The foodservice leader is expanding the postharvest technology to more than 30 locations to improve product broccoli quality and reduce supply chain shrink.

With the federal estate tax exemption at historically high levels, most family farms are no longer at risk of paying federal estate tax. Shift your focus to income tax planning and preserving the step-up in basis at death.

Driven by breakthrough varietal innovations from leaders like Wish Farms and Naturipe, and supported by record-breaking retail data from the California Strawberry Commission, the berry category is entering 2026 as a $500 million growth engine for the produce department.

The Packer recently connected with Danny Dumas, senior vice president of sales, marketing and product management for Fresh Del Monte, to learn how the Florida-based company sees the new food pyramid influencing the fresh produce department at retail and what the company’s pending acquisition of Del Monte assets means for its future.

Circana’s vice president of the fresh foods group says the fresh produce industry is poised for a record-breaking dollar growth in 2026 but cautions the industry must move away from a commodity mindset toward data-driven consumer insights.

University of Florida expert warns that while overhead irrigation and row covers are vital for saving fruit from the cold, those protective measures could also threaten to spread pathogens and delay fungicide treatments.