Lettuce

Broadband is Transforming How an Arizona County Uses Ag Tech

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:03:26 GMT

Imagine a future where autonomous tractors navigate the roads and fields as farmers give commands from miles away. This future also allows farmers to optimize water usage. Precision and efficiency take on entirely new meanings. A county in Arizona is working to make that future a reality.

The dry, hot, sand-colored landscape of Yuma County, Ariz., sprinkled with fields of bright green lettuce, is getting a boost from high-speed internet.

Today, farming is a matter of precision. With better internet comes better precision. According to the Association of Equipment Management , precision agriculture adoption leads to a 5% increase in crop farming productivity, a 5% reduction in water use and a 7% reduction in fuel consumption.

Turning the “Winter Lettuce Capital” into a Global High-Tech Testing Hub

Known as the “ Winter Lettuce Capital of the World ,” the Middle Mile Fiber Network and broadband system will bring better internet. This will ultimately help farmers implement the latest technology. Like roots from a plant, underground fibers now stretch throughout the county connected to 32 broadband towers that reach to the sky.

“It is exciting; there’s been a lot of products and things [such as water sensors] that I’ve wanted to do out on the farm, but without the ability to have permanent or productive internet services, I’ve been reluctant,” says Mike Pasquinelli, a local farmer and president of the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association .

Yuma produces about 90% of the leafy greens for the U.S. in the winter. They’re hoping with the broadband system more companies will be attracted to test technology in Yuma.

“In our intense agricultural system we have the ability to farm year-round, so there’s a lot of advantages for companies to come in, test new products and develop new products,” Pasquinelli says.

Broadband Network is Fueling Yuma’s High-Tech Agricultural Future

From autonomous drones and tractors to water monitoring, the broadband system will allow agriculture to connect.

“Farming is not the farming of yesterday. This is not your mom and pops farm,” says Jonathan Lines , a Yuma County supervisor who helped get the project up and running. “This is a high-tech business for food production here in the United States.”

When it comes to herbicide and pesticide applications, the broadband system will allow for farmers to apply a much smaller droplet using a drone rather than an airplane or helicopter. Tractor and tech updates can be made in the field instead of having to be taken out of production and connected to a computer.

“It is a large game changer for our community as well as our county. If we want more sensors and more automation, we need the bandwidth to do it,” Pasquinelli says.

Gov. Hobbs Backs Broadband Network to Modernize Arizona Agriculture

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is in full support of the broadband network. In November 2025, Gov. Hobbs visited Yuma for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and to sign two bills. SB1320 and SB1661 are both meant to help support the project in some capacity:

SB 1320 updated the legal definition of “implements of husbandry,” otherwise known as farm equipment, to include autonomous equipment. This allows for the autonomous farm equipment like tractors to drive short distances on public roads.
SB 1661 created a legal structure for the broadband service district authority. This authority would be in charge of things such as facilitating the expansion and maintenance of broadband infrastructure.

Pasquinelli says these bills, along with the broadband project, will be helpful for Yuma farmers as they continue to navigate this technological boom. When the broadband network and autonomous technology are in full force, they can help Yuma farmers address labor challenges.

“The farm workforce is aging, and it’s more and more difficult to get labor out of Mexico, so automation is going to be really key as the workforce diminishes,” says Paul Brierly , director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture .

$6 Million Broadband Project Hopes to Attract Younger Workforce

The broadband network might also be able to solve the aging workforce by attracting more university students. Brierly believes with the research and investment tied to the network, along with Yuma’s landscape, it can be a hot spot for young scholastic minds.

“With climate change, more of the world is having to produce food in arid climates, so what we solve in Yuma County, and in Arizona, will apply and be useful all around the world,” he explains.

The project is set to cost around $6 million and the broadband network is expected to be up and running by the end of summer in August.

“Not only does that allow Yuma County farmers to use the latest technology but also this is going to be the most connected production area in the world,” Brierly says.

How Little Leaf Farms Mastered the Disciplined Model for Indoor Ag Dominance

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 22:08:05 GMT

For Paul Sellew, founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms, innovation isn’t about chasing the next tech play. It’s about something far more grounded: building a better system. While some in the indoor farming space have prioritized rapid growth, Sellew has steered Little Leaf toward a more disciplined model, proving the key to a sustainable food future lies in perfecting the fundamentals of how we grow, harvest and distribute every little leaf.

Discipline is critical in the indoor ag space, which has grappled with challenges from high energy costs to difficulty scaling to pests to intense market competition. All the while, Little Leaf Farms has quietly built a revolution to become North America’s top producer of indoor-grown lettuce.

The Devens, Mass.-based greenhouse grower seems to have cracked the code on scaling sustainability — earning a spot on Fast Company’s 2026 World’s Most Innovative Companies list and capturing over 50% of the indoor leafy green market in the process.

“We believe that innovation isn’t about chasing technology for its own sake,” Sellew says. “Rather, it’s about building a better system for growing and delivering fresh food. From the beginning, we’ve focused on fulfilling the original promise of controlled environment agriculture: fresher, more sustainable greens produced with consistency and strong unit economics.

“That means integrating advanced greenhouse technology with a disciplined operating model,” Sellew continues. “We’ve taken a continuous improvement approach to the fundamentals — how we grow, harvest and distribute — and have been constantly refining the system as we scale. In a category where others prioritized speed, we’ve stayed focused on building a model that works and keeps getting better over time.”

Sellew says the approach has enabled Little Leaf to expand into new markets, introduce new products and grow its footprint in a way that’s both sustainable and profitable.

Doing More With Less

Indoor ag operates in a dynamic macroeconomic environment, where cost pressures and efficiency matter more than ever.

For Paul Sellew, founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms, innovation isn’t about chasing the next tech play. It’s about something far more grounded: building a better system.

(Photo courtesy of Little Leaf Farms)

“That’s reinforced our focus on disciplined execution — continuing to improve yields, reduce waste and optimize our supply chain so we can deliver high-quality greens at a competitive price,” Sellew says.

Through its controlled environment model, Little Leaf Farms says it uses 90% less water than traditional farming, eliminates chemical runoff and produces up to 30 times the yield of field-grown lettuce.

And given the fresh produce industry’s highly competitive fight for share of stomach, product innovation is another important driver of growth for Little Leaf Farms.

“Our introduction of teen leaf romaine, something that hadn’t been commercially grown in a greenhouse before, is a good example of how we’re expanding what’s possible in CEA,” he says.

Extending an Empire of Fresh

Since its founding in 2015, Little Leaf Farms has set out to redefine the packaged salad category through its year-round greenhouse model that harvests daily and delivers to grocers in as little as 24 hours.

It’s a business model that has Little Leaf Farms driving change versus adapting to it.

“We’re fundamentally changing expectations around fresh produce. For decades, leafy greens have been impacted by weather, long transit times and food safety concerns — all of which can lead to inconsistent quality and shelf life,” Sellew says. “By growing year-round in a controlled environment and delivering to stores within 24 hours of harvest, we’ve shown there’s a better way, where freshness, safety and reliability become the standard, not the exception.”

At the same time, Sellew says Little Leaf is laser focused on adapting to how the market is evolving.

(Photo courtesy of Little Leaf Farms)

“Consumer expectations are shifting toward fresher, longer-lasting products and increasingly toward online grocery shopping, where consistency and shelf life matter even more,” he says. “Our model is well-suited to meet those needs, and we continue to refine how we package, distribute and position our products to align with those behaviors.”

To support this business strategy, the greenhouse grower has advanced its expansion plans in the past year with a new 215-acre site in Manchester, Tenn., initially slated for 40 acres of greenhouse space with an option to grow to 80 acres. The company also broadened its footprint with an additional greenhouse at its McAdoo, Pa., campus and introduced a new product innovation: Romaine Leaf Lettuce.

Expanding operations to additional sites has helped Little Leaf Farms bring fresh greens closer to more consumers across the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest, while further flexing its scalability muscles.

“One of the biggest lessons from McAdoo is the importance of building systems that scale without sacrificing consistency,” Sellew says. “Our experience successfully designing and operating four 10-acre greenhouses in Pennsylvania has given us both the confidence and the operational foundation to take the next step with our first 20-acre facility in Tennessee. We’re applying those learnings from day one, from greenhouse design and automation to workflow optimization.

“Just as important is our approach to building teams,” he continues. “With each new greenhouse, we carry forward key learnings by transferring experienced leaders from existing facilities while also hiring and developing local talent. That combination helps us maintain our standards while building strong, regionally rooted teams.”

Sellew says the goal is to replicate what works and continue to improve it, so the company scales in a way that stays true to the model it has built.

Expansion also helps Little Leaf deliver on its 24- to 36-hour harvest-to-shelf promise.

“Proximity is a big part of our strategy,” Sellew says. “By building greenhouses closer to the regions we serve, we’re able to maintain that freshness standard even as we grow.

“We continue to invest in logistics, forecasting and supply chain coordination to ensure we’re moving product as efficiently as possible,” he continues. “It’s less about any single breakthrough and more about tightly integrating operations from greenhouse to shelf so the system works seamlessly at scale.”

An Eye to Future Growth

Sellew says making Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026 underscores what innovation in agriculture can achieve. But how does a company like Little Leaf sustain the No. 1 spot as the largest indoor leafy greens producer in North America, while continuing to innovate and expand?

“Growing remains at the core of everything we do,” Sellew says. “If we continue to improve how we grow, I believe that market leadership follows from that.

“Innovation for us is continuous,” he adds. “It shows up in new varieties, operational improvements and how we scale into new regions without compromising quality. We’re also exploring new product offerings that feature our leafy greens, creating more ways for consumers to experience the brand. The goal isn’t just to grow bigger — it’s to raise the bar as we grow.”

Moving forward, Sellew sees significant opportunity to expand both geographically and within households.

“Over the next several years, our focus is on thoughtful scaling — adding capacity, strengthening retail partnerships and continuing to grow the category overall,” he says. “We’re always working toward our long-term ambition: to become the No. 1 lettuce brand in the country. We believe controlled environment agriculture will play a much larger role in the U.S. food system, and we intend to lead that shift.”

Salad Days Completes 68K-Square-Foot Hydroponic Greenhouse Expansion in Mississippi

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 19:09:35 GMT

Regional grower Salad Days has reached full operational capacity at its new 68,000-square-foot hydroponic facility in Flora, Miss. The Mississippi-based company says the completion of this controlled-environment site positions it as one of the Southeast’s largest regional suppliers of greenhouse-grown lettuce.

