Latest News From Amy Sowder

A produce professional was stocking the department shelves on a summery mid-morning Monday at Food Lion in Greystone Village in North Raleigh, N.C.

The featured guest on this "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast episode is Rob Nickels, who handles category management, procurement and merchandising of fresh produce and floral for Giant Food.

“I did not expect this path for my life,” said Evan Ehlers, founder of Sharing Excess on this “Tip of the Iceberg” podcast episode.

What tech skills do job seekers need to thrive in their search? Rex Lawrence of produce job search firm Joe Produce answers that question and more in this ZAG Tech-partnered "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast.

We want to see your produce costumes this Halloween. Be inspired by Rob White and Brian Dey.

Merchandising displays need to be more thoughtful than a simple pile o’ taters.

In this "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast episode, learn about an innovative approach to sustainability on farms from special guest Lilian Autler, Equitable Food Initiative's organizational and workforce development manager.

For many of the foodservice buyers on a recent harvest tour hosted by the Idaho Potato Commission, there was one aspect of Idaho russet potatoes that they kept returning to as they explored the dusty fields of potatoes.

Now using the cloud, Invafresh helps Price Chopper/Market 32 forecast, replenish orders, plan production and manage inventory by integrating in-store production data into the AI-enhanced Fresh Retail Platform.

In this "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast episode, learn from Vonnie Estes, vice president of innovation for International Fresh Produce Association, as she shares how she's helping innovators gain market access.

Who is the man behind PMG's 2023 Produce Retailer of the Year Award? Find out in this raw, uncut interview on the "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast.

Celebrating National Farmers Day on Oct. 12, The Giant Co. of Carlisle, Pa., said it will donate $20,000 to agriculture education programs growing future generations of food and agriculture leaders.

See what shoppers prefer when it comes to fruit packaging, culled from Circana data by Fusion, a produce marketing firm.

In one way or another, grocers have been dabbling in farming for years. But in the last 10 years, food retailers have found new and interesting ways to do it. Learn why, how and who is growing in-store.

The Food as Medicine movement just got even more real for the fresh produce industry.

Check out the top 10 most popular podcast chats we’ve had with industry leaders, delving into the hot-hot-hot issues of the day.

There’s been a big shift since the COVID-19 pandemic, said Kent Sutton, whose 375-acre family farm is part of the Rexburg-based Bench Mark cooperative of five potato growers.

While CPMA supports improved data collection and a Grocery Code of Conduct, it has “significant concerns” with potential discounts, price freezes, price matching and the development of a Grocery Task Force.

D’Arrigo New York’s online platform allows a customer to place an order directly into the ProducePro system, where the entire product lineup can be found.

These award winners will be honored at the Retail Awards Reception Oct. 20 at the Global Produce and Floral Show in Anaheim, Calif. 

Joseph Bunting of United Supermarkets in Texas has been at it a while now, and he’s impressed quite a few people along the way. Dive into the details and find yourself inspired.

This column is from the September-October issue of PMG magazine.

When Kathleen Marvel took a job as supermarket florist, she didn’t expect her creations would be seen on TV by millions worldwide.

Leslie Jefferson, a certified nutrition specialist and community health manager at Giant Food, expands what food-as-medicine means for a grocery store by factoring in equal access to healthy opportunities for all.

Peak potato harvest time drew more than a dozen foodservice and produce professionals from across the country to southeastern Idaho.

After scrolling, searching and, to be honest, doing what we normally do on social media, see what we liked about these posts from produce-focused professionals and companies on three major social media platforms.

Marianne Santo, three-time president of Eastern Produce Council and senior category manager of produce and floral at Wakefern Food Corp., died Sept. 24.

Your supermarket has to be a destination for fresh, says Robert Nickels, who spearheads category management, procurement and merchandising of fresh produce and floral for Giant Food.

Starting with sunny displays, brighten the shopper’s basket with more lemons.

Check out this episode of "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast that's all about the agtech side of the fresh produce industry.

There’s less of an excuse to choose the candy or chips when you have fresh salad options in vending machines.

One of the benefits of packaged produce is the ease of correctly ringing it up, whether it’s the store cashier or the shopper doing it themselves with an app, a price gun, a smart cart or self-checkout station.

NEW YORK — We saw a human-size eggplant mascot, heard a Michelin-starred celebrity chef talk about mushrooms as a center-plate dish and much more at this year’s Plant Based World Expo at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

Two chefs from New York City's Le Bernardin and Planta and two representatives from mushroom-meat brands, Fable Foods and MyForest Foods, discuss center-plate mushrooms at the Plant Based World Expo.

Mulling over melon practices: My, how our perspective changes as we grow up, open our minds and discover that the Greatest Generation might have known something we didn’t.

Albertsons Cos., Boise, Idaho, has launched Flash grocery service, allowing customers to receive their DriveUp & Go and delivery orders in as little as 30 minutes.

Ensuring your supermarket is doing what it can to be more environmentally and socially sustainable means attacking this ongoing goal from every angle.

In a move to advance the Kroger-Albertsons merger, the retailers have entered an agreement to divest with C&S Wholesale Grocers, selling 413 stores, eight distribution centers, two offices and five private-label brands.

Retailers and produce companies should collaborate for better security from cyberattacks, says Johnny McGuire, a produce information technology director and head of ProduceSupply.org's Cyber Security Council.

This is what Walmart rolled out to tens of thousands of store associates and how it will affect their jobs.

Let’s talk return on investment, or ROI, for social media. These are the social strategies and beneficial results from retailers, marketers and a supplier.

Dig into the data on avocado regions, volume and retail prices, for both conventional and organic fruit.

In this "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast episode, learn how improving worker safety and health is more than preventing slips and falls. It's also warmup exercises before a shift. It's feminine products in the restroom.

When it comes to what retailers are looking for when they choose their apple suppliers, quality product is a given — but what helps them stand out?

What if everybody made sure every single meal they ate contained a bright color — naturally? That’s the idea behind the theme, “Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant,” for the annual National Fruits and Veggies Month.

New York is the second-largest apple-producing state in the country, and it expects about 28 million bushels of apples this year.

The Mushroom Council’s partnership with one of the world’s largest digital food-media brands has proved fruitful.

There’s reducing shrink at the supermarket, then there are all the ways to not only reduce the use of Earth’s resources, but also to regenerate and improve the environment — before that fresh produce leaves the farm.

EVERETT, Mass. — For retailers, the late-August timing of the NEPC show was right when the back-to-school season was kicking into high gear. For growers, the timing was the calm before the storm of the fall harvest.

This is the role of produce as the return of restaurants heats up the competition for grocery retailers.