Latest News From Packer Tech

The Wonderful Agriculture Career Prep program’s 90 graduates celebrated their accomplishments as the inaugural class in the program.

Key Technology is introducing a new line of digital sorters for fresh-cut leafy greens.

Fruit growers have to deal with birds flocking in to eat their cherries, apples, blueberries and more, and Starr Ranch Growers has seen positive results from a high-tech, humane deterrent.

Key Technology has promoted Alvaro Nunez to area sales manager for Central and Northern California.

The new Kwik Lok 912, combined with Matthews Marking Systems eSolarMark Fiber laser-coding system, allows new capabilities to include information and graphics on closures.

Eurofins Scientific is opening a food testing laboratory complex in Fresno, Calif., this summer.

Baldor Specialty Foods, Hunt’s Point, N.Y., has promoted Thomas McQuillan to vice president of strategy, culture and sustainability.

JMT US and Macro Plastics are launching bin for fresh produce specifically engineered for controlled atmosphere environments to extend shelf life.

Sakata Seed American, Morgan Hill, Calif., has sold its onion breeding program to Cape Town, South Africa-based Zaad Holdings Ltd.

JMT US and Macro Plastics are launching bin for fresh produce specifically engineered for controlled atmosphere environments to extend shelf life.

Sakata Seed American, Morgan Hill, Calif., has sold its onion breeding program to Cape Town, South Africa-based Zaad Holdings Ltd.

Shelf-life enhancement company Hazel Technologies has a new partnership with AMR Agro, a Dominican Republic green-skin avocado packer-exporter.

Canadian greenhouse grower Del Fresco Produce is launching the second phase of its strawberry production, bumping acreage from six to a total of 17 acres.

Editor Tom Karst and retail editor Ashley Nickle discuss the big stories of the week, including recommendations from the Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force and the latest back-and-forth with China on trade.

Shelf-life enhancement company Hazel Technologies has a new partnership with AMR Agro, a Dominican Republic green-skin avocado packer-exporter.

Sysco Corp. is expanding its FreshPoint Dallas facility with a 65,000-square-foot projects that stresses sustainability and adds fresh-cut operations.

Canadian greenhouse grower Del Fresco Produce is launching the second phase of its strawberry production, bumping acreage from six to a total of 17 acres.

Albertsons Cos. and venture capitalist Greycroft have created a fund that could put as much as $50 million toward developing technologies for the grocery space.

Research at the University of Florida on citrus greening disease isn’t focused solely on helping trees fight the disease. Researchers also are attacking the source: the Asian citrus psyllid that spreads the disease.

Research at the University of Florida on citrus greening disease isn’t focused solely on helping trees fight the disease. Researchers also are attacking the source: the Asian citrus psyllid that spreads the disease.

DeltaTrak introduced a new temperature recorder designed to increase the efficiency of produce pre-cooling at the PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo July 29.

Philadelphia-based AgroFresh Solutions Inc. has launched a new tool to predict the freshness of produce.

Zest Labs has filed a complaint against Walmart for $2 billion, alleging the retailer stole its technology after an extended relationship.

Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Apeel Sciences has announced $70 million in new financing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is calling out a recent ruling in the European Union that puts products from new “gene editing” methods such as CRISPR in the same category of all techniques for GMOs.

Taylor Farms, long known for its embrace of technology, has opened two centers designed to train employees how to operate processing and packing machinery.

Hood River, Ore.-based Diamond Fruit Growers has unveiled a packing line specifically engineered for pears from Unitec.

(UPDATED, July 25) After a commercial rollout with avocados in June, Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Apeel Sciences has introduced shelf-life extending Apeel products for conventional and organic citrus.

Hood River, Ore.-based Diamond Fruit Growers has unveiled a packing line specifically engineered for pears from Unitec.

Finalists have been named for the Pitch Off competition at the AgTech Conference of the South.

Is voice-assist technology like Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri the future of cooking? Produce Retailer Pamela Riemenschneider and The Packer staff writer Ashley Nickle discuss on this edition of Packer Insight.

Startup company NextPallet is touting its product, a hybrid of corrugated material and heat-treated wood, as a lighter and more sustainable than its all-wood competitors.

S2G Ventures has hired organic grocery retail veteran Walter Robb as executive-in-residence.

SALINAS, Calif. — Produce industry members and agricultural technology purveyors came together at the Forbes AgTech Summit to discuss everything from automation to sustainability to blockchain to food safety.

British mushroom grower G’s Fresh Mushrooms received the Fresh Produce Consortium’s Fresh Award for CSR Excellence for its introduction of the molded pulp punnet for mushrooms.

Waukesha, Wis.-based KHS USA Inc. plans to purchase the assets of Fairfield, N.J., packaging equipment manufacturer Scandia Packaging Machinery Co.

James Hartman has joined Flair Flexible Packaging, Appleton, Wis., to provide onsite technical support to customers.

National editor Tom Karst and staff writer Ashley Nickle discuss the latest industry conversations around the new China tariffs and the possible implications of Kroger's exploration of autonomous grocery delivery.

SALINAS, Calif. — Another $55 million in equity financing has BrightFarms poised to continue its mission toward a nationwide network of greenhouses.

Kroger plans to pilot the use of unmanned road vehicles for grocery delivery this fall.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tom Karst and Ashley Nickle discuss their travels to United Fresh and Forbes AgTech this week and analyze the latest information released about the FDA's investigation into the romaine outbreak.

SALINAS, Calif. – Executives with BrightFarms, Plenty, AeroFarms and Bowery Farming expect greenhouse production of leafy greens to continue to scale up in the coming years.

Forbes has recognized ag tech startups Apeel Sciences, BrightFarms, FoodLogIQ, Plenty, Produce Pay, SWIIM, Soft Robotics, Trace Genomics and Understory as being among the most innovative in the field.

Forbes has recognized ag tech startups Apeel Sciences, BrightFarms, FoodLogIQ, Plenty, Produce Pay, SWIIM, Soft Robotics, Trace Genomics and Understory as being among the most innovative in the field.

Food safety technology company Certus has introduced a rapid response in-house pathogen testing system.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — I wasn’t the only first-timer at the Center for Produce Safety Research Symposium June 19-20.

United Fresh Produce Association Expo and Conference attendees chose Aloha Peppers from Mastronardi and Apeel Sciences’ shelf life enhancer as the best new vegetable and fruit products.

SALINAS, Calif. – Better pathogen detection or a kill step would help growers sleep better at night, executives from two leafy greens companies said during a Forbes AgTech Summit panel June 27.

SALINAS, Calif. – Concentric Power plans to hire 25 more people as demand grows for one of its latest products, a software platform that lets companies optimize their energy usage from various sources.

BLANCO, Calif. – Blueberries will be bountiful the next five weeks, and strawberry production continues to be strong, so Naturipe is encouraging larger pack sizes, cross-promotion and cross-merchandising.