Presentation of WPTC

The World Processing Tomato Council (WPTC) is an international non-profit making organization representing the tomato processing industry. Currently, its members represent more than 90% of the volume of tomatoes processed worldwide.

The organization was created in May 1998 during the 3rd World Processing Tomato Congress held in Pamplona (Spain).

The World Processing Tomato Council is constituted by professional growers and/or processors organizations representative of their production area. It is headquartered in Avignon (France) and currently chaired by Marco Serafini from Italy, while Sophie Colvine is the General Secretary.

Professional organizations from the following countries were the founding members of the Council: AMITOM countries (France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey), Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, California. These countries have since been joined by new AMITOM members Morocco, as well as Japan, South Africa and China, while Brazil is no longer a member.

The structure of WPTC is organized in three geographic groups corresponding with the main producing areas:

>  The Mediterranean area is represented by AMITOM (Mediterranean International Association of the Processing Tomato –headquartered in France) 
>  The Northern America is constituted by the following associations: 
  - CTGA (California Tomato Growers Association – California)
  - CFLP (California League of Food Processors – California)
  - OPVG (Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers – Canada)
  - OFPA (Ontario Food Processors Association – Canada) 
>  The Other countries group is constituted by the following associations:
- APTG/ATPA (Australian Processing Tomato Growers and Australian Tomato Processors Association - Australia)
- Chile Alimentos (Chile)
- CAFIM (Camara de la Fruta Industrializada de Mendoza – Argentina)
- JTPA (Japan Tomato Processors Association- Japan)
- CFPA (China Food Processing Association - China)
- SATPA (South African Tomato Processors Association – South Africa)

The objectives

The following general objectives have been given to the Council:
> To create permanent links between professional grower and/or processor organizations, in order to co-ordinate actions undertaken to safeguard their interests.
> To study and recommend to member organizations any action intended to better organize the markets and favour fair competition.
> To undertake any action, in agreement with its members, in view to increase consumption of tomato products.

It was decided that the Council would only discuss a limited list of themes on which a consensus was possible. On each theme, a Commission was created which was autonomous. Three Commissions were set up when the WPTC was created:
> A Commission on the exchange of information, currently chaired by Kebede Gashaw as its current Chairman, those task is to collect information on the production and consumption of tomato products, analyze it and disseminate to all members.
> A Commission on Tomato & Health currently chaired by Gwen Young. This commission is charged with analyzing the abundance of information, sometimes contradictory, published on the health benefits of tomato products and to coordinate the effort undertaken by individual associations on their domestic market to promote tomato products with the aim of increasing the global consumption of tomato products worldwide.
> A Commission on the international legislation currently chaired by Carlo Leoni. The WPTC has been recognized as a non-governmental organization by the Codex Alimentarius since February 1999. As such, its representatives may attend Codex Committee meetings and express the view of its members.

Names of the Members' Delegates