From high-margin specialty items like tamale kits and exotic fruit boards to secondary walnut displays and aggressive fall price cuts, produce marketers and grocers are positioning fresh produce at the center of holiday entertaining.

Findings from The Packer’s 2026 Sustainability Insights report highlight the severe financial strain on specialty crop growers as retail prices fail to keep pace with production expenses.

The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2026 shows retailers are pursuing sustainability to drive business efficiency, boost margins and strengthen supply reliability rather than depend on consumer premiums.

Adam Lynch, regional manager at L&M Farms, will serve a two-year term as chair, while Eric Hopkins was named vice chair at the association’s annual meeting.

With the acquisition of Phoenix-based Farm Fresh, Lipman Family Farms doubles down on its Western expansion, bolstering its value-added processing footprint and supply chain resilience to serve rising retail and foodservice demand nationwide.

At Climate Week NYC, WRAP is demonstrating how collaborative Food Pacts and targeted interventions across retail supply chains and households transform perishable produce waste from a carbon burden into immediate financial savings.

As growing numbers of Americans turn to short-term installment loans to offset persistent grocery inflation, forecasting strategist Marieke van der Poel explains how splitting food bills into micro-payments is altering consumer psychology, store inventory and the definition of everyday affordability.

CPG veteran Natalie Barber Halpern joins the indoor farming leader alongside a new strategic sales partnership to expand retail distribution and scale its national footprint.