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Virtual tours and demos, an online wine auction and food box donations enabled the fresh produce industry to response to the realities caused by the pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has paid out $53 million of the $2.1 billion allotted for specialty crops through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

When COVID-19 arrived in March, the students and the salad bars in school cafeterias disappeared.

Shay Myers, CEO of Parma, Idaho-based Owyhee Produce, is The Packer’s 2020 Produce Man of the Year. The Packer “presented” the award in a video presentation during United Fresh LIVE! on June 17.

The USDA is offering contracts for its massive food box program to companies that were passed over in the first round of contracts for technical errors, such as a missed signature or unchecked box.

A dozen groups representing state and regional apple growers has asked the USDA to reconsider its method of determining direct payments for apple losses through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Maitland, has cancelled its 2020 convention because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 crisis may have quieted the conversations on sustainable packaging, but the future of the sector is as strong as ever, according to panelists at a Produce Marketing Association’s Virtual Town Hall.

Losses suffered by apple and potato growers have not been fairly considered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, according to groups that represent the growers.

While a rocky economy and heavy dependence on migrant labor during the COVID-19 are big concerns, global produce industry leaders at the closing general session of United Fresh LIVE! also cited reasons for optimism.