The Packer Podcast

John Hollay on Why the 21st-Century Food System Cannot Be Saddled With 1980s Labor Policies

Fri, 01 May 2026 09:50:23 GMT

Agricultural labor is such a critical part of the fresh produce industry — beyond just another “input” — says John Hollay, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers. He joined “The Packer Podcast” to give an update on where ag labor sits at the federal level and why both relief from burdensome regulations and federal ag labor reform are necessary.

“What we have right now is an agriculture system, a food system that is rocketing forward into the 21st century and making sure that all farmers come along, but it’s saddled with a labor system essentially that comes from the 1980s,” he says.

Hollay says that Congress and those working in the administration see the challenges that growers face with getting and affording workers as a food security issue.

“It’s not just something that’s an afterthought for the few folks that actually are still engaged in agriculture,” he says.

Hollay says this administration has understood the unique challenges facing the agriculture industry when it comes to labor and has committed to solving those challenges. While Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer recently resigned and Keith Sonderling has been named acting secretary, Hollay says he doesn’t see a change in that support with that transition.

Sonderling attended NCAE’s annual meeting to discuss the importance of the interim final rule on the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, which could provide $17 billion in projected relief to growers. Hollay says Sonderling has shown interest in protecting the regulatory investment in ag labor.

“We’re very happy to see Mr. Sonderling in that role and eager to see again the continued work to make sure that the interim final rule gets implemented in the way that it was envisioned and that the rest of the agencies that support the Department of Labor in its work in the H-2A program,” Hollay says.

He adds that the industry awaits the publishing of the final rule to codify the updates to the program to provide some clarity on the rule moving forward.

“We had a program that was broken for so long,” Hollay says. “So, getting a more reasonable wage back in place is something that’s critical.”

He says growers using the H-2A program have questions about this interim final rule and are seeking guidance on how to move forward with the publishing of the final rule.

“It’s really to bring the certainty that our members need as they’re trying to navigate this space,” he says. “[One] of things that the rule did was make it more affordable and more attractive to a lot of folks that haven’t used the H-2A program before.”

Also top of mind for many using the H-2A program is federal-level legislative relief. Hollay says House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson has indicated a focus on passing the farm bill before working on legislative relief, which will hopefully happen soon. Hollay says it’s critical that some sort of federal reform gets passed to help provide certainty for the future of U.S. agriculture.

“We’ve been operating under the 2018 farm bill and obviously had some fixes in the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ so we know we need that,” Hollay says. “It’s been 40 years since we’ve had a labor fix. … We’ve got to make sure that the employers know that they’re going to have the workers there that can actually help them take advantage of this updated farm policy.”

Why Hispanic Consumers Are the Future Engine of Produce Growth

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:47:23 GMT

Ruth Villalonga, president and CEO of Villa Communications, says it’s common for marketers across industries to see Hispanic shoppers as a niche — and it’s time to forget this misconception.

“This is a multitrillion-dollar market,” she says. “It is the engine of the economic future of this country. The Hispanic segment of our American consumer is younger. It‘s actually larger. It’s growing faster than any other group. It has a longer spending horizon than the general market.”

Villalonga joined “The Packer Podcast” to offer viewers a sneak peek of a session on the Hispanic shopper, “Billions in the Basket: Engaging the Hispanic Shopper With Fresh,” to be featured Friday, May 29, during the West Coast Produce Expo.

She says what this means for fresh produce is that the Hispanic shopper overindexes not only on grocery spending but also particularly on fresh fruits. Villalonga says Hispanic shoppers also see value and quality as key standards.

“If your strategy does not include them, you have a huge hole in your growth strategy,” she says.

Villalonga says Hispanic shoppers are high-spend decision-makers and heavy food users. Many Latino households cook at home, buy produce multiple times a week and gather with extended family around the table.

“The incremental dollar of growth that you see in that group and that you will see over the next decade is disproportionate when it comes to their habits and their culture and how they spend,” she says.

Villalonga notes that bicultural Latinos show an openness to discovery, trying new brands and identifying equally as 100% Hispanic and 100% American, which she says likely contributes to that experimentation seen in the store perimeter.

“We need to retire this idea that [Hispanic people] are just the hands in the field,” she says. “The data show they are trading up in natural, organic, better-for-you produce, and they’re extremely intentional about quality and flavor.”

