tools can be effectively used to promote Florida celery to the retail

trade. The objective is to remain visible by helping retailers do

their job better or easier, thus encouraging them to move more celery,


 Recommendations

 The following general recommendations are made to the Florida

Celery Exchange as a result of this study:

 Maintain a production research and improvement program
 which will continue to improve Florida celery.

 Develop and enforce effective industry quality standards
 which will enhance and protect the favorable image of
 Florida celery which is emerging in the produce trade.

 Encourage shippers to improve pre-cooling.

 Since Florida celery is increasingly viewed as equivalent
 in quality to California's, transportation differentials
 from both areas to major markets should be monitored and
 analyzed in order to optimize Florida returns.

 Determine consumer response to various packaging types,
 stalk and heart lengths, and display space. Shorter,
 closed-sleeve celery may stimulate, depress, or have no
 effect on sales and profits for growers, shippers and
 retailers. Everyone speculates but few know what effects
 are.

 Determine packaging costs at the shipping and retail levels.
 Packaging efficiencies may be discovered and documented
 which would benefit the Florida celery industry.

 Explore improved packaging for celery hearts and also the
 possibility of offering a shorter-cut heart.

 Review the promotional program. Provide accurate advance
 price information periodically to stimulate movement. Retailers
 have to come up with products to feature every few days and such
 information reminds them to use celery. Also, periodic supplies
 of price cards would serve to keep celery visible, Make certain
 that each chain receives adequate materials for all stores; if
 there are not enough to go around, firms generally will not use
 any of them.