Latest News From Retail

The banana is king, as 63% of consumers polled by The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023 said they purchased the tropical fruit in the past year.

The 2023 Retail Produce Managers Award Program recognizes 15 produce managers nationwide for their commitment to fresh produce, innovative merchandising, community service and customer satisfaction.

Just ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Walmart has deepened its price cuts for summer grilling promotions, including fresh produce favorites.

Nearly 3 in 10 consumers who noticed higher food prices in 2023 said they made less healthy choices as a result, according to a new survey.

Nine inspections of stores in four states operated by Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp found unsafe conditions for employees, according to the Department of Labor.

The Packer's consumer survey sought responses on the motivations behind organic produce purchases, along with information on where consumers shop and how much of a premium buyers said they would be willing to pay.

Following its affordably priced Easter and spring meal promotions, The Kroger Co. is now promoting menus specially curated for Memorial Day backyard barbecues, featuring grilling favorites and plenty of fresh sides.

If price were no object, would consumers definitely eat more fresh organic produce? That's one of the questions addressed in The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023, which surveyed shoppers about how they buy fresh produce.

Bulk onions account for the vast majority of onion sales in the U.S., but consumer packs continue to gain popularity.

Innovation is a key theme in this issue. Read about fresh produce vending machines, live-streaming shoppable videos, actionable data analytics, and watermelons winning on social media  — and much more.

Most notably, the cuts would gut fruit and vegetable benefits by nearly 62%, the association said, substantially decreasing access to nutritious foods for almost 5 million women and kids enrolled in the WIC program.

Fresh sales data shows cooling inflation and a slight increase in the volume of fresh produce purchases in April.

The Cincinnati-based grocer has been named a 2023 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards winner in the Environmental Initiatives category.

Some recipes on mango.org have shoppable ingredients, thanks to a partnership with Chicory. Consumers can select the retailer of their choice.

Consumers living near dollar stores could fuel expanded grocery selection in those outlets, a new report says.

The new concept features a convenient store-within-a-store format with a variety of fresh, on-trend meal options featuring fresh produce.

Side Delights is starting grilling season with grill-ready potato products and recipes as consumers continue to value meals at home.

The “Litehouse in the House” salad dressing and dip campaign by Sandpoint, Idaho-based Litehouse is calling on consumers to get the summertime salad party started.

Flashfood's first annual impact report examines the environmental impact of food waste and how reducing waste at retail has the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The CFFA will offer "tailored, customized marketing support” that will range from banner ads and e-commerce programs to in-store merchandising and sampling, said Karen Brux, managing director.

The Cincinnati-based grocer, in partnership with the United Service Organizations, has launched two new mobile kitchens to the West Coast and Midwest during Military Appreciation Month.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture plans to help growers from the Garden State by promoting its Jersey Fresh program through a diverse media mix this season.

Move over, mushrooms: Meatballs, tacos and Bolognese can all be plant-based using walnut protein. And some social media influencers, as well as fruit and cheese brands, are chipping in to promote these nuts.

Learn how an award-winning partnership between The Fresh Market and Firework is inspiring shoppers to buy produce and other grocery ingredients while attending live virtual cooking events.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients are cutting back on grocery items twice as fast as non-recipients are, prioritizing cheaper brands and stocking up less.

On a year-over-year basis, the U.S. consumer inflation rate for all items cooled to 4.9% in April, down slightly from 5% in March, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Check out the winning mushroom display in PMG's Winter 2023 contest of the Produce Artist Award Series, plus other mushroom display entries in the series.

Avocados have been called green “gold” for a reason. Marketers, fueled mainly by surging imports, have grown the fruit’s retail per capita availability from 4.8 pounds in 2011 to 7.4 pounds in 2019, the USDA says.

To help drive new shoppers to stores, Zespri is launching a multichannel consumer campaign featuring digital advertising and sampling events for its SunGold Kiwifruit.

In a move that could be dubbed “May Madness,” The Kroger Co. is promoting a brunch to celebrate Mother's Day, complete with dessert and mimosas, all for less than $2 per serving.

How has the work ethic evolved through the generations, and what motivates us?

Packaged salad brand Fresh Express is leaning into digital promotions and contests this May for National Salad Month, offering more than $25,000 in prizes.

Two produce firms were awarded federal fruit and vegetable supply contracts in early May.

Video commerce platform Firework has released a beta version of possibly the first-ever generative, artificial intelligence live-shopping solution — and the pilot program is with a grocery retailer.

With summer on the horizon, so is the seasonal peak to salad consumption — and companies are ramping up efforts to bolster sales of crispy greens and related items.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based CMI Orchards has unveiled its newest American Dream CatStats.

Retailers and third-party companies teach their personal shoppers to select the right produce and handle consumer tastes.

The Devens, Mass.-based cultivator of packaged lettuce grown through controlled environment agriculture is thinking big this National Salad Month.

Improve your store's digital impulse sales of produce after learning the strategies these data, analytics, marketing and produce experts say works in e-commerce.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2022 added 145.6 million units to the avocado category, with shoppers spending $158.3 million in retail sales, the Hass Avocado Board finds.

A greater percentage of higher-income consumers reported fresh artichoke purchases; 14% of consumers making more than $100,000 per year said they purchased fresh artichokes in the previous year.

The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023 survey found that 11% of consumers said they purchased apricots in the past year, unchanged from 11% in Fresh Trends 2022.

The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023 survey, indicated that 58% of consumers purchased fresh apples in the past year, compared with 55% in Fresh Trends 2022.

More than 8 of 10 consumers in The Packer's Fresh Trends 2023 survey said they were paying more for fresh fruits and vegetables than the prior year. Here's what they said about how that's affecting shopping decisions.

Placement is key to ensuring consistent mango movement in the produce department, and that can be especially true for Cinco de Mayo — or “Cinco de Mango,” as the National Mango Board refers to the holiday.

The Packer's Fresh Trends 2023 survey shows that most consumers are buying more fresh produce — and in a greater variety. See which fruits and vegetables are shoppers' top choices or gaining in popularity.

New York City-based Bowery, a vertical farming company serving more than 1,800 grocery stores and e-commerce platforms, expanded its ready-to-eat salad kits to all 166 Giant Food locations.

From trends in tropicals to the need for consumer education to customer loyalty, retailers discussed challenges and opportunities in produce during a panel discussion at the 2023 CPMA show on April 26.

The milestone was achieved in fewer than two years.

Informing consumers about the different characteristics of mango varieties — flavor, amount of fiber and the right time to eat — has helped grow the fruit's popularity.