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Jill Dutton

Jill Dutton, associate editor of The Packer, specializes in retail produce news, market trends and urban farming initiatives. With expertise in the rapidly evolving e-grocery landscape, she provides analysis on how digital platforms are reshaping food distribution. Jill is a prominent voice on sustainability and consumer trends, offering actionable insights that help businesses navigate shifting market demands. Her work explores the full produce journey — from farm to retail — featuring grower profiles, supply chain insights and emerging production models that shape American food systems.

Latest Stories
Fueled by record U.S. demand, the $13 billion North American avocado trade navigates market volatility, field-level pest controls and the logistical challenges of securing year-round supply.
U.S. grocers are competing for holiday shoppers with complete 10-person Thanksgiving meal bundles for under $40, anchoring their low-cost spreads around staple fresh produce including sweetpotatoes, fresh cranberries and up to 10 pounds of russet potatoes per deal.
Data from a new YouGov study underscores a key takeaway for retail strategists: Brand perception among younger generations is highly dynamic.
Facing rising logistics costs and changing shopper habits, Idaho’s potato leaders are leaning into both high-tech packaging and traditional value formats to drive modern growth.
Following a multiweek harvest shutdown and supply disruption triggered by pest containment efforts, Local Plant Health Boards agreed to resume avocado picking approvals Nov. 5, though elevated pricing and supply chain recovery challenges are expected to linger.
Driscoll’s faces a proposed class-action lawsuit over alleged unflagged pesticide overages on imported berries, triggering a national debate that links whistleblower disclosures with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s decision not to order public recalls.
Three weeks after French supermarkets were targeted, more remote cyberattacks forced grocers in Belgium and Sweden to dump spoiled inventory, proving that operational cold-chain hacks are now a repeating industry threat.
Retail and delivery companies — including Walmart, Target, Instacart and DoorDash — have been issued orders demanding full disclosure on how algorithms and loyalty data are used to set personalized grocery prices and gig-worker pay.
By leveraging creator partnerships and repositioning walnuts as a fresh produce staple, the California Walnut Board and Commission is converting digital inspiration into higher grocery basket sizes across key retail demographics.
When a cyberattack strikes the cold chain, fresh produce is uniquely vulnerable. Here is how grocers can harden store networks before a breach and protect inventory when systems go dark.