“Our focus has always been on delivering a consistent, high-quality product our customers can depend on,” says Leigh Bailey, president of Salad Days . “This facility is a big step forward for Salad Days, allowing us to scale that commitment while maintaining reliable supply, freshness and responsiveness across the region.”

The facility in the Flora Industrial Park officially opened March 17. Using Prospiant greenhouse systems and FGM moving-table automation, the operation is capable of producing up to 3 million heads of lettuce annually for distribution across the Southeast.

State and local officials attending the opening event included Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, USDA Mississippi Director Dane Maxwell, Madison County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Joey Deason and Flora Mayor Les Childress.

The new greenhouse significantly expands Salad Days’ production capacity and enables year-round supply of hydroponic lettuce varieties for foodservice operators and grocery retailers across Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.

Product from the Flora operation is now shipping daily to restaurants, food service distributors and regional and national grocery chains.

(Photo courtesy of Salad Days)

The facility uses controlled environment agriculture to deliver pesticide-free leafy greens while maintaining consistent production regardless of seasonal conditions.

“This expansion moves us from a niche grower to a scaled regional supplier,” Bailey says. “Demand from chefs and retailers across the Southeast has outpaced what we could produce for years. With this facility fully online, we can finally deliver the volume the market has been asking for.”

Product from the Flora operation is now shipping daily to restaurants, foodservice distributors and regional and national grocery chains.

The project received support from the city of Flora; the Madison County Economic Development Authority; the Mississippi Land, Water and Timber Board; the Mississippi Development Authority; and USDA.

Deason says the investment further strengthens Madison County’s growing specialty food manufacturing and agriculture cluster, commenting, “Facilities like this demonstrate that advanced agriculture can thrive in Mississippi.”

Additionally, Gipson notes the project reflects increasing diversification within the state’s agricultural sector.

“A facility of this scale producing fresh food for the Southeast highlights Mississippi’s leadership in agricultural innovation,” he says.

Bengard Ranch Adds Sales Executive

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:42:59 GMT

Vegetable grower-shipper Bengard Ranch says it has hired Christian Bengard as a sales executive to further its retail reach and label recognition across the U.S. and Canada.

“It’s exciting to see the next generation carry on this family business,” says Steve Koran, vice president of sales. “Christian has a strong reputation in the industry and will be a valuable asset to the team for years to come.”

A third-generation family member, the company says Bengard has long aspired to work for the family business, which has been rooted in California’s Salinas Valley agriculture since the late 1850s. He brings more than six years of produce sales experience from Well-Pict/Gem-Pack, along with years of exposure within the fresh produce industry.

“The most rewarding part of this role is being able to connect with people who understand and appreciate the agricultural community,” Bengard says. “I look forward to not only working with the family business but also continuing to build relationships within this industry.”

In this role, which began Jan. 10, the company says Bengard will be supporting sales, business development and product management with a focus on building customer relationships, activating commercial growth initiatives and contributing to strategic advancements across key markets.

“We’re pleased to welcome Christian into the sales office,” says Ken Silveira, president of Bengard Ranch. “His perspective as part of the next generation of the family will play an important role as we continue building on the strong foundation the Bengard family has already established.”

Specialty Crops Suffered Staggering Economic Losses in 2025, Will Relief Come in Time?

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 22:27:23 GMT

Economic losses to specialty crops last year were on a level that can put farming operations out of business.

The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates $3.6 billion in economic losses for almonds, $1.4 billion for apples, $763 million for lettuce, and $717 million for potatoes alone.

Specialty crop leaders this week renewed their calls for urgent economic support for U.S. growers and shared their disappointment after the U.S. House released final spending bills Jan. 20 that did not include aid for American specialty crop producers.

While the Specialty Crops Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) says specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery, greenhouse and floriculture products, generate more than $75 billion annually in U.S. agricultural cash receipts, account for more than one-third of all U.S. crop sales and support rural economies nationwide, under the current USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance program, $11 billion is allocated to row crops, and only $1 billion is reserved for specialty crops and other commodities, with key details on eligibility, payment and timing still unresolved.

“It’s a challenge with specialty crops to come up with aggregated data across all the more than 300 different commodities, but the American Farm Bureau Federation has done good analysis related to specialty crops,” says Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council and SCFBA co-chair.

“Effectively Farm Bureau is saying that if you’re going to have a relief plan rollout, specialty crops should be about a third of whatever Congress spits out,” he says.

Word on Capitol Hill is Congress is contemplating a total of $15 billion in assistance, SCFBA says.

“We agree with the one-third of whatever Congress comes up with, but also the package has to be large enough to make a material impact,” Quarles says. “The specialty crop industry has told Congress that we need no less than $5 billion in economic relief for specialty crops in order to positively move the needle for growers.

With food affordability still a top focus for many consumers, what happens to the cost of fruits, vegetables and other grocery staples if specialty crops don’t receive the aid they desperately need?

“We’re facing an unprecedented economic crisis in the U.S. right now for agriculture, and it’s not just specialty crops, it’s broader than that,” Quarles says. “If you have growers that are going out of business due to this economic crisis, that’s going to further impact supplies of commodities. It’s going to impact prices, and it will add to the affordability issue.”

Last week SCFBA joined American Farm Bureau Federation and ag organizations across the U.S. in penning a letter to Congress highlighting record-high input costs, labor shortages, weather challenges and historically low market prices that have caused farmers to face negative margins and nearly $100 billion in losses nationwide.

Reasons for Optimism

Quarles says feedback from both the House and Senate appropriations committees on the specialty crop crisis has been encouraging.

“They absolutely understand where we’re coming from,” he says. “The other thing to remember is that there have been fundamental changes in tax policy that were put into law last summer, and they’ve already started to come online. And when some of the trade agreements that have been discussed are finalized, they also could create a more competitive environment, along with the tax policy.”

But could this be a case of too little, too late?

“These policy recommendations could create a much better environment in the future, but if you’re out of business before you ever get to that better environment, it just doesn’t matter,” Quarles says. “So that’s the imperative of this economic relief; we need a short-term safety net or a bridge, whatever you want to call it, to get producers from this crisis into an area where they can start to take advantage of some of these changes.”

Another bright spot, he says, is how effectively the industry, along with he and his SCFBA co-chairs, including Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association; Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association; and Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers, are working together.

“The industry has really rallied together under the umbrella of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance,” Quarles says. “Twenty years ago, this was not the way the industry worked, but the alliance has created a kind of muscle memory, where we know how to all get around the table. We know how to look at a particular situation, develop a strategy, and then everybody disperses out to where they have strengths across the United States.”

“It has really been the best of the fresh produce industry rallying together to try to get some relief for our grower members,” he continues. “I’m very hopeful that we’re going to get something positive done here.”

The USDA’s 2025 Organic Survey is Coming Soon

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:30:57 GMT

If you’re an organic grower, keep a watch on your mailbox. The 2025 Organic Survey is headed your way.

USDA announced Dec. 10 that the National Agricultural Statistics Service will soon mail the survey to all known organic farms and ranches, as well as producers who are transitioning to certified organic, across all 50 states. Growers will first receive survey codes with an invitation to reply online, followed by the full questionnaire in early January, according to NASS. The questionnaire will ask producers to provide information on acreage, production and sales, as well as production and marketing practices.

“Organic agriculture is a growing industry, and it is our job as a federal statistical agency to help measure this part of the agriculture sector,” NASS Administrator Joseph Parsons says. “We are excited to provide data on organic agriculture that will help inform organic producers and other industry professionals to make informed decisions for their operations.”

Federal laws require producers to respond to the survey, as well as requiring USDA to keep respondents’ identities and responses confidential. The deadline for response is Feb. 5, 2026.

Organic Information of the Past

The USDA organic survey is a special study from the Census of Agriculture and was last conducted in 2021 .

That survey reported there were 17,445 certified organic farms in 2021, up 5% from 2019, and 4.9 million organic acres. California led the states with 3,061 certified operations and 813,710 organic acres. Indiana saw the largest proportional growth in operations at 697 in 2021 compared to 595 in 2019, a 17% increase, while Idaho saw the largest proportional growth of organic acres at 215,668, a 19% increase compared to 2019.

In 2021, the market value of certified organic products sold stood at $11.2 billion, up 13% compared to 2019. Produce items on the top 10 list by market value included apples ($629 million), strawberries ($336 million), grapes ($309 million) and lettuce ($276 million).

The results of this new organic survey will be available Oct. 30, 2026, according to NASS.

Border Patrol Discovers $10.3M in Meth in Lettuce Load

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:59:22 GMT

Officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations intercepted $10.3 million in suspected methamphetamine concealed in a shipment of lettuce at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Texas, the agency says in a news release.

“Within a shipment of salad greens, our frontline officers discovered contraband that does not belong on any holiday table,” says Carlos Rodriguez, port director of the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “As this seizure aptly illustrates, our officers’ use of tools and technology was instrumental in this massive takedown of hard narcotics.”

CBP says its officers at the Pharr International Bridge encountered a commercial vehicle attempting to make entry to the U.S. from Mexico on Nov. 21. They selected the vehicle for further inspection using nonintrusive inspection equipment, and physical inspection led to the discovery of 500 packages of alleged methamphetamine with a combined weight of 1,153.01 pounds concealed within the shipment of lettuce.

CBP’s Office of Field Operations seized the narcotics and vehicle, and Homeland Security Investigations initiated a criminal investigation, according to the release.

Little Leaf Farms Marks Decade of Transformation, Growth

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 19:00:55 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. — With the opening of a fourth greenhouse at its campus in McAdoo, Pa., earlier this month, Devens, Mass.-based Little Leaf Farms is closing out the year on a high note and reflecting on a decade of continued growth.

The Packer sat down with Paul Sellew, founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms, at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce and Floral Show to learn more about what’s ahead for the company.

“Prior to Little Leaf it was primarily two valleys in California providing almost 100% of the leafy greens to the country,” Sellew says. “I don’t think that’s a healthy food system.”

Sellew says while leafy greens used to travel some 3,300 miles from California to Massachusetts, where Little Leaf is headquartered, the greenhouse grower with facilities in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and soon Tennessee is servicing 54% of the country with leafy greens.

The McAdoo site now totals 40 acres and supports the company’s growth into the Southeast, Midwest and Canada, making it the largest controlled environment agriculture leafy greens facility in the world, Sellew says. The McAdoo greenhouse will support Little Leaf’s romaine leaf lettuce, which has doubled in national distribution since its launch in July.

