represents a volume close to 30 percent of Sinaloa growers’ vegetable exports.
“The critical mass of volume that Veggies From Mexico has now allows us to move to the next level and promote this brand with which we intend to offer the consumer a more healthy, reliable, and world-class product,” Robles continued.
As Robles emphasizes, having a brand to support the fresh produce industry in Mexico is critical as it remains a vital contributor to the United States market.
“It seems to me that for a very long time, Mexico will be the main supplier of tropical fruits and vegetables to the U.S. consumer public,” he notes. “Our proximity to the market, the availability of labor, and the variety of climates that Mexico has, together with the modern production technologies that we have, allow us to produce in different climates, altitudes, daylight hours, and times of the year—in such a way that any fruit and vegetable product can be available to access the American market at any time.”
Providing valuable support to Sinaloa growers, VFM sets out to provide customers with fresh vegetables while maintaining a community that fully complies with high standards in terms of food safety and social responsibility.
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