Latest News From Foodservice

The year-round onion program for Salinas, Calif.-based Coastline Family Farms is heavily focused on foodservice and a big rebound in sales is anticipated this year.

With vaccinated millions on the move again, onion shippers are optimistic about the shape of foodservice demand in the coming months.

Updating LGMA’s required food safety practices is an involved process that seeks input from scientists, food safety experts and the public. No other entity is capable of making widespread change as quickly as we can.

Registration will open April 28 for the Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice Conference & Expo in Monterey, Calif.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is poised to significantly extend the far-reaching impact of its award-winning Have A Plant® Movement through the growth of its elite ambassador network.

It has been a good year at retail for lemons and limes, and Limoneira has been in prime position to fulfill demand.

Steve Bamford was reluctant to utter the overused word “pivot,” but there’s good reason it’s been said ad nauseam in the past year.

California Giant Berry Farms elevates their investment to the foodservice industry by introducing a new Foodservice Edition of The Buzz Newsletter. 

Stockton, Calif.-based Coastal Pacific Food Distributors Inc. was awarded a $32.6 million contract to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to commissaries in Japan.

ParcelPal Technology Inc. is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement to provide delivery services with Sysco@Home.

California’s Santa Maria shippers say the pandemic’s effect on marketing has been profound, but foodservice demand is slowly recovering.

Social media and digital outlets have become more important during the COVID-19 pandemic, California strawberry marketers say.

Love it or not, there is no doubt that the Farmers to Families Food Box Program pumped federal dollars into the produce supply chain that helped the industry overall.

The U.S. foodservice sector is still lagging more than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic compelled authorities to restrict restaurant operations, and a full recovery may not happen until mid-2022.

Most California avocado marketers are optimistic that the foodservice trend line is pointing higher, but say making firm predictions is impossible.

The Newark, Del.-based Produce Marketing Association will be bringing the industry back together – in person – in Monterey, Calif., for the Foodservice Conference on July 21-22. 

U.S. restaurants continue to be susceptible to failure and need federal help, the National Restaurant Association told Congress in a March 2 letter.

Even though lemons and onions have close to full foodservice penetration in all regional U.S. markets, data shows they’re the way to go for the rest of winter and into spring.

The United Fresh Produce Association is offering web seminars on Feb. 23 and Feb. 25 that will take a deep dive into foodservice and retail sales trends.

Now available from Salinas, Calif.-based Church Brothers Farms is a new foodservice pack of the company’s Little Gem lettuce, marketed under the SweetHearts brand.

Catch up quick on news of the week with The Packer's editor-in-chief Tom Karst, retail editor Ashley Nickle and Northeast editor Amy Sowder on this latest episode of Packer Insight.

With a 90-10 vote, the U.S. Senate passed an amendment that calls for a direct restaurant relief fund, now part of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

FRSHst™, the innovative fresh and healthy dining experience from Coral Gables, Fla.-based Fresh Del Monte Produce has just launched in Miami.

Fresh Freight LLC, the industry’s premier full-service provider of food transportation services, announced that US Foods has received its first annual Shipper of Choice award for supply chain leadership.

This Friday, Jan. 15, is the deadline to nominate an outstanding chef or foodservice operator for our 2021 Produce Excellence in Foodservice Awards Program.

Chipotle has launched a new option for its popular burritos and bowls: Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice.

The National Mango Board is currently seeking nominations for six board member positions to serve three-year terms beginning January 2022.

Leonardo’s Produce, Detroit, has joined the FreshEdge group of produce and specialty food companies.

South Mill Champs, Kennett Square, Pa., has acquired processor The Mushroom Company, Cambridge, Md.

Limoneira, a long-time lemon supplier to Chipotle, has received the restaurant chain’s Food With Integrity Award.

Might as well be blunt about it: Foodservice business tanked since the pandemic gripped the nation.

A near-double digit gain in potato retail sales wasn’t enough to offset a decline in foodservice sales during the 2019-20 marketing year.

Our industry is naturally oriented to tackle challenges head on and create new ways to delight consumers. This pandemic is no exception.

With all the changes and challenges this year has brought to the foodservice industry, many operators are assessing how to reconfigure their restaurants to better facilitate curbside pickup and other options.

Produce and specialty food distributor McCartney Produce, Paris, Tenn., has joined FreshEdge.

BRONX, N.Y.— Drivers who exit Hunts Point Produce Market in South Bronx can’t miss the 270,000-square-foot office, storage and distribution warehouse with 99 docks for truck loads.

Choco, a global company focused on building a more sustainable food industry by simplifying how restaurants order from suppliers, released Broadcast today.

The United Fresh Produce Association’s Fresh Insights for Foodservice fall issue highlights the traditional holiday meal mainstays, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic’s continued effects on the foodservice sector.

Kennett Square, Pa.-based Manfredi Cold Storage & Distribution Inc. has started construction of a 100,000-square-foot cold storage, packing and cross-docking facility in New Jersey.

The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association and Oregon’s Small Business Development Center Network are pleased to announce the launch of a new, no-cost, one on one confidential advisor network.

Potato and onion marketers say COVID-19 has forced them to alter plans in certain channels, but the pandemic hasn’t stopped them.

A couple of months ago I wrote about my adventures in growing two of Row 7 Seeds’ vegetables, 898 baby butternut-style squash and Robin’s Koginut mini pumpkins.

Grocery stores have nearly had a captive market during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the statistics reflect that observation.

The Southeast Produce Council, Millen, Ga., has new dates for its annual show in 2021, with a Star Wars theme — Southern Exposure: The Rise of Produce.

United Fresh has opened the nomination period for the 2021 Produce Excellence in Foodservice Awards Program.

Foodservice distributor Golbon, Boise, Idaho, recently recognized members during its annual awards program, an online event this year.

On the heels of strategic planning and virtual Board meeting, the National Watermelon Promotion Board is entering in to the fall and winter months well-positioned to strengthen demand for watermelon.

In a year that has seen double-digit increases in demand for fresh produce at supermarkets, the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that retail prices for fruits and vegetables will come in below historical averages.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation’s National Fruits & Veggies Month campaign in September generated nearly 75 million impressions through traditional and social media channels.

National foodservice and marketing agency Advantage Waypoint represents The Fresh Group Ltd. Maglio Cos.