“The market loves our romaine leaf lettuce,” says Sellew, adding that more than 8,000 grocery stores carry the company’s products.

Sellew says Little Leaf’s third campus in Manchester, Tenn., will be in production next and is expected to open in fall 2026 to support the Midwest, Southeast and Texas markets.

“Eventually we’ll expand nationally,” he says.

How has Little Leaf Farms succeeded where others in CEA have failed?

“Billions of dollars have been vaporized, with vertical farms contributing to the vast majority of it,” Sellew says. “Greenhouse has been here before, it’s here now, and it will continue to be in the future.”

Sellew adds that great teams across its ops, logistics, sales and marketing have also contributed to the company’s growth.

The Little Leaf Farms CEO adds that the company is strategic in its growth, looking for new markets with available infrastructure and adequate population density close to where the leafy greens will be grown.

“We have catalyzed the growth of CEA,” Sellew says. “We’re a packaged salad company that can deliver a fresh eating experience to most markets within 24 to 36 hours of harvesting.”

Little Leaf Farms Touts Largest CEA Leafy Greens Facility

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:54:01 GMT

Devens, Mass.-based Little Leaf Farms says that with the opening of a fourth greenhouse at its campus in McAdoo, Pa., the site has become the largest controlled environment agriculture leafy greens facility in the world.

The McAdoo site now totals 40 acres and supports the company’s growth into the Southeast, Midwest and Canada, according to the packaged lettuce brand. Little Leaf Farms says this expansion in McAdoo will support its romaine leaf lettuce, which has doubled in national distribution since its launch in July.

Little Leaf Farms grows its romaine leaf in a way that maintains the size of field-grown romaine but preserves its classic crispness. More than 8,000 grocery stores carry the company’s products, the company says.

Little Leaf Farms also recently announced a new campus in Manchester, Tenn. , which is expected to open in fall 2026 and support the Midwest, Southeast and Texas.

“2025 marks a decade of transformation and growth for Little Leaf Farms,” says Paul Sellew, founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms. “When we started 10 years ago, controlled environment agriculture for leafy greens was virtually nonexistent in the U.S. Today, Little Leaf Farms has expanded what is possible in CEA, reshaping retailer assortments and consumer perceptions and pushing the packaged salad industry into a new era of variety and quality.”

Local Bounti Expands Pacific Northwest Presence with New Walmart Distribution

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:46:06 GMT

Local Bounti Corp. is expanding its presence in the Pacific Northwest through new distribution with Walmart, supplying stores across the region with family-size salad kits from its growing facility in Pasco, Wash.

The expansion of its facility includes the launch of its new Romano Caesar Family-Size Salad Kit at Walmart, according to the company. Beginning Oct. 13, the 10-ounce Romano Caesar Family-Size Salad Kit is available at 89 Walmart stores supplied through the retailer’s Grandview, Wash., distribution center.

Local Bounti says the move marks a major step in its strategy to scale operations and deepen retail partnerships while meeting rising consumer demand for fresher, locally grown produce.

“This launch demonstrates the versatility we built into our Pasco facility from the ground up,” says Kathleen Valiasek, president, CEO and chief financial officer of Local Bounti. “The Pacific Northwest has historically faced real challenges accessing consistently fresh, locally grown leafy greens year-round, and we’re directly addressing that gap. We’re able to harvest and deliver ultra-fresh greens to retail shelves within days — which is a stark contrast to the week-plus transit times you see with conventional supply chains. That proximity translates to superior product quality, extended shelf life and significantly reduced food waste for both retailers and consumers. It validates our whole approach to serving this region.”

Valiasek says the launch represents a pivotal milestone in the strategic ramp of Local Bounti’s facility and underscores the company’s ability to scale production, drive product innovation and deepen relationships with key retail partners.

“This launch is part of our path to positive adjusted EBITDA in early 2026 — it drives capacity utilization at our Washington facility, improves our product mix and deepens our partnership with the world’s largest retailer at a critical inflection point for the company,” Valiasek says. “We’re now servicing approximately 13,000 retail doors across our facility network, and this Walmart expansion demonstrates our ability to scale production, drive meaningful product innovation and deepen relationships with strategic retail partners on a regional basis. Our phased expansion approach — launching this product in the Pacific Northwest first, then rolling out to customers serviced from our Texas facility — allows us to build momentum across multiple regions while leveraging our growing network to serve major population centers that are increasingly demanding CEA [controlled environment agriculture] products.”

Local Bounti says it views Walmart’s expanded distribution as a sign of confidence in its model and execution.

“Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, so expanding our distribution with them is significant validation of both our product quality and our operational execution,” Valiasek says. “We currently serve Walmart locations through multiple distribution points across our facility network, and this Pacific Northwest expansion demonstrates our capability to leverage our growing facilities to deepen penetration with strategic customers on a regional basis. It’s not just about getting on shelves; it’s about building sustainable partnerships that scale. The velocity of customer engagement we’re seeing reflects the unmet potential of CEA products in the market, and having Walmart recognize our ability to deliver consistent, high-quality products at scale positions us well for continued growth.”

The family-size format specifically addresses an underserved market segment experiencing robust demand, the company says, adding that the family-size product serves four to six people, which is ideal for busy families seeking quick, nutritious dinner options and consumers entertaining guests. The product’s extended shelf life provides operational benefits for retailers through reduced shrink while giving consumers more flexibility in meal planning and less food waste at home.

The company says the packaged salad market size is expected to grow from $13 billion for 2025 to $18.1 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate of 8.6%, representing a sizeable opportunity to meet expanding consumer demand.

Following the Pacific Northwest launch, Local Bounti says it plans to introduce the Romano Caesar Family-Size Salad Kit to customers served from its Texas facility, further extending the product’s geographic reach and the company’s ability to capture share in the fast-growing fresh salad kit category. This phased expansion approach allows Local Bounti to build momentum with retail partners and consumers across multiple regions while leveraging its growing network to serve major population centers with reduced transportation costs and superior freshness, the company says.

The 2025 Packer 25 — Mayra Marin Oviedo

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:59:53 GMT

Editor’s note: The following profile is from the 2025 Packer 25, our annual tribute to 25 leaders, innovators and agents of change across the fresh produce supply chain. ( You can view all honorees here. ) This feature has been edited for length and clarity.

Mayra Marin Oviedo — Replenishment analyst and sales representative, Misionero Produce

Born and raised in Salinas, Calif., to a family connected to agriculture, Mayra Marin Oviedo, a replenishment analyst and sales representative for Gonzales, Calif.-based Misionero Produce, joined the company more than 10 years ago. Thinking that it would be her first job, she says she’s found a career she truly loves.

Oviedo’s roles have included scheduling, production planning, marketing, sales and more. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, gardening and taking road trips with her husband and two kids.

What do you believe is the most underappreciated aspect of your role in the fresh produce industry, and what are common misconceptions outsiders have about how the industry operates?

One of the most underappreciated aspects is the amount of coordination it takes to make sure produce arrives to customers fresh and on time. Every day involves several moving parts within the supply chain to deliver produce to the end user. We work hard to keep it seamless for the customer. From the outside, consumers sometimes think it’s as simple as pick, pack and ship, but the truth is it takes a lot of planning, teamwork and quick decision-making behind the scenes.

How have consumer preferences (e.g. for organic, locally grown, sustainably packaged produce) shaped your company’s operations or product-line decisions?

Consumers now expect more from us. They want organic, local and eco-friendly options. We are constantly looking for products and packaging to match those values. That’s pushed us to adapt our product lines and packaging to reflect those priorities. It’s also reminded us that consumers are paying closer attention than ever.

What global trends (climate, trade, food safety, etc.) do you think will most strongly affect the produce supply chain in North America in the next decade?

Consumer behavior will continue to change. People want food that is safe, transparent and responsibly sourced, but global issues like climate change, trade policies and food safety regulations will have huge impacts too. Growing regions are changing, seasons are less predictable and the pressures on supply chains keep increasing. The companies that stay flexible and forward-looking will be the ones that thrive.

Looking at the fresh produce industry, what do you see as the biggest opportunities for growth in the next decade?

I see growth in innovation. Both in the products we bring to market and in how we deliver them. Consumers are looking for healthier, fresher, ready to use, with less waste and more convenient options.

Are there innovations or technologies you are particularly excited about that you believe could transform logistics in the produce industry?

Automation and data are game changers. I’ve already seen how moving away from paperwork has sped things up and reduced errors. Looking ahead, smarter forecasting tools and automated systems in warehouses will help us work faster, cut down on waste and make more-informed decisions. I’m excited to see how technology will continue to make the supply chain more efficient.

How do you define success, and has your definition changed over time?

I used to define success as proving myself and handling the work. Now, it’s about building a strong, supportive team culture where we succeed together. That to me is success.

The 2025 Packer 25 — Jodi Genshaft

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:51:07 GMT

Jodi Genshaft — Vice president of marketing, Gotham Greens

Jodi Genshaft’s start in the controlled environment agriculture industry began in high school, where she worked at a garden center and nursery. She’s been in her role as vice president and marketing for Gotham Greens for the past six years.

Genshaft brings more than 20 years of experience in brand strategy, shopper marketing and communications. She has worked with well-known brands and companies — from startup to seasoned and public or private — in the food, beverage, health, wellness and technology sectors.

Prior to her role at Gotham Greens, she held roles in brand management and shopper marketing at Chobani and Johnson & Johnson. She also worked at global public relations agency Edelman in its food category.

How do you see your role in telling Gotham Greens’ story to consumers, partners and the broader fresh produce industry?

We want people to know that greenhouse-grown produce isn’t just the future of farming; it’s happening right now. We’re seeing more retailers making shelf space for greenhouse-grown products and many foodservice customers want to exclusively use Gotham Greens products due to their consist flavor and quality.

We tell the Gotham Greens story by making it tangible along the path to purchase — from the greenhouse to the grocery shelf — so people see, taste and believe in what we’re growing. We’re proud to serve the very best greens, salad kits, dressings, cooking sauces and dips. We want to help people eat more plants, and we do this by sharing how we grow delicious fresh produce that’s always in season and by crafting delicious fresh foods recipes that make eating other fresh vegetables more appealing.

What do you see as the next big opportunity for Gotham Greens?

We are committed to continue growing the greenhouse-grown produce sector by delivering high-quality, longer-lasting and sustainably grown produce from coast to coast through our national network of greenhouses. We’ve also expanded into fresh dressings and plant-based dips, and there’s a lot of potential to keep growing in categories that align with our mission — fresh, flavorful, plant-forward foods that consumers can feel good about.

