Latest News From Retail

All of Mastronardi Produce’s Sunset brand greenhouse grown produce will be sold in packaging that’s reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

Hydroponic greenhouse grower BrightFarms has partnered with Crosset Co., Independence, Ky., to distribute its products to more than 100 independent retailers in the Midwest.

Taylor Fresh Foods has purchased the assets of Club Chef, a Covington, Ky., fresh-cut processor owned by the Castellini Co.

San Francisco, Calif.-based Side Delights is starting a multimedia ad campaign featuring a virtual-reality video and podcast programming.

Del Monte Fresh Produce is launching Better Break, a snack line featuring an array of vegetables.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first report on grapes in cold storage this season shows grape holdings at their lowest point in the past four seasons.

Nine in 10 parents say their children influence at least some aspect of their purchases, the National Retail Federation found in a recent survey of nearly 3,000 adults.

Fall harvest is under way for Stemilt Growers’ Rushing Rivers pears, and Stemilt is bringing suggestions for successful winter pear promotions.

As fall gets underway, pumpkins remain No. 1 on Produce Market Guide — no surprise there — while chili peppers regained the No. 2 spot the week of Sept. 23, and lettuce shot from No. 12 to No. 3.

Watsonville, Calif.-based California Giant Berry Farms is planning to include a retail foodservice category to the 2020 Chef Invitational Competition.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate why produce-grower prices have stayed stagnant or declined while prices have increased along the supply chain.

Should your new product be a star? Send us samples to be included in our Fresh Summit New Product Preview videos, an extension of our series Millennials Eat.

North Shore Living Herbs and Greens has hired Debbie Remblence as sales manager.

PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association recognized lawmakers, a charitable group, a big customer and a Sunshine State researcher on the second day of its 76th annual convention.

It turns out that internet top-10 lists of “foods not to miss” don’t give a complete picture of a country’s cuisine.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced that two Randsland brand kale products because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The Mushroom Council, Redwood Shores, Calif., is partnering with the Whole Kids Foundation to promote The Blend.

Chiquita is launching a new pink sticker to replace its iconic blue sticker for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Frieda’s is sharing ideas on how to make produce sections ready for World Vegetarian Day on Oct. 1.

There is no disputing that e-commerce sales of groceries are expanding, but one supply chain consultant says retailers face several challenges as click-and-collect and home delivery sales expand.

BOSTON — The foundations of commodity business are crumbling, Steve Lutz told a packed room at the New England Produce Council’s Produce, Floral and Foodservice Expo in Boston.

Pumpkins maintained their reign as No. 1 on Produce Market Guide the week of Sept. 16, while apples shot from No. 9 the previous week up to No. 2.

Data and insights firm Nielsen has found that, as more grocery sales move online, fresh is key for physical store success.

Fairtrade America found in its biennial consumer survey that 76% of shoppers would regard a brand they buy more favorably if it had a Fairtrade America label.

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., Chicago based produce distribution and supply company Ruby Robinson announces an official rebrand effective September 20, 2019 becoming ‘The Ruby Company’.

Who created the craziest, most eye-catching mango displays in their retail produce departments? 

Los Angeles-based Vision Produce Company is now offering a “ripe and ready” mango program following the protocol established by the National Mango Board.

NASHVILLE — Check out a few of the new organic products companies displayed at the Southeast Produce Council's Southern Innovations conference and expo. 

Castroville, Calif.-based Ocean Mist Farms has launched the Destini Store Locator platform to the brand’s official website.

Frank Capone, who spent some of his 30 years at Dominick’s Finer Foods as a buyer of imported produce in Nogales, Ariz., has died.

With an early prediction of a larger 2020 crop, the California Avocado Commission is working on promotions to build consumer anticipation.

LAS VEGAS — Companies wanting to drive their businesses forward with data need to consider culture as much as technology, panelists at a Groceryshop session said Sept. 17.

NASHVILLE — Seven organic produce items have seen sales grow 25% or more in the last year, according to a presentation at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Innovations event.

Selah, Wash.-based Rainier Fruit Co. is kicking off its annual holiday program “Pears for Pairs.”

Kroger is rolling out avocados with Apeel Sciences’ shelf-life extender in 1,100 stores, and plans to stock Apeel limes and asparagus in Cincinnati stores this fall.

Fresh Express, Orlando, Fla., has six new Gourmet Kits Salads Bowls launching in select markets.

Berry grower-marketer Wish Farms, Plant City, Fla., has a new tagline: Generations of Sweetness.

Product knowledge. That phrase is tossed around a lot in fresh produce circles.

Ocean Spray cranberries will have new packaging this season, with berries shipping around the last week of September.

NASHVILLE – Exhibitors gave high marks to the Southeast Produce Council’s foodservice and organics conference Southern Innovations both for the show itself and the connections it facilitated.

As the calendar turns to the months that end in “-ber,” that sigh of relief you hear is produce retailers collectively breathing again as the summer season winds down.

Pumpkins held on to the top spot on Produce Market Guide the week of Sept. 9, while chili peppers gained two places from the week before to land at No. 2.

NASHVILLE — Panelists at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Innovations event gave several examples Sept. 13 of ways retailers can help educate consumers about organic and grow organic produce sales.

Thomas Fresh, Calgary, Alberta, has launched a new line of potatoes exclusively grown in Alberta.

Online grocery spending has grown 15% in the past year, and a recent move by Walmart points to even bigger growth to come.

Salinas, Calif.-based Green Giant Fresh, is launching a refreshed line of Veggie Bowls.

The Reusable Packaging Association chose The Kroger Co. with reusable packaging supplier Polymer Logistics as the winner of its 2019 Excellence in Reusable Packaging award program. 

I like to frequently focus on customer service. This is just as important a tangent of the produce aisle as anything else we do.

Setton Farms and HMC Farms won kudos from a judge's panel of retail buyers at the California Food Expo.

The National Mango Board has hired Michele Hoard as retail account manager for the West Coast.