Tanimura & Antle, Salinas, Calif., established the HarvestSelect box program for retail outlets to give convenient and fast options to consumers who want to reduce time spent in stores during the pandemic.
At the same time, the boxes are compliant with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program, including the changes outlined in the third round of contracts, totaling $500 million to $700 million in awards.
The first two rounds of contracts didn’t include specifications on what was in the boxes, but the USDA has set guidelines for round three, which Tanimura & Antle has adopted: each box has 10 items, with more than 2 pounds of root crops, more than 3 pounds of fresh fruit and an assortment of Tanimura & Antle brand vegetables. Each box has a recipe card.
The HarvestSelect boxes each have a Universal Product Code and Produce Traceability Initiative sticker and weigh a minimum of 12 pounds.
“We wanted to ensure that the box was adaptable for the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program and for the box to be retail ready,” Scott Grabau, president and CEO, said in the release. “As we focus on the health and safety of our employees during this time, we are excited to do our part externally with other industry partners that are supporting the health and safety throughout the nation.”
A company spokeswoman said the boxes are designed for retail to be consumer-friendly for the end user.
“Our goal is to expand this program into traditional retailers in the future,” the spokeswoman said in an e-mail. “Today, we are supporting our valued customers who are applying to the USDA program with the convenience of HarvestSelect; we are not directly involved.”
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