How are consumer expectations evolving when it comes to local, greenhouse-grown or sustainably produced food, and how do you think about connecting with the different consumer segments?

Consumer expectations are evolving. What used to be a nice-to-have — local, non-GMO and pesticide-free — is now seen as the standard by many shoppers. Consumers want fresh, consistently high-quality produce that tastes great, is grown responsibly and is always in season. At Gotham Greens, we think about connecting with different consumer segments by meeting them where they are.

For flavor-driven shoppers, we emphasize taste, freshness and culinary inspiration. For busy families, it’s all about convenience and reliability. For eco-conscious shoppers, it’s about our sustainable farming practices. By tailoring our messaging while delivering on these priorities, we’re able to resonate with a broad range of consumers without losing authenticity as a brand.

How do you make sure Gotham Greens’ messaging about sustainability feels authentic and credible?

Since more than 90% of leafy greens grown in the U.S. come from California and Arizona, by the time they reach other regions of the country, the produce loses its quality, taste, nutritional value and shelf life. This makes many consumers feel disconnected from the food we eat and contributes to food waste.

From day one, Gotham Greens has been growing fresh, high-quality, longer-lasting salad greens using fewer natural resources compared with open-field farming. The fact that the company’s entire business model and value proposition focus on using resources more efficiently, delivering better food to consumers and improving the communities where we farm enables Gotham Greens to deliver messaging that is truly authentic and credible. We’re able to educate consumers about the Gotham Greens brand in fun, engaging and authentic ways that draw on our sustainable roots and growing expertise.

As branding becomes more important in fresh produce, what strategies do you think will set successful companies apart in the coming years?

The produce section is typically considered a lower-engagement area of the grocery store, but we know that beyond quality and freshness, there are creative ways that capture shoppers’ attention and drive purchases. As a fast-growing brand, we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with an iconic brand like Sesame Street this year. We are working closely with Sesame Workshop to create compelling, engaging and mutually beneficial content that lives across our owned platforms and shopper marketing efforts both in store and online. By working together, Gotham Greens and Sesame Street hope this partnership will inspire greener, more nutritious choices for kids’ meals and make cooking more fun for families.

We are always looking for opportunities that are a good brand fit to delight our existing shoppers and attract new shoppers in authentic and compelling ways, and we will continue to identify brand partnerships that are both meaningful and creatively unexpected in the future.

What advice would you give to marketers trying to build strong brands in fresh produce, where products are often seen as commodities?

I’ve worked with several brands within two commoditized categories: dairy and produce. There are several parallels between the rise of the Greek yogurt segment and the indoor farming segment. Notably, both offer higher-value, disruptive products with clear value and brand propositions that have reshaped their respective commodity markets by targeting emerging consumer preferences.

My advice is to lean into storytelling, branding and differentiation. In the produce aisle, many items can feel interchangeable on shelf, so it’s crucial to build a brand that stands for something — whether that’s flavor, consistency, safety or sustainability.

Transforming Sunlight with Quantum Greenhouses

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:14:00 GMT

What if we can make light itself better for growing produce? And not by special lighting rigs requiring energy, but passively through greenhouse glass?

A recent USDA-funded study at the University of California, Davis, looked at exactly that.

The study compared lettuce grown in a standard glass greenhouse and one with laminated glass roof panels made with spectrum-shifting “quantum dot” technology during January and February. The results, recently published in the peer-reviewed journal “Materials Today Sustainability ,” found that the augmented glass boosted lettuce crop yields by almost 40% and increased nutrient concentrations.

“For glass greenhouse farmers looking to boost output while reducing energy inputs, this is a breakthrough,” says Hunter McDaniel, CEO of UbiQD, the company that produced the test roof panels.

“These results prove that the sun can be engineered passively through QD-infused glass to deliver more productive, resilient, and sustainable food systems,” McDaniel says.

Study and Findings

The test glass used in the study had a layer of quantum dots sandwiched between a pair of standard glass panes. UbiQD calls it UbiGro glass.

“Quantum dots (QDs) are vanishingly small nanoparticles of semiconductor material that are highly effective at manipulating color and light,” explains Eric Moody, UbiQD’s vice president of sales and marketing.

“If you filled a thimble with QDs, there are more QDs in the thimble than there are stars in the known universe,” says Damon Hebert, senior director of agriculture R&D at UbiQD and one of the report’s authors, trying to put QD’s size in context.

The effect of the QD-infused glass was to give the study’s lettuce plants more of the kind of light they need for growth.

“What this technology does is it shifts a small portion of the blue light and the UV light into the red light spectrum,” explains UC Davis’ Shamim Ahamed, lead researcher on the study. He notes that this is especially valuable when it’s cloudy or during the winter when red light is relatively low.

“This passive tailoring of the sun’s spectrum results in faster growth rates and higher yields,” summarizes Hebert.

According to the report, plants grown in the greenhouse with the UbiGro glass roof panels:

Were 37.8% heavier, meaning more edible yield.
Had more leaves (average 51 verus average 41 in the control greenhouse) and leaf area was increased by 38%.
Had 38% longer roots, meaning more water and nutrient uptake.
Had statistically significantly higher concentrations of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc and copper).

Top: Test greenhouse with the UbiGro Glass roof. Bottom: Control greenhouse with standard glass. The study was USDA-funded and conducted for four weeks in January and February 2025 in Davis, Calif.

(Photo courtesy of UbiQD)

Tech in Context

“It’s incredibly validating to see these spectral shifts result in measurable improvements in plant performance,” Moody says.

He notes that the company already produces plastic films for greenhouses using the spectrum-shifting QD technology targeting specific uses. But the study was the first deployment of quantum dot-integrated structural glass in agriculture.

“Our film products are already delivering strong results in commercial greenhouses around the world, and this new data supports our broader vision for integrating light-optimizing technologies — like our upcoming glass innovations — into agriculture at scale,” Moody says.

The UbiGro glass and film products are all examples of spectral engineering, Moody and Hebert explain. This includes everything from LED fixtures that can focus on specific light spectra to spectral netting and spray-on products that block specific parts of the spectrum.

“It is important to note that UbiGro Glass does not filter out parts of the sun’s rays but instead captures these UV and blue photons and converts them to red photons that spur photosynthesis in plants, pushing them to produce more fruit and grow faster,” Moody says.

Taking the Findings to the Future

Ahamed says that the most important part of the study’s finding is that, if light is an issue for greenhouse growers — such as during winter, on cloudy days, or during the early mornings or late evenings — the QD-infused glass can get more useable light to plants than standard glass.

“It really helps to reduce the overall cost of the production because of the increased production per unit area,” he adds.

Moody frames the findings in terms of efficiency.

“Just like the research we have done with our greenhouse plastics, growers should understand that our technology can help them produce more from their No. 1 resource — the sun,” he says. “While this research was conducted on a small scale it is basically the same technology we have had with our greenhouse plastics.”

However, he adds that growers will have to wait for the glass technology to be commercially available.

“For glass, Phase 2 R&D studies run through 2028, so we would expect to have commercial pilot trials running concurrently with Phase 2 in 2028,” says Hebert. “However, growers who want to try out the concept of QD spectrum control before glass is ready have the option of installing UbiGro Inner retrofit plastic films, as a proof of concept that this technology does work for their crop in their location.”

Ahamed sees more potential avenues of research for this kind of technology in the future.

“If this kind of spectral shifting is happening, is there any impact in terms of the indoor thermal environment, so in terms of heating costs or cooling costs?” he asks. “What could be the impact in terms of water use?”

He adds that there are other potential applications for this kind of spectral engineering that could be pursued in the future. If the glass could be designed in such a way as to allow only what is critical to the plant and reflect the rest, he offers as an example, “then you could significantly reduce the energy costs.”

Cash Receipts for Fresh Produce Up in 2024 — Here Are the Top 10

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:36:21 GMT

The numbers are in for what U.S. agricultural commodities generated during 2024.

On Sept 3, the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) updated its extensive Farm Income and Wealth Statistics dashboard to include the cash receipts for all agricultural commodities across the country for 2024.

Cash receipts for all fruit, vegetable and nut commodities — excluding categories noted as being for processing rather than fresh consumption — in 2024 stood at $58.33 billion, up 4.72% from 2023. This does include some commodity categories, which did not distinguish between processing or fresh use. Potatoes were one such example, where potatoes for fresh consumption versus chipping or other processing uses were not broken out.

The top 10 produce commodities by cash receipts in 2024 were the same as in 2023, though the individual rankings shifted somewhat. The top fresh produce commodities with their 2024 cash receipts were:

Grapes (all grapes, including wine, table, and raisin), $6.19 billion
Almonds, $5.66 billion
Potatoes (all potatoes, including chipping, etc.), $4.99 billion
Lettuce (all lettuce, including head, leaf, and romaine), $4.6 billion
Strawberries, $3.997 billion
Apples (for all purposes), $2.9 billion
Pistachios, $2.05 billion
Onions, $2.004 billion
Carrots (only fresh, excluding processing), $1.67 billion
Blueberries, $1.196 billion

Changing Rank

While the top 10 produce commodities stayed the same in 2024 compared with 2023, the rankings changed from year to year.

In 2024, almonds saw the second-largest cash receipts for fresh produce. The year before, almonds ranked fourth with $4.045 billion, meaning almonds gained $1.617 billion or almost 40% in one year.

According to the 2025 California Almond Forecast report, released in May 2025, there was no appreciable change in almond acres in California between 2023 and 2024. However, yield per acre increased 200 lbs. to 1,980 lbs per acre in 2024, for a total production of 2.73 billion pounds. Added to this, the price per pound jumped 24.42% from 2023 to 2024 to $2.14.

Almonds shifting to second place pushed down 2023’s second- and third-ranked commodities — potatoes and lettuce, respectively — to the third and fourth position in 2024. Receipts for all potatoes in 2024 gained $99 million, or 2.02%, compared with 2023, while receipts for all lettuce declined by $179 million or 3.75%.

While all grapes remained at the top of the cash receipts ranking for produce, the commodity shed significant value in 2024 compared with 2023, down $643 million, or 9.41%. Similarly, while pistachios maintained their position as seventh-highest produce commodity, cash receipts declined by $740 million or 26.57%, the largest raw and percentage decline seen on the top 10 list for produce.

Expectations for 2025

While overall inflation-adjusted cash receipts are forecast by ERS to grow $10.9 billion (2.1%) from 2024 to $535.2 billion in 2025 for all agricultural commodities, those gains are expected from animal-based commodities.