And this, Villalonga says, provides retailers an opportunity to understand what Hispanic shoppers truly value and see them as co-creators in storytelling.

“They are heavily moved by a cultural connection and by heritage,” she says. “They have a strong preference for products from their country. For example, they also like the storytelling that connects their food to the roots.”

Villalonga says, for retailers, focusing on storytelling with bilingual experiences and authentic cultural clues is a great way to connect with those shoppers.

“They’re also very heavy digital users, so they overindex on WhatsApp, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram,” she says. “So, using those platforms and those channels to connect authentically will be an important part of how you start thinking about embracing this consumer.”

She says Hispanic shoppers prefer family-run businesses and will reward brands that speak authentically to their values through storytelling.

Villalonga says she’s excited to take the stage at the West Coast Produce Expo and hopes panel attendees understand the significant opportunity the Hispanic shopper provides.

“My hope is that retailers and suppliers walk away seeing the Latino consumer opportunity, not as a specialty add-on campaign, but as part of their default growth plan,” she says.

Reimagining the Produce Playbook for an Omnichannel World

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:19:00 GMT

“There is nothing about 2026 that is what we’ve always done and what we should keep doing,” says Jonna Parker, vice president of the fresh food group at Circana.

Parker, who joined “The Packer Podcast” to give a quarterly update on trends in the fresh produce industry, says the model of growers growing a commodity and then a grocery store marketing and selling that item is antiquated.

“The reality is consumers can discover and buy anything they want, whenever they want,” she says. “In any other consumer industry now, and even in produce, we are finding that digital discovery is vitally important, and e-commerce is important too.”

Parker says it’s time for the fresh produce industry to level up and fill the gap between the way consumers discover and purchase produce and how it is marketed.

“This gap between the way that consumers now discover and the way that other consumer-facing goods strategize about the role of price, availability, discovery is really disrupted right now,” she says.

Price is no longer an in-store and on-shelf discovery. Consumers are discovering produce in very different ways, she says, noting the rise of e-commerce and delivery apps.

“Nine out of 10 U.S. consumers are omnichannel shoppers, so even if they’re not converting online for the final mile of purchase, they’re using those apps as well as retailer apps to check prices, to check promotions in a whole new world,” she says.

Touting produce items for their “freshness” is also no longer a good marketing tactic. Freshness is table stakes, Parker says.

“The consumer is discovering differently in-store, out of store, in more places than ever,” she says. “So, the role of price really is not just a linear concept anymore. And I think it is the responsibility of all members of the supply chain to be smart and strategic on price.”

While consumers still perceive grocery prices are high, produce prices deflated in January and February and are lower than before the pandemic. So, she says, this is an opportunity for the industry to tout the unique value proposition of fresh produce.

Social media can play a critical role in this, too, she says. Parker points to cucumbers and grapes as ways in which both viral social media moments translated to sales data. Potatoes have also been popular on social media posts. Influencers showed how to extend the shelf life of grapes and also how grapes are a perfect snack. With cucumbers, an influencer showed how one cucumber could become several economical meals.

“This was all during a time when the consumer was trying to stretch their dollar more than ever, but we think in dollars and in spreadsheets,” she says. “We think spreading your dollar more than ever meant strategic price and promotion, but to the consumer, it was taking one item and being able to use it in multiple ways.”

She says consumers want information on how to incorporate produce into meals, and she says this is where center-store items have a leg up on produce. Center-store items have real estate on packaging and have spent a lot of time educating consumers on how to use the produce. But with produce, before the era of social media, that education came at the point of sale.

“When you compare price per ounce, price per volume, per eating occasion and serving, produce wins almost over any other thing you could use in its place,” she says. “When you show someone how to take that high-value, good-tasting, great item and use it in all these different ways, like freezing grapes or taking one cucumber and making three or four different salads with other things you have on hand, that’s [what] consumers want. They just needed to be shown.”

Parker says consumers seek out this type of food entertainment, where social media messaging can help show them new and exciting uses for sought-after fresh produce items.

“It’s entertainment at a moment where we need it more than ever,” she says.

And Parker adds that when brands spend on digital and social media messaging, it converts to real sales.

“If you look at almost any other consumer good in 2026, their marketing mix includes digital and social and trade, and the proof is so easy to see: Volume goes up when you digitally target smartly based on occasions and relevance to the right people at the right time,” she says. “All we need to do is do it.”

