Opinion
The calendar indicates it’s mid-October, and I’m still wrapping up summer projects at home. But when I duck into Home Depot and see what they’re displaying — it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
The harsh truth right now in the produce aisle is that sales in much of the country are at a yearly low. That’s a difficult fact to admit, isn’t it?
I feel a disturbance in the force — in several produce departments and in all the other grocery stores this produce scribe patronizes. In numerous markets I hear this familiar phrase too frequently: out of stocks.
What is the top question that organic produce marketers receive from consumers? That was a question The Packer asked in a recent survey of organic marketers.
One failure, one company or one person can have significant (negative) impact across an entire industry. Each of us has a responsibility to ensure safe food. And this responsibility can have far-reaching consequences.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. That lesson rings particularly true for the produce supply chain.
What is the first thing you think about when you hear the words “International Fresh Produce Association?”
The stock market has been on a nice run, but generally speaking, companies that specialize in fresh produce have been laggards rather than leaders.
Sir Terance Conran said this about customer service: “That’s what I say about restaurants – the back part is manufacturing, the front part is retailing, the theatre is what holds the whole thing together.
Lee was a veteran produce clerk at a store I managed in the 1980’s. Lee was a tough old dude, quiet and soft-spoken. He came to work nicely dressed, had a full head of carefully combed gray hair.
Traceability re-emerged as a topic of produce industry focus when the FDA published the proposed recordkeeping regulation as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) (section 204) in September 2020.
In 2022, research trends that are directly relevant to the specialty crops industry will continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, the USDA authorized the importation of Hass avocados from the Mexican state of Jalisco, beginning in April 2022. This decision opens the door to future imports from all producing regions in Mexico.
“There’s a dozen other people lined up for just a couple of management positions. What makes you different from everyone else?”
The United Kingdom’s (UK’s) horticultural sector has gone through a number of major supply chain shocks in the last 18 months, including COVID-19 and Brexit.
It is hard to imagine now, but there once was a time when organic produce was not an established part of the modern produce department.
In a (very) superficial review on the legendary playwright William Shakespeare, I read this: “In a tragedy, when good is destroyed with evil, the loss is known as a ‘tragic waste.’”
New Year’s revelry always brings the promise of a reset, a clean slate, a fresh start.
We can’t let the bystander effect happen in fields, packinghouses or anywhere else in the supply chain — the results can be tragic.
Consumer confidence in fresh produce hinges on many factors, including food safety.
Which raises the question: Is this how some produce departments are managed? Of course.
Food inflation has been bad, but is the worst of it over?
A produce assistant must take charge and be proactive so they can be ready when a management spot opens.
Part of the solution to mitigating climate change and ensuring adequate food supply is regenerative agriculture, which uses nature to improve soil quality and crop yields.
While I’m certain that there are more elephant encounters coming my way, I’m confident that each one will be a bit more manageable thanks to this trusted process.
Former Ford and Chrysler president Lee Iacocca once said, “When the product is right, you don’t have to be a great marketer.”
Grocery management should be bottom up — doing everything possible to support those at store level, who are key in executing plans, generating sales and gross profits and so much more.
The climate change struggle is real. More than one in four who voted in a recent poll I posted in the LinkedIn Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group said climate change is the biggest long-term problem growers face.
Inflation is resulting in higher dollar sales for fresh produce but lower volume moving through supermarkets.
I was a regular attendee at the annual event for many years. It never ceases to amaze me just how big our industry is, and how much it’s changed over the years. It’s a show to behold, all right.