Overall crop cash receipts are expected to decline $12.3 billion (4.9%) in 2025 compared with 2024. Cash receipts for the vegetable and melon subcategory are expected to fall by a half billion (2.1%) in 2025, but are forecast to increase $2 billion (6.5%) for the fruits and nuts subcategory.

For almonds specifically, the recent May report projected a 2025 almond crop of 2.8 billion pounds, up slightly from the 2024 crop. A later estimate released in July increased that to 3 billion pounds, which initially dropped prices significantly , but they have since recovered “closer to multi-year highs.”

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As Olivia’s Organics Celebrates 20th Anniversary, CEO Looks to the Future

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:06:36 GMT

Olivia’s Organics, the Chelsea, Mass.-based produce brand of State Garden, is marking its 20th anniversary this year. It got its start just as packaged salads began to take off, says State Garden CEO Mark DeMichaelis.

State Garden had recently acquired the assets of Northeast Fresh, and the company wanted to expand its business offerings, DeMichaelis says.

“We thought this would be a good entry point for our family and our company, as it was an emerging part of the business and an emerging part of the salad business,” he says. “What we did realize very quickly was these items lent themselves well to be grown organically.”

DeMichaelis says the price parity between conventional and organic was also narrow, which meant the company could offer organic packaged salads on the East Coast and keep the price close to its conventional counterparts. He says Olivia’s Organic was the first company to devote a facility east of the Mississippi to organic lettuce production, which State Garden’s customers sought out.

“We felt that we could provide a solution for them, where you order the product from us today and we can get it into your stores tomorrow, creating a fresher product and one in which you could really smooth out some of the bumps in the supply chain, and it really got caught on,” he says.

DeMichaelis says that one thing the company learned quickly was that organic customers wanted a brand to differentiate the organic products from those conventionally grown. After tossing around a few ideas without them landing, a State Garden employee suggested the brand be named after DeMichaelis’ new daughter, Olivia — the only girl of eight grandchildren.

Olivia is now 22 and a college graduate, and DeMichaelis says it’s been fun watching both Olivia’s Organics and his daughter grow up. And as for what she thinks of her being the namesake for the brand, DeMichaelis says, “I think she never really got it until she started getting older, and people say, ‘Oh, you’re the great little Olivia.’ And so now it’s very cute how she handles it.”

Since its founding, Olivia’s Organics has donated a portion of the proceeds from every purchase to the Olivia’s Organics Children’s Foundation, which support children’s charities operating in the communities where Olivia’s Organics products are sold.

(Photo courtesy of Olivia’s Organics)

More Than Just Organics

DeMichaelis says a big part of the milestone celebration will be a focus on Olivia’s Organics Children’s Foundation, which supports children’s charities operating in the communities where Olivia’s Organics products are sold. He says it was important to his father to give back to the community.

DeMichaelis says this tie to the foundation resonates with Olivia’s Organic consumers.

“I feel that it gave them a window into who we were as people, and it gave them a window into what we were trying to create with the brand, beyond what organic already was, which was an environmentally friendly brand, and one that is farming responsibly,” he says.

DeMichaelis says he’s seen an evolution in what organics means to consumers, going beyond environmentally friendly farming practices to its health benefits.

“We feel like we are on a great path due to the fact that we certainly are marketing clean ingredients, and we’re also marketing things that are farming cleanly as well,” he says. “The nexus of that has created, I think, some great tail winds for organic in general, and Olivia’s Organics especially, and we remain the No. 1 organic salad brand in the Northeast.”

He says he doesn’t see the demand for organics stopping as more shoppers pay closer attention to the foods they consume.

“We like to think that we were one of the first companies that really made organic, brought it mainstream, so more than just those folks that could afford it are purchasing it,” he says. “You see it in everyone’s basket as we’re going through, and it’s crossing all demographics, from children to older folks. So, it is something widely acceptable now, and we’re excited about where it’s going.”

And the company has some exciting things planned for its future, DeMichaelis says. This includes adding new varieties to its offering mix and offering a locally grown version of Olivia’s brand.

“We’re finding that’s what we see our customers looking for these days is products that go beyond just the nutritional value, like the spinach and the arugula and the kale that we’ve been providing, and different profiles that add a lot crunch to it, and we feel like we found some pretty cool varieties that will fit well into these, the Olivia’s lineup and the brand, and that’s really going to be our next evolution as the brand continues to grow over the next 20 years,” he says.

Year-Round Celebration

The company was set to hold a 20th Anniversary Sunset Soirée on Sept. 4, where customers, community members and more can gather for a celebration on the Boston waterfront.

“We wouldn’t be here without the support the customers have given us and certainly our growers,” he says. “When we got our start, we were very early in the organic business, and I had some really great grower partners who committed to working with us as they transitioned their land from conventional to organic and remain partners today.”

Olivia’s Organics plans to donate $20,000 to the Greater Boston Food Bank during its Sunset Soirée. The company has also committed to donating an additional $500,000 to deserving local nonprofits through the Olivia’s Organics Children’s Foundation over the next five years.

The brand also plans 20 weeks of programming in stores, community events and online with in-store promotions on Olivia’s products, social media activations and more.

Olivia’s Organics will take nominations from customers and fans for a chance to win surprise lunches and fresh greens for local nonprofits and community groups from the brand’s team.

It also plans to amplify its program offering fresh produce and healthy eating curriculum to local schools in need.

And Olivia’s Organics says it will double down on its commitment to a healthier planet by expanding sustainability initiatives. The brand will highlight measurable progress in waste reduction, regenerative acreage and resource efficiency.

“The brand was a success, and we want to make sure that people understand that we’re still committed to our initial intent, which was giving back to the community and helping those that support our roots,” DeMichaelis says.

Nature Fresh Farms Enters Leafy Greens Market with Revol Greens Partnership

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 11:42:11 GMT

Leamington, Ontario-based greenhouse grower Nature Fresh Farms says in a press release that the company has entered into the greenhouse-grown leafy greens market with an exclusive partnership with Owatonna, Minn.-based Revol Greens .

Nature Fresh Farms says this partnership positions the company to offer both organic and conventional packaged salads and leverage Revol Greens’ specialized growing expertise and state-of-the-art facilities based in four states.

The companies say this is a natural extension for Nature Fresh, aligning the new offerings with the company’s vision to lead the advancement of controlled environment agriculture. Nature Fresh says leafy greens, particularly packaged salads, represent a large and strategically important consumer segment with significant opportunities for CEA-based differentiation.

“The leafy greens segment offers tremendous potential for innovation and consumer value creation through controlled environment agriculture, and we’re excited to bring our proven approach to this important market category,” says Patrick Criteser, CEO at Nature Fresh Farms, in the release.

Nature Fresh says the market for leafy greens has experienced consistent growth driven by consumer demand for fresh, locally grown produce available year-round.

“This exclusive partnership creates a compelling value proposition for consumers seeking premium, sustainably grown leafy greens while positioning both companies for accelerated growth in the expanding CEA market,” says Dirk Aleven, president for Revol Greens, in the release.

The Golden State Sets the Gold Standard for Food Safety

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 11:46:52 GMT

When food safety makes headlines it’s often for outbreaks, illness or worse, but recently California’s fresh produce industry, and particularly the lettuce and leafy greens sector, has attracted national media attention for its positive and highly proactive approach to a safer food supply.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration cut thousands of positions from the Food and Drug Administration, including hundreds that worked in food safety. The firings prompted a Forbes interview with California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement CEO Tim York on how the mass federal departures might impact the food safety of California lettuce and leafy greens.

“What we got across in that [May 5] article, was that despite the changes, turmoil, chaos — if you will — with FDA, we’re forging ahead with our food safety programs, and we don’t rely upon them for anything more than the occasional counsel or advice,” York says. “We don’t rely on them for funding or to conduct research or anything else. We’re completely independent of them, and their changes don’t impact the LGMA whatsoever.”

One month earlier, CBS Sunday Morning aired a segment on California leafy greens that shined a light on the stringent standards adhered to by LGMA member growers.

“It was an opportunity to talk about the good things going on with food safety,” York says.

The California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement was formed in 2007 following a tragic outbreak of E. coli in 2006 that sickened over 200 people. Today, LGMA members, companies that ship and sell California-grown lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens products, represent approximately 99% of the state’s commercial volume.

Working with Western Growers, university and industry scientists, food safety experts, government officials, farmers, shippers and processors, the LGMA has created a rigorous science-based food safety system that it says protects public health by reducing potential sources of contamination and establishing a culture of food safety on the farm.

While its food safety bar is high, LGMA isn’t stopping there in its quest to prevent 100% of outbreaks. In collaboration with Western Growers, each year it asks its members what’s important to them and what they need most in terms of support. They then use that feedback to hone and evolve their standards.

Water Deep Dive

This year, water topped grower-packer-shippers’ wish lists, and while water standards have been a key metric from LGMA’s inception, improvements are ongoing.

“We made changes to water in 2011, 2018, 2020 and 2022, but there’s additional things we can and should be doing around water, and so we’re working on evolving that water standard, the metric around water, to address what we think are some vulnerabilities and opportunities for improvement in the way in which our standards are set today,” York says. “Water is complicated. It’s why the FDA took how many years to write a water rule, got it wrong, and then took another four or five years to redo it.”

Metrics development is led by Western Growers, who is the standard bearer for LGMA’s food safety metrics, York says. The organizations work with auditors to set the standards and ensure that the auditors know how to audit against that new standard.

“We have to make sure that our industry knows how to farm against that new standard and that means putting together training programs, both in person and on video, to equip them to be successful with a new metric,” he says.

“With water, we’re testing for indicator organisms — for potential pathogens of concern,” says Greg Komar, LGMA technical director. “We’re really focused on acute concerns with pathogenic microorganisms, so things that can cause people to get injured or become sick really quickly.”

As products get closer to harvest, and especially if that water is going to touch the edible portion of the crop, the standard requirements become stricter, he explains.

California’s grower-packer-shippers of leafy greens manage the testing of their own water sources and state inspectors audit the farms to ensure compliance.

“Metrics are continuously reviewed to see if something’s changed or if new research or evidence suggests growers should do something different,” Komar says. “We also look at our compliance information to see where we need to make changes or where we need to make more resources for the industry, so they better understand what they’re supposed to do.”

LGMA’s focus on water this year also involves a streamlining and simplification of the standards and best practices.