South Mill Champs' Lewis Macleod on Why Mushroom Automation is No Longer Optional

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 22:35:15 GMT

Mushrooms are a challenging crop to grow, doubling in size every day. There is a fine line between a mushroom that is ready to be picked and one that is past its prime, and this is where the potential for automation comes in, says Lewis Macleod, CEO of South Mill Champs.

Macleod joined “The Packer Podcast” to discuss automation in the mushroom industry.

“The challenge when it comes to picking mushrooms is making sure you pick the mushroom at the right time before it opens but also at the right time so it’s grown to be the optimum size that mushrooms are going to grow,” he says. “The challenge of growing mushrooms is every mushroom is different.”

He says it’s a fine line between the optimum time to pick a mushroom and one with gills that have opened and flattened out and has become too mature.

“Once it’s opened, the value of that crop is 20% to 25% of what it was beforehand,” he says. “The value of a product that’s become mature is below the cost to grow. So, it’s fundamental that you pick that crop at the right time. If you don’t have the labor, you’re really out of business.”

It’s this distinction between the optimum time to pick and too late that requires an incredibly skilled workforce.

“One of the challenges you have in the industry is this is not an unskilled labor job,” he says. “This is a job that requires nine, often 12, weeks of training to really require dexterity, and it’s also a repetitive job. It’s also a very difficult job.”

Labor is also a costly portion of growing mushrooms, he says, which can vary between 30% and 50%, and there’s also the ergonomics of picking, which can be harder for workers depending on the type of growing system.

While labor has been abundant in the U.S. in the last 20 to 30 years, it’s been a greater challenge in Canada and Europe, which has forced mushroom growers to modernize both infrastructure and automation.

Automation, Macleod says, increases efficiency and therefore helps reduce the overall cost of goods, which he says is critical as mushrooms compete against different commodities to fill consumers’ shopping carts.

“It’s simple math: When you’ve got labor as such a high percentage of your cost of goods and labor inflation exists, the cost of your product is increasing greater than maybe some of the competitive products that mushrooms compete against there on the shelf space,” he says. “This need to automate is really to allow it to compete against its alternative price on the shelf space.”

Macleod says the potential with artificial intelligence and machine learning with automation is high. Not only can automation allow for more fine-tuned picking of a bed more than once, but the robots will also pick continuously, which will boost quality.

“The opportunity to improve yield is really, really important when it comes to quality,” he says. “The great thing here is you can ensure the specification of what you committed to that customer is what goes into the pack.”

And coupled with cold-chain technology, the mushroom can be stored at the optimum temperature to provide the best product to the end consumer.

For the U.S. mushroom industry to reap those benefits, Macleod says, many growers need to upgrade to more modern production styles that are essentially more robot-ready. In Europe and Canada, more than 90% of growers use the Dutch production style, whereas in the U.S., that number is around 25% to 30%.

“There’s this transition that has to happen within the U.S. — to transition from old infrastructure to new infrastructure, to allow automation to happen in the U.S.,” he says.

Kam Quarles on the Path Toward Economic Recovery for Specialty Crops

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 06:25:31 GMT

It’s a challenging time for the specialty crop industry, says National Potato Council’s CEO Kam Quarles, who is one of four co-chairs of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance. Quarles joined “The Packer Podcast” to recap a week of visits on Capitol Hill with more than 100 potato growers from across the country.

“I think everyone is very focused on meeting with their members of Congress, explaining the environment right now, why it’s so dire, and then hearing from those House and Senate members: What’s the timing on an economic relief plan? What does it look like? What’s the size of it? How, ultimately, is that going to get out to family farms to keep them in business, hopefully, to get past this really ugly period?” he says.

And, of course, Quarles says another big part of the conversation was of the draft of the farm bill, which has now moved out of committee. He adds that discussions, markups and everything that goes along with getting a bill through the legislative process are key steps.

“If you never have a markup, you’re not going to get to the president’s desk,” he says.

Quarles points to the significant representation of specialty crops in this new iteration of the farm bill, commending House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson for working with the specialty crop industry to ensure it has representation in the farm bill. Quarles says this is in part due to the work of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance.

“Over the last 20 years, specialty crops, the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry, has gone from really nonexistent in the farm bill to one of the fastest-growing players in the farm bill, and really one of the most valuable connections directly back to consumers from the production ag side of the farm bill,” he says.

