Latest News From The Packer Staff

Canada’s plastics ban continued to make headlines throughout 2023, as produce industry leaders urged the Canadian government to take a more collaborative approach to fruit and vegetable packaging regulations.

CMI Orchards said this managed variety shows a 613% growth in volume for the 13 weeks ending Dec. 2, according to Nielsen scan data.

The Collinsville, Ill.-based provider of high-performance packaging has named Brittnie Hammack director of marketing.

The National Organic Program wants feedback on proposed changes to the way the program collects information. These changes will help avoid collecting redundant information and streamline information collection.

New research looks to seek best ways to use wastewater to create biochar that retains nutrients and eliminates micropollutants.

The Ontario, Calif.-based Hispanic food retailer says it’s brightening the holidays for residents in the communities where Heritage banner grocery stores operate.

The growers of Envy apples recently collaborated with Hallmark Channel actor and entrepreneur Andrew Walker for a holiday apple sampling experience at Longo’s in Toronto. 

The organization shares how newly launched programs help bring it closer to its mission and how connecting growers and suppliers helps move the industry forward.

In 2023, the produce industry faced several challenges, including a significant recall of fresh-cut and whole cantaloupes toward the end of the year. Yet, the industry remains optimistic of the strides made this year.

You’re more vulnerable than you think, says Eric Regnier, vice president of operations at ZAG Technical Services, who shares ways produce businesses can prepare for threats on the latest "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast.

Instacart and Fairway Market have announced the launch of "Fairway Now," a new fast home delivery service powered by Instacart.

Make room in the shopping cart for the mighty potato.

The USDA has proposed the termination of the federal cranberry marketing order.

The Florida company is best known for sourcing tropical and exotic fruits and vegetables such as plantains, yellow yams, yuca, avocados and dragon fruit.

The merger expands the opportunity and scope of both companies to serve their unique customer base, while also working together with the customers the two companies share coast to coast.

This holiday season, Healthy Family Project and Lowes Foods partnered with 21 health-conscious brands for the first-ever Season of Sharing, providing 525,000 meals to local Feeding America food banks.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association has inducted Gary Wishnatzki into its hall of fame for his innovations in the berry industry.

In a move to support pollinators and the critical role they play in the food system and the environment, the Austin, Texas-based grocer has introduced a new pollinator policy.

The USDA is reminding specialty crop growers that assistance is available for producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses.

As inflationary pressures wage on this holiday season, the Cincinnati-based grocer continues to promote affordable and convenient meal planning ideas.

The company has promoted eight employees to key roles as it plans for growth.

The International Fresh Produce Association aims to help drive everyday floral sales by focusing on tools and resources for non-holiday sales at The Floral Conference – Anaheim, Calif., Feb. 27, 2024. 

Asoguabo, a banana grower in Ecuador, is the first to meet GlobalGAP’s Produce Handling Assurance standard with plans for more packing operations by the grower to achieve certification in 2024. 

A California-based citrus brand is gearing up for a zestful celebration Dec. 20-23 at Tops Friendly Markets as part of its nationwide "Peelz on Wheelz" Citrus Road Tour.

The companies said this proof-of-concept project will enable Sysco and suppliers to capture, store and share traceability data as part of FSMA’s Food Traceability Rule.

The company said a random sampling of its bagged spinach yielded a positive result for Listera monocytogenes.

The Food and Drug Administration said this recall involves conventionally grown peaches, plums and nectarines sold nationwide and distributed by HMC Farms.

This new resource from the International Fresh Produce Association offers guidance and certifications on how to develop and implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Jacob "Jake" Samuel has helped build the premium dried fruit business into one of the leading suppliers of unsweetened, all-natural fruits for ingredient use.

KT Produce, a produce distribution company based out of Lowell, Ark., has joined FreshEdge, a family of fresh food distribution companies backed by Wind Point Partners.

Oregon State University researchers have been awarded $2 million from the USDA to develop improved ways of preventing stored potatoes from sprouting, particularly in the organic sector.

In this "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast episode, Louisa Clark of Confidently There joins LeAnne Ruzzamenti of Equitable Food Initiative to talk about why open communication is the key to successful organizational culture.

Hailing from Italy and Greece, Red Passion-branded red kiwifruit is grown under a protective layer of plastic to deliver a consistent and high-quality eating experience, according to Oppy.

Two producers and two importers were officially seated as committee members Dec. 6.

The agency has filed a Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act complaint against a California company, alleging that it failed to pay two sellers.

Stemming from failure to pay Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act reparations, the department barred principal operators from working in PACA-licensed businesses and also suspended the PACA licenses of businesses.

The study finds growers also are facing rising water-related farming costs, particularly in Midwest and Western states.

To help consumers make the most of its festively packaged 10-pound carton of navel oranges this holiday season, Sunkist is offering 10 recipes and tips for making fruit purchases go further. 

Largest exporters of table grapes, Chile and Peru, to lead a discussion on changes in buying habits, headwinds in the export industry amid production increases.

Kurt Kistler has over 25 years of fresh produce industry experience, having spent the last seven years at Charlie’s Produce.

Guardian Agriculture has deployed four of its aviation-grade Vertical Take-Off and Landing, or eVTOL, aircraft to spray crops in California's Salinas Valley.

The new MyIPM for Vegetables app offers pest and disease identification as well as best practices for managing them.

President of the organization will participate in a panel on sustainable food packaging at the United Nation’s climate conference.

“COP28 is the place for global decision-makers to discuss issues that impact sustainability and climate change,” said Max Teplitski, IFPA chief science officer, of the conference in the United Arab Emirates.

The company’s video series returns as horticulturalist Dave Gleason shares the relationship between dormant pruning and crop load.

Following a lack of grower support for the marketing order, the USDA seeks comments on a proposal to terminate the order and its committee.

Inflation pressures on input prices and shipping costs will ease in 2024, say executives at Bloom Fresh.

The FDA has added Cut Fruit Express packages of fresh fruit containing cantaloupe and foodservice packages of cantaloupe chunks and fruit mixes with cantaloupe to a recall.

The apple variety makes a cameo in a Hallmark film while the actor highlights recipes that incorporate Envy apples into holiday dishes.

An upcoming webinar from the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas aims to help U.S. importers of Mexican tomatoes to better understand the implications of a potential termination to the 2019 suspension agreement.