“It’s more complicated to get closer to zero — to prevent all outbreaks from occurring,” Komar says. “We’re making sure it’s super clear what’s expected, but also looking at where we can reduce redundancies so it’s just easier for our members to understand what they have to do to be compliant.”

Industrywide Standards

While LGMA’s focus is lettuce and leafy greens, York says the organization’s food safety standards are applicable to the entire fresh produce industry.

“It would be illogical to tell your food safety crew that this is how you have to treat the water if you’re planting lettuce, but if you’re planting broccoli, don’t worry about it,” he says. “Quite frankly, you need to train people to one standard.”

York says once LGMA has a standard that’s applicable to lettuce and leafy greens, he sees other commodities following suit.

“We don’t cook most of the produce items grown in California,” he says. “From a logical standpoint, if it’s good enough for the lettuce, it’s got to be good enough for the broccoli and the cauliflower and the rest of the crops. LGMA standards for lettuce and leafy greens help dictate what happens across the rest of a grower’s operations.”

The GreenLink Platform

Launched in 2022, Western Growers’ GreenLink platform, which hosts the LGMA Romaine Test and Learn program, has become another critical food safety tool for growers of lettuce, leafy greens and other fresh produce.

“GreenLink is a first-of-its-kind data sharing platform that was developed by Western Growers and its members to better understand produce food safety risks and questions and help inform strategic and risk-based decision making,” says Joelle Mosso, associate vice president of science programs for Western Growers.

The data-sharing program invites growers, packers and shippers to anonymously share their data to gain food safety insights.

“GreenLink is more than just a platform, it is a collaborative approach to food safety by connecting participants with actionable data and helping intentionally cultivate a culture of data sharing, positive food safety culture and preventative food safety culture,” Mosso says.

GreenLink also drives smarter decision-making, improves safety standards and encourages regulatory compliance, continuous learning and innovation, she adds.

Western Growers works with Crème Global, its data curator and its data participants to streamline data submissions and build more detailed metadata on their datasets, Mosso explains.

“Over the past year we have also had wonderful participation from many of the third-party laboratories who provide testing that have developed automatic programming interfaces (APIs) to streamline participants getting their data and more testing information into the data programs,” she says. “This collaboration between service providers and participants has very much improved participation by making the process easier, and it has also improved data quality since it comes straight from the laboratories and has established very routine submissions. By minimizing the time spent on getting data, it has offered more time for participants to learn from what the data is telling them.”

Mosso says Western Growers’ GreenLink program continues to welcome more participants, growers and users and to date, has over 6.5 million data points and hundreds of grower users, including many lettuce and leafy green growers.

“Western Growers did a tremendous job of getting the GreenLink program right and making it user friendly, so there’s no excuses for not doing it,” says York, noting that some 40,000 tests representing 75,000 acres of romaine have already been conducted through the Romaine Test and Learn program.

The confidentiality piece of the GreenLink platform is also designed to encourage participation.

“The systems built for confidentiality give confidence to the members to feel comfortable contributing without fear that there will be any adverse or negative fallout from participation,” says Mosso, who adds that over time, the program aims to provide a better understanding of “predictive conditions and elements that will allow participants and the industry to make improved data-driven decision-making and risk-based management.”

And now, the platform is poised to be award winning. The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) plans to present Western Growers with the 2025 Food Safety Innovation Award for GreenLink during IAFP 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio, July 27-30.

“The IAFP award is an honor and a testament to the commitment of our industry to find more efficient ways to continue to improve food safety outcomes for the industry,” Mosso says. “The significance of this project is a commitment to build a data-driven and proactive risk-based approach to food safety. It also signifies the power that a collective industry can create — building a more collaborative food safety culture committed to driving long term value and improvements to food safety.”

Ecorobotix Adds Lettuce-Thinning Functionality

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 19:49:18 GMT

Ecorobotix, an artificial intelligence-based precision agriculture company, said it has added a lettuce thinning algorithm to its ARA Ultra High Precision Sprayer, joining the company’s already existing portfolio of broccoli, carrot, cauliflower and more.

“What’s really unique about the lettuce thinning algorithm is that it thins and weeds at the same time, which is amazing,” said Chrissy Wozniak, U.S. marketing and communications manager for Ecorobotix.

Wozniak said the company saw an unmet need with lettuce growers who already used the machine for other crops.

“Fundamentally, the machine is just one machine, but we do have many different algorithms,” she said. “It goes across the ground and cameras take pictures, and then within a quarter of a second, it decides whether that is a crop to spray or a weed to spray.”

The company said its ARA uses mathematical precision to define plant spacing, ensuring consistent stands. This lettuce algorithm is available through an additional license subscription for customers using the ARA sprayer for weeding and other crop protection plants.

Wozniak said Ecorobotix is as precise as 2.5-by-2.5 inches. As the company adds a new AI algorithm, the development team takes hundreds and hundreds of photos to help the device understand what the crop looks like and what it doesn’t look like.

“They just run the machine over hundreds and hundreds of acres of the crop so that we can teach the AI what that crop looks like and what we’re looking for,” she said.

Wozniak said Ecorobotix aims to meet the needs of its growers, and the company wants to get the equipment into more fields since crops and weeds vary slightly depending on growing regions.

“We’re working on cabbage,” she said. “Cabbage is a huge crop, especially here in the southeast. There’s lots of cabbage, and so we’re really excited about that one, too.”

Bracing for Significant Disruption: Q&A with Emerald Packaging CEO Kevin Kelly in Wake of ICE Raids

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:25:51 GMT

Last week President Donald Trump sent mixed messages to an agricultural community strained and stressed in the wake of the administration’s immigration crackdown. On Thursday, Trump acknowledged the impact of ICE raids on agriculture and the hotel industry, saying an order to address the situation would come “pretty soon,” but a day later the Washington Post reported that no such order was in the works. On Saturday, Reuters reported the Trump administration had directed immigration officials to largely pause raids on farms. But on June 16, the Department of Homeland Security reversed course again, asking for farm, hotel and restaurant raids to resume.

From families broken to rising food prices to reduced access to fresh food and food waste, the ripple effect of ICE raids on agriculture could be far reaching, says Kevin Kelly, CEO of Emerald Packaging, the largest flexible packaging supplier to the leafy greens industry. Based in Union City, Calif., the company has been in the packaging business for 62 years, supplying major produce brands from Taylor Farms to Foxy with packaging for their fresh salads and more.

To learn more from the front lines in California, The Packer spoke with Kelly via Zoom on Friday, June 13.

What’s been the impact of recent ICE raids in Southern California across the farms that Emerald Packaging serves and at your company in Northern California?

Kelly: I would suspect, if we’re really seeing the kind of reduced production our customers are telling us they’re seeing [with] folks losing about half of their farm crews, in some cases, we’ll see a turnout in the prices.

Where we’ve seen it more personally is rumors going through our factory or our community, and people not turning up to work because family members are frightened or family members are on the run. We’ve had employees who’ve had family members deported, who’ve had family members arrested and are somewhere in the deportation process — very often unable to find them — and we lose them.

Our experience is frankly more firsthand in the factory and in the front office, where with such a diverse workforce — we’re heavily Asian and Hispanic — we’re seeing this push around deportations affect our productivity.

The price report [that comes out with fob pricing on Fridays] will tell no lies. I was just checking the price of a 24-count of iceberg lettuce this morning, but it doesn’t seem to have moved much from last week, although the price range of what a box is going for is much wider than normal. So that might indicate some static in the system.

Kevin Kelly is CEO of Emerald Packaging in Union City, Calif.

(Photo courtesy of Kevin Kelly)

Are the immigrant workers who aren’t showing up for work here in the U.S. legally? And if so, are they simply too afraid to come to work?

I think a lot of folks are feeling uncertain and afraid. We’ve certainly heard that folks aren’t turning up to work in the fields, and we’ve seen it in our facility. And we verify everybody, so we know everybody in our facility is documented and can legally work in the United States. In our case, it’s brothers and sisters being deported, and other family members being afraid, and our employees staying home to help their family members move, to take care of them or to take them to see an attorney, that kind of thing.

There’s a certain irony here. I know that some of our employees voted for the current administration thinking this wouldn’t happen or that only criminals would be targeted, and that’s clearly not what’s happening. And I don’t see it helping a company like ours, where we’re talking about a legal workforce that’s being impacted by a policy meant to impact criminals.

“We should be handing them gold stars, not throwing them out of the country.”

— Kevin Kelly, on the back-breaking work of harvesting lettuce.

You mentioned food pricing. What’s the potential ripple effect of ICE raids on food pricing and availability?

I think that’s what the farmers worry about — the direct line from supply to price. Right now, supply is pretty plentiful and demand is fairly moderate. Life is good for the consumer. It’s a little bit hard on the farmer. But this can flip in an instant. It can flip inside a week.

Because if suddenly there’s no supply because suddenly no one is turning up to work or you’re losing 25%, 30% of your workforce in the fields, it’ll turn up overnight and flow through the consumer fairly quickly.

I don’t see Kroger able to control pricing if supply gets completely out of whack. If [they] were to lose 30% or 40% of their supply, [prices] would flow through [to the consumer] within seven days, if not sooner. So, we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on that.

The government’s goals of keeping prices low for consumers and deporting undocumented workers who just happen to be farmworkers ended up having the effect of rising prices, largely not because [they’re] deporting people but just because they aren’t turning up to work. And that certainly wouldn’t seem to be what most of us intended when we thought of a crackdown on undocumented workers who were criminals, part of gangs or were in prison for violent crimes.

The rumor mill is moving even in wealthy communities like Fremont, [Calif.] where a large Indian population exists, and they are worried. They’re all here with documents. They’re all here legally. Many of them are naturalized citizens, but they’re worried and they’re worried for their kids. They’re worried about being harassed.

If that’s the [sentiment] among people with means, [think about] folks like farmworkers, who feel completely vulnerable, who really have no ground to stand on — literally, and imagine their feelings at a moment like this and maybe why they wouldn’t turn up to work.

Is there also a food-waste/food-loss piece here as well? If you don’t have workers to harvest the food and put it into boxes so it can get to stores, what happens to that food?

It ends up going to waste. You end up just turning over fields or letting fields go. I mean, we know that happens when prices get really low. This would be something entirely different — letting it happen because there’s no workforce. So, there would be a great deal of food waste.

You’ve said that American businesses need to get realistic on immigration issues. What do you mean by that?