Of the highlights of this farm bill, Quarles says, is language on how the USDA sets up economic relief for specialty crop growers and the understanding that it’s different from row crop growers.

“Specialty crops are different than program crops, and why reinvent the wheel? Just rinse and repeat,” he says. “Make sure the programs that have worked, that have kept family farms in business — reload them with new resources, and you get it out the door efficiently.”

Quarles also points to provisions in this new farm bill for whole-farm revenue insurance for specialty crop growers and funding set aside for research on mechanization to help bring the specialty crop industry into the future.

And it’s that future, Quarles says, that the farm bill needs to look toward.

“We need a reauthorized farm bill right now that is looking not only at our current circumstances but [also] hopefully 10 years out in the future,” he says. “This is an incredibly competitive world that we are in. Our producers are feeling it, and they need tools that empower their competitiveness rather than kind of hold them back to an end, to a world that really doesn’t exist anymore.”

Quarles says this farm bill is long overdue, as this current economic crisis facing farmers is more of a perfect storm. Take inflation, rising input costs from overseas imports, ag labor challenges and layer in nearly perfect weather conditions, which created a larger crop, and you have a recipe for disaster.

“You have a larger-than-average crop that was very expensive to produce, and then you have consumers on the other side who are pulling back on some of their purchases — they’re seeing a more volatile world — and so, demand has been shrinking, and all of these have caused this collision, where, for potatoes, just in the russet variety alone, we’re looking at potentially half a billion dollars in grower losses,” he says. “The American Farm Bureau did an analysis of all of the varieties of potatoes out there. They’re estimating roughly $780 million in grower losses this year, and so extrapolate that out across all of the specialty crops, and the gravity of this crisis comes into focus pretty, pretty quickly.”

Quarles says while many may point to tax changes that could provide growers relief, in the meantime, growers are still farming with the same challenges they’ve faced but now with much tighter margins.

“We’re dealing with the present, and out in the future, those policies are going to take effect; if family farms go bankrupt in that interim, none of those policy improvements are going to impact them,” he says. “They’re out of the game, and that’s exactly what we want to avoid. That’s why this economic relief program is so important to deliver it efficiently, to keep those really valuable family farms in the game until better times are realized.”

Why You Should Nominate a Frontline Hero for Farmworker of the Year

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:00:24 GMT

“Farmworkers are the backbone of the agricultural industry,” says Alexandra Martinez, senior digital marketing and sales associate with the Equitable Food Initiative.

Martinez joined “The Packer Podcast” for a special episode to highlight EFI and The Packer’s third annual Farmworker of the Year Award. The nomination period closes Friday, Feb. 27.

Martinez says while many awards highlight suppliers, retailers and marketers, EFI saw a real need to celebrate farmworkers.

“The journey of fresh produce — of the fruits and vegetables that we have on our tables — not only starts with farmworkers, but it also depends on their specialized skills, knowledge and labor,” she says. “We wanted to give them the space to be recognized, to be cheered and to learn more about their stories, their passions, their knowledge and even their careers.”

Every worker nominated will get a certificate and recognition. Martinez says in previous years, companies of these workers have made it a point to celebrate the recognition. Past winners often comment about the teamwork it takes on the farm and also mention the importance of their colleagues, bosses and families. She says most are just thankful to be recognized.

“It’s just really sweet to see how thankful they are for everything,” Martinez adds.

What Makes a Good Nomination?

Anyone in the fresh produce industry can nominate a farmworker throughout North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Workers must be in the same role for two years or more.

Information is also available in Spanish and English at equitablefood.org/fwoy .

Martinez says any details provided can help paint a picture of why a farmworker is deserving of the award.

“Don’t be shy about writing a super-long nomination, because that’s really what we want,” she says. “We want a lot of details about skills that they have learned, milestones at work. … Those little details are the ones that are key for those final decisions.”

She says there are examples of past nominations that EFI earmarked as being particularly descriptive and helpful.

“We had some examples with some of the farmworkers who volunteered to teach co-workers how to drive or learn a third or second language,” she says. “And those are the skills we want to know, because that allows us to understand a little more, not only the environment where they are working but also to see a little more about the kind of person they are.”

As far as the nomination process, Martinez says it’s fairly straightforward with a few questions to answer. One key part of the nomination is to include a photo, as EFI will celebrate all nominees.

