Latest News From Industry

With Earth Day as a backdrop, an April 22 virtual education session at the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas Spring Policy Summit looked at sustainability issues in the transportation and farming sectors.

Episode 44 of Tip of the Iceberg Podcast features an interview with Chelsea Consalo, vice president of produce operations for Consalo Family Farms.

Sure, there were the usual how-your-company-pivoted-during-the-pandemic discussions, with insightful solutions that companies found.

In response to California’s continuing restrictions on event size, the United Fresh Produce Association plans to replace one large trade show with several smaller ones this summer.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted a load of alleged methamphetamine worth $4,343,000 being smuggled in a commercial shipment of fresh produce.

The White House is giving light to a deepening water crisis in Western U.S. states.

Creating content that provides practical solutions for parents continues to be a focus for produce brands looking to reach families.

Here's what we've seen this week on five social media platforms in the fresh produce world, inside the industry and beyond.

The long-standing 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.

Fresh Innovations California, LLC hosts COVID-19 vaccine clinic at corporate headquarters for employees and local community

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the USDA is seeking comments on an effort to improve and reimagine the supply chains for the production, processing and distribution of agricultural commodities.

The Kern County carrot season will pick up steam in late May for Arvin, Calif.-based Kern Ridge Growers LLC.

Half of millennials in Canada consider themselves foodies.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association held its 95th Convention and Trade Show, Fresh Week April 12-16, attracting almost 2,900 attendees from 42 countries, even as a virtual event. 

The National Organic Standards Board begins its spring meeting on April 20.

Online attendees can get a first-hand look at a commercial-scale, indoor salad farm in Hendersonville, N.C., to celebrate a grand opening.

Idaho Falls, Idaho-based  Eagle Eye Produce has expanded its year-round onion program with the addition of Central Produce Distribution Inc. of Payette, Idaho.

LUV by Fresh Directions Intl hit the ground running this past week, with its first exhibition of the year at Southern Exposure 2021.

The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council recently partnered with a TikTok food influencer to create a cookie recipe, and The Packer's Amy Sowder and Amelia Freidline decided they had to try it.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced the termination of 10 U.S. consumer standards that are obsolete and impede the effective marketing of specialty crops.

Northwest produce firms Chelan Fresh, Gebbers Farms and Apple House Warehouse & Storage Inc. are helping support families in Pateros, Wash., where childcare is in short supply.

As temperatures begin to rise in California’s Central Valley, the Bee Sweet Citrus team has turned its focus to Star Ruby Grapefruit as a key player in the company’s seasonal line.

The produce industry’s social media feeds were filled with relevant news as well as holiday and hashtag connections of all sorts. Here’s a few posts we liked the week of April 10-16.

One of the many education events that took place at Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s 2021 Fresh Week was the webinar Emerging Technologies: The Roaring 20s.

The era of the Farmers to Families Food Box program will soon be over.

Members of the Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association will vote May 11 on a resolution for the organizations to combine and form a new association.

One year after making its first COVID-19 relief delivery to the Houston Food Bank, MountainKing has now shipped more than 1.6 million pounds of fresh potatoes to the non-profit organization.

The United Fresh Produce Association is offering a web seminar on optimizing produce quality and shelf life extension on April 20.

The USDA has announced the availability of up to $10 million in assistance to assist agricultural producers impacted by the worsening drought conditions in the Klamath River Basin.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking to buy as much as 485,000 cartons of domestic grapes for the school lunch program and other federal food and nutrition assistance programs.

Total Produce plc announced that it has entered into a credit agreement with Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A., New York Branch.

With planting season only weeks away, severe drought conditions are raising concerns about the 2021 Red River Valley potato crop in Minnesota and North Dakota.

The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission (NCSPC) announced today the release of its School Foodservice Video series.

Pete’s announced its plans for expansion into Georgia in 2022.

Giumarra’s Mexican spring grape deal will feature bigger volume and similar timing compared with last season, according to Tom Wilson, sales manager for Los Angeles-based Giumarra Cos.

Since 2020 Enza Zaden announced the discovery of the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) High Resistance gene resistant trials have achieved excellent results.

TIPA board members discuss how the organization pulled off the first in-person trade show in the produce industry in nearly a year with Viva Fresh 2021.

Call it pandemic fatigue or just burnout: You could be losing motivation, experiencing emotional numbness, feel that almost all people drain your energy. Your productivity may drop even if your hours haven’t.

Notice something different about your latest issue of The Packer? Join editor-in-chief Tom Karst, retail editor Ashley Nickle and Northeast editor Amy Sowder for a behind-the-scenes look at the changes.

This in-person networking opportunity is scheduled Aug. 5-6, 2021, at the renowned TPC Sawgrass Golf Course and Resort in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.  

The fresh produce global supply chain was resilient enough to come through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic intact, if a little dented.

Mexico’s early grape outlook will be light in early May, with peak volume expected from early June to mid-July, said Rob Anderholt, West Coast division manager for Seald Sweet, Bakersfield, Calif.

Humble Produce Owner: Miguel Medina, has worked tirelessly over the last 6 months working with growers in Mexico to try to restore the faith.

New York-based Square Roots has announced its newest indoor farm in Grand Rapids, Mich.

California Giant Berry Farms elevates their investment to the foodservice industry by introducing a new Foodservice Edition of The Buzz Newsletter. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service has announced $169.9 million in funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

Stockton, Calif.-based Coastal Pacific Food Distributors Inc. was awarded a $32.6 million contract to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to commissaries in Japan.

Illume Agriculture is in charge of the Bagdasarian grape deal, having taken over the management of vineyards formerly owned by Bagdasarian Farms, which has sold its farming assets to a private equity group.

With Mexican grapes from Hermosillo and Caborca in Mexico, King Fresh will show peak volume by June 7, said Keith Wilson, president of the Dinuba, Calif.-based company.

The Oppenheimer Group has a strong presence with Mexican grapes grown in the Hermosillo region and will offer a full complement of table grapes packed in the Ocean Spray and Oppy labels.