Retail
Fresh Del Monte recently showed retailers how an AI-powered robot can help inspire produce gift-giving for the holiday as well as every day, based on trials at three Chicago-area Jewel stores.
Recognized as a Top Retail Expert for 2026, Marc Oshima shares how differentiation, trust and smarter retail alignment can help produce departments drive relevance and consumption.
The rollout includes nearly 200 stores in California and Nevada, while Upside says its national platform reaches more than 35 million consumers.
In Week 2 of “The 30 Different Plants Per Week Challenge, Retail Edition,” simple meal-prep habits and Hy-Vee’s usage-focused produce guidance show how plant variety becomes sustainable when it’s built into foods shoppers already know and love.
Melissa’s Produce says it is providing retailers with customizable product mixes and marketing tools to engage both core Asian shoppers and curious mainstream consumers.
The Washington, D.C., regional grocery chain marks the milestone with $990,000 in donations to food banks and an in-store campaign to raise that same amount for local nonprofits.
The grocer is transforming its produce departments into competitive arenas this month, blending artistic grocery displays with high-stakes teamwork.
Amid a Midwest snowstorm, the 30 Different Plants Per Week Challenge, Retail Edition, begins with a lesson in resilience, highlighting how diverse merchandising and flavor-focused signage can turn a routine grocery run into a hunt for plant variety.
A strategic partnership with Agrolibano aims to revitalize the melon category through premium Kiss varieties and fresh-cut opportunities starting this February.
The Packer’s retail editor Jill Dutton launches a new weekly column exploring the science and strategy of the 30-plants challenge, bridging the gap between personal nutrition and professional retail insights. This piece introduces the series and explains the “why” behind writing a column that turns a personal quest to eat more plants into actionable data for the produce industry.
Stater Bros. Markets is expanding its partnership with Afresh to link store-level demand directly to warehouse buying, a move Afresh CEO Matt Schwartz explains will replace manual guesswork with a unified AI “brain” built specifically for the volatility of fresh food.
Amazon is shuttering its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go physical locations to focus resources on a major expansion of Whole Foods Market and its rapidly growing same-day grocery delivery service.
Following a historic 182,000-pound week and a 2025 surplus, the food recovery leader is leveraging wholesale partnerships and route efficiencies to scale its impact across New England.
The Packer recently connected with Danny Dumas, senior vice president of sales, marketing and product management for Fresh Del Monte, to learn how the Florida-based company sees the new food pyramid influencing the fresh produce department at retail and what the company’s pending acquisition of Del Monte assets means for its future.
Circana’s vice president of the fresh foods group says the fresh produce industry is poised for a record-breaking dollar growth in 2026 but cautions the industry must move away from a commodity mindset toward data-driven consumer insights.
The grocer says the free, monthly interactive events help customers shop with confidence.
The online share of total grocery spending reaches 19% as order frequency rates continue to climb, with more than half of monthly users placing three or more orders during December, according to Brick Meets Click’s Grocery Shopper Survey.
The California Strawberry Commission’s 2025 Shopper Playbook shares strategies for retail growth.
From the surprising new power shopper to engaging Gen Z and millennials to redefining value in the produce department, The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2026 is packed with data and insights to help drive fruit and vegetable sales — starting with these seven opportunities.
Despite ongoing supply-side issues, the demand side of citrus is looking strong, with growing demand from a health-focused consumer audience, all it takes is thoughtful and creative strategies from suppliers and collaboration with retail.
The Kroger Co. is shifting to a capital-light fulfillment model by launching nationwide on-demand delivery across nearly 2,700 stores through the Uber app ecosystem to improve digital profitability and delivery speed.
While a JEC report reveals grocery costs spiked by $310 annually, fresh produce remained a rare anchor of stability, as modest increases for items like lettuce and oranges were countered by an actual price drop for tomatoes, potatoes and strawberries.
By bridging the gap between “better-for-you” nutrition and the convenience of traditional CPG snacks, suppliers are unlocking new revenue streams through sophisticated merchandising and right-sized packaging.
ALDI US is celebrating its 50th anniversary by opening 180 new stores in 2026, marking its first entry into Colorado and expanding its cold-chain infrastructure to meet surging demand for fresh produce.
In addition to the limited-edition orange cartons, the program allows retailers to expand Lunar New Year sets through open display bins that can accommodate a range of citrus offerings.
Fresh produce marketing veterans at the East Coast Produce Expo explain why the industry must shift from a commodity mindset to building emotional equity to compete with products throughout the store.
The Packer’s annual consumer survey takes a deep dive into commodities, exploring shopper habits, preferences and more to offer actionable insights that grow businesses.
Alex Jackson, vice president of sales and marketing for Frieda’s Branded Produce, shares a framework for turning trend overload into strategic clarity.
With government assistance spending moving rapidly online, Amazon’s new pilot programs and Prime Access discounts are creating a massive new gateway for fresh produce sales.
In leveraging Tastewise’s AI to identify the “Charfruiterie” trend months ahead of the competition, Crunch Pak successfully tapped into the adult snacking market to generate $10 million in new revenue.