“Even if they don’t win or even if they are not the finalists, they’re going to be highlighted through social media with #FarmWorkerFriday,” Martinez says. “We’re always finding ways to highlight the people, the farmworkers, the frontline workers and people at your organization.”

Even if someone at a farm isn’t the one responsible for submitting a nomination, Martinez encourages everyone to spread the word to make sure those who can nominate someone do.

“This is the third year, and we want to keep doing that next year,” she says. “We really need your support, your nominations. We’re really looking forward to seeing who’s going to be the winner this year.”

Tamara Muruetagoiena on Building a Unified Roadmap for Sustainability for Fresh Produce

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:46:37 GMT

For a long time, the fresh produce industry was in a definition loop when it came to sustainability, and that noticeably hindered progress, says Tamara Muruetagoiena, vice president of sustainability for the International Fresh Produce Association.

Muruetagoiena joined “The Packer Podcast” to discuss the association’s work in developing the Global Fresh Produce and Floral Sustainability Framework , the challenges with bringing all stakeholders to the table and the benefits a framework will have for the industry.

It’s important the industry has a common language and is on the same page with sustainability, she explains.

“That common language is so needed right now, because for the longest time we’ve acted very focused on the different commodities and were very, very fragmented,” Muruetagoiena says. “It didn’t help anybody in the sustainability space.”

That alignment of language will help the industry better communicate the work already being done, she adds.

“We are the most sustainable industry in the world,” Muruetagoiena says. “Yet nobody knows about this. Well, that needs to stop. So, if we don’t have a common voice, how are we’re going to, you know, tell the world about this? We need to have a clarity for ourselves, where we are and where we’re going.”

Part of where the industry is going is within this framework, which focuses on five pillars: packaging, regenerative agriculture, food loss and waste, social responsibility, and climate change.

“It will give companies the opportunity to have a blueprint and then a North Star for their work on sustainability, on any part of sustainability,” she says.

Muruetagoiena says it was important to start on this framework with growers while also bringing retailers and other stakeholders into the conversation. She says it was clear that the industry needed, within this framework, definitions, outlines, key performance indicators and tools already in existence that can help growers meet this framework. IFPA plans to roll out the framework during its Global Produce and Floral Show in October.

Audit fatigue, she says, is a significant bottleneck in the industry as retailers seek to carve out a unique sustainability path that is a differentiator from competitors. However, this leads to many requirements and data for growers who have already put forth a lot of effort in meeting sustainability goals. She adds this is why the industry needs a framework and agreement to get all stakeholders on the same page.

“We need to create systems for the entire industry, and we need to have industrywide conversations, and we need to have everybody at the table,” Muruetagoiena says. “It’s also extremely difficult to accomplish, because they’re all very different companies. They all have their goals, but we need to come to an agreement. It’s not going to come easy.”

First, growers will need to be prepared for a sustainability audit. Muruetagoiena says much like food safety audits, sustainability audits will be necessary, though she tempers the idea of an additional audit with the understanding that the industry will need to streamline the process so it is not too onerous for growers.

“The grower community needs to agree that, yes, they will have to be certified for sustainability, and they’re so close to that,” she says. “There will be an effort there, and that effort is not to be taken lightly, so it will be significant.”

Then, Muruetagoiena says retailers also need to meet growers at a place where a standard certification, like the Consumer Goods Forum, would be accepted and not added to more requirements.

“I think that retailer community needs to acknowledge that work and stop their requirements after there’s a certification that is benchmarked against a system that they recognize,” she says.

Muruetagoiena says while it’s natural for some in the fresh produce industry to be skeptical of this effort, this framework is needed and will help ease any friction between retailers and growers in meeting sustainability requirements.

“I think the industry is really ready to find a solution,” she says. “They were really tired of the retailer requirements in the producer community, and the retailers are also sometimes tired of producers saying, ‘No, we can’t do this. This is too difficult.’ So, if there’s more of an industry-type agreement, I think everybody’s going to benefit.”

How Molly Pop Harnesses Nostalgia for Modern Marketing

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 21:06:49 GMT

Molly Pop Grape and Citrus Co. isn’t a traditional produce marketer. John Cymbal, the company’s co-founder and chief marketing officer , says the company doesn’t even look at produce as competition but instead at snacks in general.

“From Day 1, the goal was never to compete with the grapes next to us or other produce for that matter,” he says. “It was to compete with the things in your cart that weren’t grapes.”

