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After 30 years of service to Harris Teeter and a total of 47 years in the industry, Mark Hilton, vice president of produce merchandising, has announced he will retire on Nov. 30 of this year.

In the third quarter of 2022 retail fresh produce organic sales rose 4.1%, but volume was off 4.5% compared with the same period a year ago, according to a new report from Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.

A proposed initial strategic plan for the Avocado Sustainability Center was unanimously approved by the Hass Avocado Committee and the Mission Viejo, Calif.-based Hass Avocado Board Sept. 21 at an HAB meeting.

Established in 2021, San-Antonio-based Esscalo America may be a newcomer among the ranks of U.S. produce suppliers, but the company offers a couple of products that have set it apart from the competition.

Retail sales were on the rise during the spring holidays this year, according to a recap issued in October by the Mission Viejo, Calif.-based Hass Avocado Board.

For many years, retail organic sales seemed to increase at a minimum of 10% every year. Times change and the winds of inflation and worries about the economy are slowing the momentum toward organics.

Organic growers and marketers are facing the vice of higher input costs on one side and the desire to limit price increases for customers on the other.

Coral Gables, Fla.-based Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is going large with its newest pineapple product, according to a news release.

In the fresh produce industry, there’s a track record built with knowledge, trust and faith in one another, says columnist Armand Lobato.

Grocery inflation is hot now, but USDA economists are predicting a big chill in 2023.