Latest News From Packer Tech

The opening of convenience-focused food store Amazon Go sparked widespread attention with its checkout-free shopping experience.

Carrier Transicold is featuring the XtendFresh system at its first exhibit at Fruit Logistica.

A system patented by Walmart aims to address one of the top drawbacks for would-be online shoppers: the desire to pick their own produce.

More than 50 startup companies now work with the Salinas, Calif.-based Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology, which opened two years ago.

Madison, Ind.-based Madison Chemical has introduced ProClean Foam, a detergent for food processing plants.

The California Fresh Fruit Association annual meeting will feature experts on robots and retailers.

A company specialized in modified-atmosphere packaging has introduced new equipment for produce.

PlantTape USA has hired Lance Portman as vice president of engineering.

Charles Kilbourn, who helped create numerous vegetable processing machines in his long career with Tri-Pak Machinery, died Jan. 13 at the age of 78.

Fifteen startups focusing on agriculture, water, and energy technology will be eligible to pitch their ideas to possible investors through the Fresno State Valley Venture Accelerator.

Southeast grower Flavor 1st recently completed a year of a partnership with Polymer Logistics, shipping 31 products in more than 3.5 million reusable plastic containers from six states

Registration has opened for the June 25-27 United Fresh 2018 expo in Chicago.

Food Processing Equipment Co. LLC, Kalamazoo, Mich., has launched a redeveloped website.

Israel-based CommonSense Robotics wants to make online orders a profitable proposition for grocery retailers.

Weber Scientific’s new sanitation tool produces a test result an order of magnitude or higher than competitive products.

Miami-based Eagle Packaging Machinery introduced a corner post tray former for display packages in club stores.

AgroFresh, a company specializing in extending the shelf life of produce, has invested $10 million in It’s Fresh!

Western Growers is hosting an event to bring agricultural technology leaders to the Imperial Valley growing region.

Retail analyst Bill Bishop expects grocers to go beyond analytics in 2018.

After years of investment, harvest automation is getting closer for the Florida strawberry industry.

An unfamiliar concept for many at the start of 2017, blockchain now has sufficient interest from the produce industry that the Produce Marketing Association has formed a task force to follow its development.

A company based in India is looking to expand services to the U.S., with packaging options designed to prolong shelf life, allowing exporters to choose less expensive sea shipments over faster air travel.

One of the reasons the produce industry generally supported the election of President Trump was his business experience and positions, including reducing the regulatory burdens.

Companies that provide cooling services in North America have partnered to form a new company, Chill Produce.

Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Simplied Software has released two upgrades to its Broker Advantage and Produce Advantage software packages.

The creators of the Weathermelon app are celebrating six months since launching the app as the subscriber base continues to grow.

Hy-Vee is testing Zest Fresh, a technology designed to calculate and communicate the freshness of produce items as they move through the supply chain.

Domex Superfresh Growers wanted to do something special to mark its 2017 Autumn Glory apple season. So the company sent an Autumn Glory apple 116,000 feet up into the stratosphere.

Durham, N.C.-based FoodLogiQ has released product enhancements to its Track + Trace food traceability technology solution. 

With the help of a new investment, Sweden-based MOST plans to recruit representatives worldwide to promote what it describes as a revolutionary data tracker.

​​​​​​​Legion Logistics will be able to provide customers real-time information about their shipments thanks to new geo-location service LegionTrack.

At the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit, one of eight finalists will win $250,000 in equity investment after a pitch competition.

Staff writer Ashley Nickle talks with national editor Tom Karst about the latest developments regarding the ELD mandate, which many believe will drive up freight costs and increase ship times for produce.

Staff writer Ashley Nickle recaps the week's top stories, including a delay for produce shippers regarding the ELD mandate; a new organic berry company; and a look at what items are on ad for the week of Christmas.

The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association is inviting technology startup companies to make pitches to attendees of the group’s fourth annual conference.

The Produce Marketing Association has partnered with Purdue University to create a tool to allow easier sharing of food safety audit data.

Through a $250,000 donation, Fresno State’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology is renovating its mechanized agriculture lab.

Fairbanks Scales Inc. has made upgrades to its FB6000 weighing machine, allowing technicians to calibrate it wirelessly on a mobile device.

The planned implementation of the Department of Transportation’s Electronic Logging Device requirements in mid-December for truckers may force out some of the industry’s best truck drivers. 

Fearing disruption to fresh produce trucking markets, Western Growers has sent a letter to the Department of Transportation requesting a minimum one-year delay in its scheduled mid-December ELD implementation date.

Analytics firm Category Partners has purchased Beacon Research Solutions, and principal Cara Ammon is joining Category Partners as director of research.

Reusable Plastic Container company IFCO says its pooling system has generated $5.2 billion in supply chain savings since the company was founded in 1992.

Analytics company IRI will be providing supply chain services to Albertsons, an expansion of an earlier relationship focused on maximizing point-of-sale data.

New software from iTradeNetwork can help produce operators deliver advance shipment notices.

(UPDATED, Nov. 7 ) Claiming that Sinclair Systems International is engaging in “unlawful and anticompetitive conduct,” Los Angeles-based Hurst International LLC has filed a lawsuit against its competitor.

Autumn Glory apple harvest is increasing for Yakima, Wash.-based Domex Superfresh Growers.

Investment group S2G Ventures made offers to AgVoice and Hazel Technologies during the AgSharks pitch competition Oct. 31 at the Western Growers annual meeting.

Bonnie Spencer Swayze politely sidesteps individual accolades when it comes to the growth of the company over which she presides, Hot Springs, Ark.-based Alliance Rubber Co.

Boosted by gains in apples, some citrus varieties, blueberries and tropical fruit, U.S. fresh fruit per capita use grew a strong 3% in 2016.

Total Quality Logistics set a record with its eighth annual Loads for a Cure campaign.