Latest News From Industry

A New York leadership development program is accepting applications for its next class of leaders in the food, agriculture and natural resources sectors of the Northeast.

The Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association have won member support to move forward in creating a single new organization representing the global produce and floral communities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on Fresh Produce Inc. (Fresh Produce), Dallas, Texas, for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

Bloggers, chefs, dietitians and other personalities have become valued communicators for the California avocado marketing program.

Episode 46 of Tip of the Iceberg Podcast features two conversations.

Bobalu Berry Farms is celebrating the success of their weekly e-news titled the “10 o’clock Walk” due to the increase in the number of buyer subscribers.

Several challenges prevent farmers from collecting and sharing data on their production practices, but there is ample opportunity to empower farmer’s digital transition.

You might’ve missed these produce industry posts last week on social media. 

UnitedAg, a healthcare leader for the agricultural industry, announced several changes across its executive leadership team, further positioning the non-profit agricultural association health plan for future growth.

Fresh Direct Produce Ltd. and its partner companies Mike & Mike’s Organics, Islands West Manufacturers, and Emperor Specialty Foods are honoured to be one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies over the past decade.

WPO recently announced the creation of a ‘WPO Packaging Database’ that will contain global data such as regulations, safety, technology, sustainability, etc, all related to the packaging industry.

Engaging all elements of a produce organization proved to be the most useful way to navigate the uncharted waters of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stemilt’s World Famous cherry season kicks off this week in California and all eyes are on the crop’s upcoming promotional window and the fast-approaching Memorial Day holiday.

Florida lawmakers are urging U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to work with members of Congress to implement immediate trade relief measures for U.S. producers of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables.

Irvington, N.Y.-based indoor leafy greens grower BrightFarms opened its latest indoor farm in Hendersonville, N.C.

CanadaGAP and Global Food Safety Initiative has successfully achieved recognition against GFSI’s Version 2020.1 Benchmarking Requirements.

“We know rural areas are different from urban areas, people are more spread out, it's not always as easy to travel to one location that's close to everyone to get a vaccine," Dr. Murthy says.

Editors Tom Karst, Amy Sowder and Ashley Nickle discuss the labor shortage, greenhouse growth and industry conversations in this latest episode of Packer Insight.

Understand the connection between occupational and personal health in the workplace.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said  $92.2 million in competitive grant funding is available under the 2018 Farm Bill’s Local Agriculture Market Program(LAMP).

Krivanek describes the big three drivers of change going forward, gives the produce industry a grade in each area, and discusses how technology is changing the business and what companies should do to respond. 

Mastronardi Produce is pleased to announce its recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for business excellence for the twelfth consecutive year.

Oppy has been chosen as one of Canada’s Best Managed companies yet again, as the grower, marketer and distributor of fresh produce emerges from an unprecedented year.

Crunch Pak had added new organic snacking items, said Tony Freytag, executive vice president of the fresh-cut apple marketer.

Country Fresh and Sun Rich USA, two divisions previously part of the Fresh Food Group, will now operate as a standalone company under the Country Fresh name.

The Southeast Produce Council held its first STEP-UPP Virtual Classroom within the SEPC Virtual Garden on Wednesday, April 28th.

Sun World International LLC today announced it has granted six additional licenses to Egyptian table grape grower/marketers, bringing the total Egyptian licensees to seven.

The University of Arizona (UA), Rogers College of Law recently published a TradeLab report about non-tariff barriers to trade. 

Registration is now available for United Fresh’s Reimagine Conversations, which will take place throughout the month of June.

Wonderful® Pistachios takes a fresh approach to snack marketing in a dedicated new campaign to bring its Wonderful Pistachios No Shells BBQ and Sea Salt & Vinegar flavors to life.

Harvest of the year’s first fresh cherries began in California’s southern-most growing areas this week and will soon be moving its way up the state.  

Dramatic changes are brewing at Newark, N.J.-based AeroFarms, an indoor, aeroponic vertical farming company.

Starting with a mini-romaine selection, Coastline Family Farms is introducing a line of products under the sub-brand of Culinary Bouquet, says Robert Verloop, chief operating officer of the Salinas, Calif.-based company.

 May is national salad month and Braga Fresh is introducing three new Josie’s Organics premium salad kits:  Lemon Herb, Rustic Tomato and Spring Blush.

The Center for Produce Safety launched its latest fundraising campaign in January with a goal to raise $15 million to support its work for the next five years, and so far it has raised nearly $6 million.

Stemilt and their company-owned and managed orchards earned their Bee Friendly Farming® certification earlier this month through Pollinator Partnership located in California.

For the four-week period ending Feb. 21,  the U.S. Northeast showed avocado volume growth of 27.4%, according to the Hass Avocado Board. 

The strong but sometimes tenuous U.S.-Mexico trade relationship was the focal point of an April 21 session of the Fresh Produce Association’s virtual Spring Policy Summit.

Older, higher-income Hispanic consumers living in the Western U.S. are the most frequent purchasers of fresh limes, according to The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2021 survey.

Reinforcing its focus on frozen cut vegetables and fruit, Monterey, Calif.-based Growers Express has opened a 24,000-square-foot frozen storage facility in San Luis, Ariz.

While the U.S. West Coast has long been dominant for organic demand, marketers surveyed by The Packer offered a diversity of answers about regions with above-trend growth in organic demand.

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement board has endorsed new pre-harvest testing guidance in an effort to prevent foodborne illness outbreaks associated with leafy greens.

A year ago, the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California established a first-of-its-kind housing program for farmworkers in the Salinas Valley who were exposed to COVID-19.

California’s Salinas Valley vegetable shippers had more than enough supply for the start of the deal this year.

No one saw COVID-19 coming, and the disruptions it has created in the produce industry were profound.

After a year of distanced gatherings, Mom deserves the works this year!

Members of the Eastern Produce Council gathered in New Jersey for the annual TopGolf event, sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. See who was there, and learn what they said.

Following the success of the annual Spring Policy Summit, the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas will be launching a new webinar series for 2021. 

Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted drugs in a strawberry shipment on April 29.

Berry grower-marketer Wish Farms hosted a rockin' party — called PixieRock! — for the public to celebrate its new headquarters in Plant City, Fla, and proceeds went to several charities.