Assist the industry with food, safety and environmental regulations. Establish and enforce quality standards including proper labeling. He said growers are typically independent people but know they have to work together for the industry's survival. He said areas with the lowest cost production can compete globally whereas New York doesn't have ideal weather and has high labor costs. The main purpose of a co-op is so that all sales can go through one desk, according to Torrice.
Chain stores are currently in control of the apple market.
Torrice said growers know something has to be done and were questioning whether enough damage has been done to make a co-op necessary. Torrice expressed concern about who would pay for the cost of a co-op, including expenses related to inspecting the quality of apples. N.Y. Nicholson, a grower, packer and direct marketer, worked on the group that looked at the demand side for the task force. The first task of any co-op is to develop trust and more communication before moving forward to develop minimum pricing and quality control, according to Nicholson. There's a lot of tough situations at the grower level.