Planning some wonderful watermelon displays for July and August? Of course you are! And you can get a little extra credit for your efforts by entering the National Watermelon Retail Merchandising Contest.

Retail fresh produce sales totaled $17.8 billion in the first quarter of 2021, up 3.3% from the first quarter of 2020 and up 11.5% from the first quarter of 2019.

From a vast array of plumcots and apriums, to a menagerie of melons, to a brigade of roots and radishes, there is no shortage of options in the world of specialty produce, and consumers are intrigued.

For U.S. shoppers who read their sticker labels, they’ll start to notice their hass avocados are more likely from Peru rather than Mexico now through September.

United Fresh recently held the first session in its new education track featuring retail and foodservice industry leaders, and the discussion covered labor, forecasting, rising costs, packaging and more.

The Packer’s editors discuss the big topics of the week, from USDA’s The Emergency Food Assistance Program to PLU stickers to Peruvian avocados — plus an industry conversation on labor, rising costs and forecasting.