Cymbal joins “The Packer Podcast” to talk about how Molly Pop approaches produce marketing from a different perspective. He says it’s drawing on the nostalgia of childhood sweets. People don’t eat produce because it’s healthy, he adds; people flock to produce because it tastes good and it brings joy.

“We leaned hard with Molly Pop with the flavor and the crunch and that nostalgia of candy,” he says. “Because our produce tastes like candy, it just echoes all that joy. And we’re not trying to leave the produce aisle with any of this. We’re trying to take a share back from the snack aisle.”

Cymbal says building brand awareness and loyalty in the produce department can be a bit of a challenge, but he says it begins with an experience.

“Those emotional connections are so key, and they’re very hard to get,” he says. “But building emotions with connections through consistency and delight in everything that we offer. You have to have that consistency, always be giving them some delight, to engage them, to excite them. ... What we’re striving to do is when you grab that pink bag, you’re picking up a promise that that’s what’s going to be in there.”

Cymbal says that the seasonality of fresh produce offers marketers an opportunity to create buzz and excitement, much like clothing and shoe companies that offer limited-time drops.

“Produce is inherently limited-edition,” he says. “Which is awesome. Every harvest is a moment. How do we capitalize on that? Every variety has a window, and we just decided to market it honestly, like culture does. When we have our availability calendar, those are all moments to engage, to get people excited. And those moments start with a moment by creating stories that back them up.”

Cymbal says these “curated picks” of fresh produce offer consumers quality and a flavor experience they can expect in every bag.

“That’s the edge of produce,” he says. “Because we are inherently limited-edition. ... Our grapes or produce becomes emotional when it stops being a commodity and it really starts to be a moment.”

And as for how Cymbal and his team work with retailers to bring Molly Pop into stores in a produce department that already offers grapes, he says the conversation is around repeat behavior.

“I try to tell them in one way or another that we’re not selling grapes, we’re not selling citrus, we’re not selling juice — we’re selling repeat behavior,” he says. “We’re giving your store a destination that guarantees what’s in this particular slot is going to be bright, bold, fresh and beautiful.”

And while many consumers might come to a produce department to buy a standard red, green or black grape, that’s not the ideal Molly Pop customer.

“We’re looking for a consumer who wants something new, fresh, innovative; it makes you want to come back for more,” Cymbal says. “That’s what we’re pushing for every single time. We want consistently people to come in. We want people to crave it. We want people to think about it and to have, you know, Molly Pop as that destination for all of that.”

Why the Industry Needs to Focus on Produce Pounds Not Just Dollars

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 01:15:05 GMT

The days of circular ads driving sales is over says Jonna Parker, vice president of the fresh food group at Circana. Shoppers have changed, and because shoppers have changed, that means the industry needs to change its approach to how it sells produce.

“We’re not going back to the days where people are just opening up their circular ad and circling and then going to one grocery store that has not been the way we’ve shopped as Americans for many years,” she says.

Parker joined “The Packer Podcast” to share some of Circana’s latest findings from its “Future of” survey. She says the overall outlook for the produce industry looks good, with a 2.5% dollar increase year-over-year and the produce retail sector to hit $101 billion this year. And while those dollar figures make the fresh produce industry a formidable force of growth, Parker says the growth trajectory for pounds sold isn’t quite as strong. She says Circana projects only a 1% growth in pounds year-over-year.

“When you expect stronger growth, and certainly in the last year, produce didn’t always grow as fast, especially in pound volume, especially in dollar sales, as other departments, like the deli prepared space, the frozen food space, the beverages aisle and the big story of 2025 was all about protein,” she says. “This year, being a 2.5% is certainly something we can high-five about. But gosh, shouldn’t it be bigger?”

While pounds are a major metric for produce industry businesses, Parker says, dollars are obviously a critical part of a retailer’s financial outlook, so the two are always linked.

“If you’re a retailer, marketer, grower, shipper, brand or manufacturer, dollars are also important,” she says. “Because, especially if you’re a retailer, selling more pounds at a low loss leader doesn’t help you make your profit numbers.”

Parker, too, says price is another part of the equation with dollars and volume. Disruptions in the fresh produce supply chain can cause numbers to go up and down, while dollars and volume more closely correlate to supply.

“I’m not here to say that we should stop doing as advanced forecasting and supply as we have, but I think what I’ve often found in produce is the best place to explain this is demand is as important as supply,” she says.

