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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
As the Organic Produce Summit prepares to celebrate a decade of industry leadership, we look at some of the standout growers, shippers and innovators shaping the future of organic food.
From viral Whole Foods hacks to Nash Produce tech, Field Fresh expansions and IFPA networking, the foodservice supply chain is shifting rapidly to optimize labor, boost consumption and meet consumer lifestyles.
From regenerative soil practices and AI-driven packing sheds to nationwide roasting roadshows, top growers and distributors reveal the logistical and marketing machinery driving the expanding coastal demand for New Mexico’s signature summer crops.
While renewable natural gas often dominates the food waste conversation, Divert is proving that full circularity requires extracting clean nutrients and recycled water from the grocery supply chain.
Uber’s director of grocery and retail partnerships explains how the platform is helping grocers capture spontaneous, midweek demand by turning on-demand delivery into a seamless extension of its business.
Bipartisan legislation heading to Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s desk aims to protect consumers from real-time price gouging and safeguard union grocery jobs.
Amazon, World Central Kitchen and Goya Foods are partnering with local networks to deliver critical relief following devastating back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela, highlighting a decentralized, “fresh-first” disaster response aimed at helping communities rebuild.
With a 2027 U.S. debut on the horizon, German tech company Orbem is set to transform fresh produce grading by bringing industrialized, hospital-grade MRI technology paired with AI to packing lines on a pay-per-scan basis to eliminate internal browning, rot and guesswork without ever cutting the fruit open.
Meteorologists warn of a powerful late-2026 climate pattern that threatens to disrupt the fresh produce sector with severe market and operational volatility, which will force retailers to rely on predictive data and diversified sourcing networks to keep shelves stocked and stabilize costs.
Driven by a 6.1% annual spike in fruit and vegetable prices, a new national survey reveals that more than a third of U.S. households are cutting back on fresh produce, prompting a consumer shift toward frozen alternatives and raising concerns about long-term public health.