Search - The Packer

Rarely has the produce industry less predictable than it is now.

Dole, Western Growers, Imperfect Foods and other industry members are donating food and equipment, and offering services directly targeted to easing hardships during the pandemic.

Delving into the detail of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, Robert Guenther visited April 21 with The Packer’s Tom Karst.

Companies awarded contracts through the USDA’s Buy Fresh program will be boxing the produce themselves to distribute to food banks, and the program is expected to last for six months at $100 million in produce a month.

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, Nogales, Ariz., is recognizing the efforts of its members to keep food moving through the supply chain during the pandemic.

Produce companies and allied industries continue to respond to the need for fresh produce, monetary donations and other resources at charitable organizations across the country as the pandemic continues.

The School Nutrition Association and United Fresh are partnering to connect produce distributors to school foodservice directors looking for single-serve, wrapped produce as part of meal distributions.

The Florida agriculture department has added an interactive map and other updates to its website that links growers to consumers during the pandemic.

Produce companies are finding new ways to distribute food during the pandemic, as well as changing plans in the face of how the consumers are buying food now.

California vegetable growers will plant reduced acreage in the next few months because of big declines in foodservice demand related to the COVID-19 pandemic.