The nation’s farm labor is half undocumented. The nation’s construction labor is half undocumented — they’re the electricians, the plumbers, the welders that we all rely on, and now it’s suddenly occurring to us that we rely on them?

It’s obvious the program that we’re embarking on right now is not a realistic program that will allow us to continue to be a productive, low-cost country. We’ve got to do something about the workers who are here doing the work we need.

And we’ve talked about a pathway to green card or pathway to citizenship for workers who are here. I think we’re inevitably heading back into that conversation. I’m not sure it’ll happen in the next year, but we’re clearly in need of some conversation.

Farmers have, for years, fought for an expansion of the work visa program, which is an easy, short-term solution; create more spaces, create more visas. Let’s get this taken care of right now, and then we can deal with the longer term.

This taking a hammer to an issue that needs fixing, but with screwdrivers and wrenches and a much defter touch, doesn’t make sense. Hopefully, as an industry — and I include myself in the produce industry — we’re getting a better sense of what’s possible and what’s needed and what we should be advocating for in Washington.

Sure, there’s people we have to deal with who are criminals, and we need to get [them] out [of the country], but that’s not the people working in the fields. I don’t know many criminals who want to work in fields. It’s bending and chopping [lettuce] heads with a machete. It’s not too different today than it was 20, 30 years ago, and it is literally backbreaking work. We’re lucky we have people who actually want to do it. We should be handing them gold stars, not throwing them out of the country.

If the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown, what’s at stake for agriculture?

I think deeply about that because whatever happens in the fields ends up affecting us. So, we’re being very cautious with spending. We were going to buy a new printing press this year, and that’s on hold. We’re driving our cash up, and we’re not spending on anything.

I really do worry about plant crops getting picked and harvests happening. And not just here, but down in Yuma, [Ariz.] [where] this could go on for weeks. We’re in June. I know Yuma is October, but my head is already in October. We’ll start to see the orders for Yuma coming in in September. So, if this doesn’t get resolved within a week, then I think the [situation will] continue to spiral with real, unpredictable consequences.

I do take some comfort in the fact that produce companies are, as we are, coaching all of our managers around this. We have a written standard operating procedure; here’s what you do if ICE turns up on the property.

First, they’re not allowed on the property, obviously, without a warrant. It has to be a judicial warrant. Most of the farms that ICE turned up at this week demanded a judicial warrant, which they didn’t have.

Who advised you on ICE raid protocols and do you recommend that all ag businesses have an ICE raid plan in place?

I have all sorts of plans in place now that five years ago, I never thought I would. COVID plans, this plan, that plan, pandemic plans, and now I have an ICE plan.

We went to our HR attorney said, “OK, what do we do and what should we be telling our managers?” He laid out how to handle an ICE visit, and we put the steps into a proper procedure. Then we trained all 40 managers and supervisors and office people on what to do if ICE knocks on the door or what to do if they show up in the parking lot or what to do if they try to access the factory without going through the front office.

Everybody knows exactly what to do, and we trained everybody. It’s written down. It’s posted in the factory and in the front office, and I keep a copy on my computer at home and at work.

Walking onto a field is walking onto private property. They’re not allowed to be there, and your supervisors in the field should know that, and they should know what to do and whom to call, and those people need to be accessible to get out there and deal with the situation so that you’re not asking farmworkers themselves to deal with it.

And one clear thing is: Don’t run. Do not run. We’ve told our employees, I don’t care how scared you are, do not do the instinctual thing, which might be to run. You’re all here legally, A, and B, we can handle this. Running communicates guilt. So, just stay put and let the company deal with it.

Little Leaf Farms offers fresh fix for 'lettuce letdown' revealed in survey

Mon, 19 May 2025 17:57:07 GMT

In a new national survey from Little Leaf Farms, more than 60% of U.S. lettuce buyers admit their greens spoil before they can eat them, and nearly a quarter say this happens “often” or “almost every time,” according to a news release.

“Forgetfulness” (44%) and “how quickly lettuce goes bad” (36%) topped the list of reasons why leafy greens go uneaten, the company said. Still, people keep tossing lettuce into their carts, hoping this time will be different, the grower said — even though a third of U.S. consumers admit they “like the idea of salad more than the reality of eating one.”

And that’s exactly the cycle Little Leaf Farms says it is out to break.

This National Salad Month, Little Leaf Farms said it is inviting consumers to come clean on their bad lettuce habits — no judgment, just fresh starts — with its Lettuce Confessions campaign. Whether it’s a forgotten head of lettuce in the back of the fridge or too often settling for soggy greens the company said it is here to help shoppers turn over a new leaf.

Little Leaf Farms said consumers can confess their lettuce sins , pledge to switch to its fresh, long-lasting greens and enter for a chance to win a year’s supply of its crisp lettuce and a $2,500 grocery gift card. Plus, for every lettuce confession submitted, Little Leaf Farms will donate $1 to ReFED, a nonprofit advancing solutions to food waste, up to $10,000, according to the release.

“For too long, sad, tasteless lettuce that’s already halfway to wilted when you bring it home has been the norm — no wonder it ends up in the trash,” said Jeannie Hannigan, marketing director for Little Leaf Farms. “Our survey showed 86% of Americans would be more likely to finish their lettuce if it stayed fresher longer, and that’s exactly what Little Leaf Farms delivers: greens that stay fresh and crisp and taste great.”

“In homes across the country, Americans waste more than 26 million tons of food each year at a cost of more than $151 billion — and nearly 40 percent is produce,” said ReFED President Dana Gunders. “We’re excited that Little Leaf Farms is driving attention to this problem and hope their campaign raises awareness of the small behavior changes that make a big difference in reducing wasted food, from proper storage to checking what’s in your fridge before you go shopping.”

Little Leaf Farms said its lettuce is delivered to the grocery store in about 24 hours after harvest and is grown using captured rainwater, natural sunlight and no chemical pesticides or herbicides.

Taylor Farms responds to lawsuit

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:44:43 GMT

Taylor Farms says it refutes the claims in a lawsuit put forth by Marler Clark , in which the law firm alleges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration failed to report an E. coli outbreak traced romaine lettuce from Taylor Farms.

“Taylor Farms product was not the source of the referenced 2024 E. coli outbreak,” a statement from the Salinas, Calif.-based company said. “We perform extensive raw and finished product testing on all our product and there was no evidence of contamination. Any reporting that connects Taylor Farms products to these heartbreaking illnesses is dangerous, irresponsible and unfair to the impacted families.”

Taylor Farms said the FDA did not find the source of the outbreak because E. coli 0157:H7 comes from livestock, not from fresh produce and the FDA is not authorized to inspect the livestock industry.

“We will continue to deliver the safest, healthiest fresh foods in the world,” the company said. “All of our leafy greens are subjected to a robust sampling and pathogen testing program, which are processed in a state-of-the-art facility that uses the latest-available innovative technology and the industry’s most advanced USDA-verified wash systems.”

The company said it also invests in research, innovation and enhancements to its food safety program which third-party partnerships and certifications support, including the Global Food Safety Initiative Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audit, Primus, SQF, CFS and LGMA.

“If the FDA lacked sufficient scientific evidence to publicly identify a farm or firm, it would make sense for them not to name a company, as incorrectly identifying or implicating a food or firm without sufficient evidence would be reckless, unfairly damage the livelihood of a farmer and/or producer, and — longer term do more harm than good — to trust in the U.S. FDA and the broader food system,” Frank Yiannas, former FDA deputy commissioner of food policy and response, said in a statement from Tayor Farms.

Mastronardi Produce recognized for packaging innovation

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 20:26:02 GMT

Kingsville, Ontario-based greenhouse grower Mastronardi Produce new paper lettuce bag garnered the Packaging Innovation Award at this year’s Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention and Trade Show in Montreal.

The resealable lettuce bag helps keep leafy greens crisp, fresh and delicious with a 65% reduction in plastic compared to a traditional PET tray, according to the company.

“Consumers are looking for alternatives to conventional plastic packaging,” company President and CEO Paul Mastronardi said in a news release. “This award speaks to Mastronardi’s continued leadership in the industry to meet consumer demands.”

Mastronardi Produce said it will launch the new packaging soon on its Backyard Farms fresh leafy greens brand.

California leafy greens season back on track

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 18:16:56 GMT

Late winter rains in California caused planting gaps in Salinas Valley production, says Bill Wynne, sales executive and commodity manager with Pacific International Marketing. The gaps, as well as disease pressure due to a wet start to the season, impacted production, he says.

While these challenges might have slowed the company’s start to the season, Wynne says it did have a positive effect on the market.

“These gaps along with reduced yields caused by disease pressure resulted in very good market conditions to begin the season,” he said.

John Amaral, sales manager for the Nunes Co., says cooler weather in spring also brought smaller head sizes and lighter than usual weights.

As the season has progressed, Wynne says its production in the Salinas Valley and Santa Maria regions looks steady. And its iceberg acreage remains unchanged, too.

Amaral says he expects the crop to improve in size, weight and quality, too.

“As we head into July and get into summertime plantings, our production is getting back on track,” he said. “The healthy crop has good sizing and normalized weights.”

Wynne says while production remains relatively unchanged for Pacific International Marketing, it’s a different story for the Salinas Valley.

“Overall planted acres are down this season in the Salinas Valley,” he said.

Some of this is likely due to the challenges that all farmers face — weather, labor and increasing costs. Wynne says these challenges are often exacerbated by additional legislation in the Golden State.

“In California, there are so many state regulations that growers in other states don’t have to deal with. It puts us in a competitive disadvantage,” Wynne said. “This especially hurts the smaller growers.”

Amaral says increased competition from Mexico, Canada and other states also challenges the leafy green growers in the state. Despite these challenges, the state’s leafy greens growers can still compete in the marketplace, he says.

“There are always opportunities to compete in the marketplace if you can continue to grow, harvest, cool and load and sell at a high-quality level,” he said.

Wynne says sustainability is a key focus for growers, given the fact that growers have been farming in the Salinas Valley for hundreds of years.

“It doesn’t do a farmer any good not to take care of his land or not be concerned about soil health since it is the key to his livelihood,” he said.

Amaral, too, says the team at the Nunes Co. is paying close attention to the state-level discussions to remove single-use plastics from leafy green packaging.

“We monitor these discussions closely, as any movement will have a big impact on all aspects of our industry,” he said.

3 food safety tools that could level up the fresh produce supply chain

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 19:19:26 GMT

Across the entire supply chain, understanding the real-time food safety risk for a fresh produce product can be daunting. Assessing food safety, for many, means ensuring a series of precise, science-based tasks, procedures, processes, verifications and record-keeping that can’t be phoned in.

