Latest News From Fresh Talk

What to do about inflation in pallet and packaging costs?

Now and again and ever since I can remember, there have been discussions about whether U.S. workers want to do the hard work of harvesting artichokes, picking tomatoes, or climbing a tree to pick apples.

Looking at fruit and vegetable news today, a new study reports that almost half of the world’s population does not eat enough fruits and vegetables. 

I recently collected insights from the California Prune Board about marketing in the post-pandemic world.

Are we getting back to normal?

How much more would you pay for U.S.-grown produce?

There are only 18 hours left on a poll that dares to ask the question about gender equality of opportunity in the fresh produce industry.

If you can’t stop obsessing about avocados, it is likely your field of vision will fall on the people who sell the fruit.

What is right - and wrong - with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program?

It has been one year since COVID-19 lept into the headlines and became the only story that mattered.

Is what passes for progress these days breeding for less sweet fruit? I may have missed it, but I don’t see any consumers pining for bitter apples.

As time goes by, the “new normal” we have been waiting for looks like it will bear less and less of a resemblance to the old normal.

Aldi doesn’t win praise for its produce merchandising prowess.

In a survey that I ask new members of the LinkedIn Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group, I asked about “biggest challenges and biggest opportunities” for this year.

At the most basic level, we are all ready to travel and attend in-person industry events.

It seems that every single day I am adding a new bookmark to my Chrome web browser. 

Roland Fumasi provided an insightful perspective on the economic outlook for organic produce at The Packer's Global Organic Produce Expo.

The first thing to observe about President Biden’s Buy American executive order is its length. At 2,400 words, the executive order is more like a short story.

Making a difference is the ultimate goal of any food safety procedure or practice.

How do you quantify the advantages and disadvantages of increased traceability regulations for fresh produce (and other food)?

Though perhaps not quite as useful as it could be, a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service offers fresh data and insights.

In an unlikely turn of events, cucumbers and squash are smack dab in the limelight.

What’s your biggest challenge for 2021?

What is the biggest competition/threat to the continued growth of organic demand?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently issued per capita availability numbers for fresh produce. Let’s dive into some of the numbers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently issued per capita availability numbers for fresh produce. Let’s dive into some of the numbers.

How has the lettuce market come through 2020?

What makes a great produce buyer?

Everything about apples is on an even keel, at least for now.

I have a new poll question out this week to the LinkedIn Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group.

What kind of year has it been for tomatoes? Up and down, even more than usual.

This is the moment in time when nearly everyone “cares” about marketing produce/groceries online. Will it last?

Is working from home losing its charm?

2020 is nearly in the books. What about next year?

The import share of U.S. domestic fresh fruit disappearance declined slightly in 2019, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

What produce commodity has seen the biggest demand bump during the C0VID-19 pandemic?

Retail food sales are still up big, but the cruise control button is off.

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

See ya, sweatpants, Zoom calls and stock-up trips to the grocery store.

The industry has yet to weigh in, but public comments are appearing on the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed rule on its designation of high-risk foods for tracing.

Has COVID-19 killed produce markets or brought them new life?

The subject line of the e-mail certainly grabs your attention.

At the Produce Marketing Association’s virtual Fresh Summit, North Shore Living Herbs + Greens hosted a Zoom video Oct. 15 on how to make craft cocktails with living herbs.

A new survey reveals the inroads that Walmart+ has been making since its mid-September launch. 

How are we feeling about the future?

Is business travel back?

Potatoes aren’t mentioned in the Bible but that omission didn’t hold back the popularity of the root vegetable when European explorers brought it back from the Americas.

The Food and Drug Administration’s proposed rule is called “Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods.”

We are all looking ahead, sometimes finding it more fruitful to think about the road ahead than the path we are on.

The relationship between grower prices and retail prices is always a point of interest, perhaps more for growers than retailers.