She points to the dramatic change in shoppers’ behavior as more young shoppers move away from traditional grocery stores to buy produce.

“Grocery is now only about 40% to 45% of sales for U.S. produce,” she says. “When we did our survey work, many consumers, especially under the age 40, list non-grocery channel retailers as their favorite place to buy produce and give them tons of high marks on things like quality and freshness and healthy options and snacking.”

So, the focus needs to turn to “who is buying what, where and when,” Parker adds. She says building demand is critical for the fresh produce industry. Consumers get inundated with information through social media and other mediums. This digital age has changed consumer expectations and how consumers see produce.

“Produce is no longer a commodity,” she says. “A commodity implies there are no other choices. You have to buy this. But there are many other choices.”

And, consumers are no longer in a silo, she says, referencing the days of a circular ad driving sales. Consumers might research online and buy in store. Consumers might buy online. Consumers might also see product placement in a store that drives a sale.

“Where strategy is going to show a separation and results in this back half of the decade is to recognize the companies, whether they be retailers or suppliers, that are recognizing that consumers have needs and demands, and that when we understand that so much more with whatever we’re selling, that’s really going to help us stand out from the competition,” Parker says.

Peter O'Driscoll on EFI's Bold Stakeholder Strategy to Unlock Systems Change

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:37:43 GMT

Peter O’Driscoll, executive director of the Equitable Food Initiative, says his outlook on working with organizations and people with often differing perspectives has changed over time.

“In my younger days, I did a lot of work in advocacy, and advocacy is typically about telling people what they’re doing wrong and what they should do differently,” he says. “At this point in my life, I would say there’s really no point in trying to argue with stakeholders or to convince them to change their positions. So EFI starts from the premise that stakeholder interests are legitimate, even if they are totally opposite and opposed.”

O’Driscoll joined “The Packer Podcast” to share how EFI’s approach to bringing all stakeholders to the table can enact real change.

“What we’ve discovered is that when companies engage and listen to their workers, they do better on things like recruitment and retention,” he says. They become more productive; they become better suppliers. That helps them build business with their customers.”

And O’Driscoll says it’s more than likely those stakeholders disagree on about 90%, but he says, it’s that 10% that overlaps where the opportunities are.

“If you can keep folks focused on the small space where those interests overlap and build trust and build collaboration, you can begin to move out into deeper and more lasting forms of collaboration,” he says.

As for successes in this collaborative approach, O’Driscoll points to his work with Good Farms. As a major retailer looked to build out an EFI certification program, Andrew Williamson, owner of Good Farms, agreed to work with EFI to help build out this certification. And, Good Farms has continued to work with EFI on all of its new initiatives, O’Driscoll says, from greenhouse gas reduction programs to documenting and accrediting agricultural skills.

“What I would say about them is having certified all of their operations, they are really reaping the benefits of a much more engaged and motivated workforce,” O’Driscoll says. “And I hear that from their customers. I hear that from their retail customers. I hear it from farm management, but perhaps from my perspective, most importantly, I hear that from workers when I visit their operations, when they talk about how things have changed over time, on their operations and especially when newer workers compare that workplace culture to other places where they have worked.”

O’Driscoll also talked about how an Los Angeles Times article in 2014 helped spur on the Ethical Charter Implementation Program. He says following a joint effort in the produce industry, the charter was published in 2018. But, he says, advocacy communities criticized the Ethical Charter because it lacked input from labor.

“When the charter was published in 2018, EFI came out, and I think we were among the very few organizations that actually applauded and celebrated the publication,” he says. “And we immediately went to our retail partners, the folks with whom we worked on certification and said: ‘There’s a lot of good stuff in this charter, but how are you going to know which of your suppliers and their growers are actually upholding the principles of this charter? In practice, you have no way of knowing that, and that’s where your risk lies.’ And to their credit, those retail buyers agreed and accepted that there was risk, and that’s when they agreed to work with us on developing an implementation program.”

And O’Driscoll says the spirit of the ECIP is to help suppliers along a journey of continuous improvement.

“It doesn’t have a set of standards,” he says. “It’s a capacity building program, not a compliance test. And that means that even an employer who’s really struggling to implement effective labor management systems can demonstrate engagement and improvement over time. The whole premise of the program is it’s not difficult to embrace continuous improvement if you’re willing to be honest and open about what your starting point is because this ESIP lab software platform will actually guide you through the steps you need to strengthen those management systems over time.