Added to this is the pressure that comes with knowing that just one outbreak has the potential to devastate a business and an entire commodity. The recent coverage in the Netflix documentary “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food” further highlights the scrutiny that fresh fruits and vegetables — leafy greens in particular — are facing in the U.S.

Related news: The real truth about your food

“The one thing I’ve learned the hard way, working in retail and at the FDA, is that oftentimes an entire commodity wins and loses together,” Frank Yiannas, a former FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, recently told The Packer.

Faced with high stakes, how do growers, packers, shippers and retailers equip themselves to reduce risk, improve processes and embody best practices?

A handful of recent regulations and resources seek to do just that. These three new tools seek to raise the bar for all stakeholders so that the entire supply chain improves the way it delivers fresh, wholesome and safe fresh produce products to consumers.

1. FSMA rules level up requirements for high-risk foods

The latest Food Safety Modernization Act final rule calls for additional traceability records for specific foods the FDA has flagged as high risk. This additional due diligence has a compliance deadline looming on Jan. 20, 2026.

While that might sound far away, the steps needed to meet the new rule will be a heavy lift for many operations, requiring coordination and strategy to execute. It’s never too early to find out what one needs to do.

First step, to discover what the FSMA traceability final rule means for an operation, first determine if it grows, buys, sells or transports any of the food products that the FDA has identified as needing additional traceability records.

According to the FDA , the list includes the following fresh produce products:

Cucumbers.
Herbs.
Leafy greens (whole and fresh-cut).
Melons.
Peppers.
Sprouts.
Tomatoes.
Tropical tree fruits such as mango, papaya, jackfruit, lychee, bananas, dates, figs, pineapple and others.
Fresh cut fruits.
Fresh cut vegetables.

Once you’ve identified which products in operation will be affected and require additional traceability, get ready to monitor critical tracking events. These events include activities such as harvest and cooling and packing, and according to the FDA, they must include key data elements.

Related news: FDA appoints EPA veteran to build new Human Foods Program

In addition to tracking the right information, a traceability plan that includes supply chain partners is another essential step to ensure compliance with this new regulation. The FDA has a resource page with exemptions and requirements to support operations of all sizes.

2. Leafy greens risk-assessment tool

Between Arizona and California, Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement members produce over 90% of the U.S.’s lettuce and leafy greens, totaling over 50 billion servings a year, according to the associations.

To support leafy greens and lettuce growers and shippers, the Arizona LMGA and California LGMA recently teamed up with Arizona State University to develop a new food safety tool.

It is a straightforward, but powerful excel spreadsheet that evaluates a grower’s crop production environment. This assessment looks at various risks both on the ranch that the farmer controls and on land adjacent to the crop production area, according to a news release.

“The LGMA has always required that its members conduct an environmental risk assessment, but this new tool incorporates the LGMA requirements and standardizes the way that each member addresses specific hazards,” Teressa Lopez, Arizona LGMA program administrator, said in the release. “After completing the assessment, the user will get a risk score and see what impact specific mitigation measures can have on safety of the crop.”

The adjacent land uses and hazards measured in the tool include:

Animal operations.
Compost/soil amendment operations.
Non-leafy green crops.
Water source and systems/
Urban settings.
Other environmental considerations.

After hazards and risk considerations are entered by the grower, the tool assigns a risk-result rating. From this data, the user will be able to enter farm-level mitigations to address potential hazards that can ultimately adjust the risk rating, according to the release.

Access the Environmental Risk Assessment tool on the California LGMA site .

3. Industrywide ‘Romaine Test and Learn’ study

Food safety extends beyond the farm gate. The data and experiences growers gain on their individual farms is now, thanks to the California LGMA and its industry partners, being aggregated to better understand the entire leafy-green sector’s risks, outcomes and best practices.

The “Romaine Test and Learn” initiative is, according to the California LGMA, “an industrywide effort that collects, compiles and analyzes data, then utilizes the finding to inform future food safety practices that will improve the safety of leafy greens and prevent outbreaks.”

Related news: LGMA seeks to raise the food safety bar with industrywide romaine study

The study marks a shift away from reactive food safety approaches to proactive positioning, seeking to better understanding what is known, what is unknown and what patterns and trends are emerging from shared data and insights at the industrywide level.

To learn more about Romaine Test and Learn and to join the effort, read the California LGMA’s fact sheet on the initiative.

Former FDA deputy commissioner offers insight about the food safety evolution ahead

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 20:43:51 GMT

From food safety outbreaks and commodity challenges to pandemic-related production issues and supply bottlenecks, delivering safe, wholesome food from farm to shopping cart has necessitated exceptional tenacity, grit and creative problem-solving from leaders throughout the supply chain.

To say that the U.S. food system has been put through a stress test in the last five years is to put it mildly, and few leaders have experienced these stress points more acutely than Frank Yiannas.

Yiannas served as the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response from 2018 to 2023, preceded by 30 years in leadership at Walmart and The Walt Disney Co. He led the design and implementation of initiatives such as the FDA’s Fresh Leafy Greens Action Plan, Final Food Traceability Rule, Proposed Agricultural Water Standard and the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative.

Yiannas recently made the leap to the private sector, bringing his experience and policy expertise to advise greenhouse leafy-green grower Revol Greens.

The Packer met with Yiannas to discuss his reflections since leaving the FDA six months ago, his priorities in advising Revol Greens on food safety and why he believes that transforming the food system requires more than regulation alone.

Editor’s note: Interview edited for length and clarity.

The Packer: There are several food safety initiatives and programs launching in the next six months. What spurred your move to the private sector?

Yiannas: After serving [the] FDA as deputy commissioner for food policy and response for two administrations, I just felt it was time to get back into the private sector. It was an honor and privilege to serve the American people working in the public sector. As you know, I have a long career serving in the public sector, so I thought it was time to get on the other side of the fence.

But let me be clear, it doesn’t matter whether you’re in the private or public sector, at the end of the day, it’s important for us to remember we’re all serving the same boss, and that’s the American consumer.

Absolutely. Coming into your new role, advising Revol Greens on food safety, what do you see as your initial priorities?

Coming out of federal service, I’ve had many companies and organizations asking me to partner with them, but I’ve been selective and intentional, picking only topics that I think are going to be critical to advancing the food system.

We’ve all heard people say that food security is national security, and I got to experience this working at the FDA during the height of the pandemic — probably the biggest test on the food system in over 100 years.

People are waking up to the idea that the food system is under immense pressure, whether it’s the supply chain, labor shortages, the effects of climate change or safety pressures.

When I started talking to [CEO] Michael Wainscott at Revol Greens, I was intrigued with the idea of working with them because it’s going to require innovations and changes to the food system for us to continue to be successful in feeding the soon approaching 10 billion people on the planet. My work will be primarily centered around food safety. First, we’ll take a close look at processes, procedures and infrastructure and see if there [are] opportunities for continued improvement.

The second thing that Michael and I really want to focus on is design. I’ve learned that food safety begins with the design, and we will look for opportunities to continue to refine how the facilities are designed, [which includes] the structure, the equipment that they use and even from the technology leveraged to further strengthen safety, efficiency and sustainability.

The last thing we’re going to do is look at the regulatory framework. We know there are regulations that can affect the food system, and we need to look from a regulatory engagement process and ask, “What does it mean to ensure that the regulations fit our purpose, and how can we work with all stakeholders to determine engagement with regulatory agencies?”

Those sound like exciting topics to wrap your arms around. You mentioned improving processes at Revol Greens. I’m curious, what does that look like for an indoor leafy-green grower?

Fresh produce and leafy greens play a critical role in a healthy diet. There’s a lot consumed daily; the estimates are over 100 million servings safely every day, and it’s generally safe.

But when outbreaks have occurred — and I oversaw and led the outbreak teams at FDA — all too often they’re fresh produce related. In fact, if you look at attribution studies published by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], you’ll see that about 50% of all outbreaks are attributed fresh leafy greens. It’s staggering.

We hate it, but it’s this idea that people say fresh leafy greens are now the new hamburger. So, there’s more that can be done.

Growing in CEA, you can manage and control the climate, water, radically eliminate the potential of adjacent land impacts and animal intrusion. There’s a lot that you can control, but having stated that, oftentimes people believe because a product is grown inside, it’s automatically safer.

In fact, during my tenure at FDA, there was an outbreak with a [controlled environment agriculture] facility that we investigated, and we reported. I made sure that report got published because I wanted the world to know that, while it’s grown indoors, there are things you must do right.

A high standard of care means making sure that people don’t use indoor production as a crutch and say because it’s grown indoor, we don’t have to worry about food safety.

I’m really honored and humbled to be working with Revol Greens. We will always comply with regulations, but we know that regulations are a minimum. We want to go beyond regulatory compliance and establish a standard of care that will ensure that consumers can be sure these products are safe, and that we can serve as a role model for others [in the CEA sector].

What are you most excited about as you look at the months ahead?

Advancing food safety and food production more broadly is just critical. I believe that we’re going to see more changes in food production and agriculture in the next 10 years than we have in the past 30, and these changes are going to require people to lead them.

We don’t want to do things just because this the way it’s always done. We want to understand the science of why things work or don’t work and how can we optimize this evidence, but it will increasingly be technology-enabled.

I hope to serve as a role model for this entire sector to follow. The one thing I’ve learned the hard way, working in retail and at the FDA, is that oftentimes an entire commodity wins and loses together.

Plenty adds Whole Foods Market and Gelson’s Markets to roster of California stores

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 19:00:19 GMT

Indoor, vertical greens grower Plenty Unlimited has expanded its California footprint to include all Gelson’s Markets and Whole Foods Market stores located in the Golden State. According to a news release, this expansion will double the grower’s retail presence.

“We’ve been big supporters of Plenty since we first started carrying their greens in our Bay Area stores back in 2020. We’re thrilled to be making Plenty’s produce available to all of our California shoppers,” Eric Cusimano, produce category manager for Whole Foods Market, said in the release.

Plenty’s indoor farm facility in Compton, Calif., opened in May this year. The indoor farm is now ramping up production to grow an estimated 4.5 million pounds of leafy greens annually to supply increased demand, according to the release.

“Opening Plenty’s first commercial-scale farm in Compton makes it possible for us to provide California retailers with a reliable supply of fresh leafy greens year-round,” Dana Worth, Plenty’s senior vice president of commercial, said in the release. “From expanding our presence in Whole Foods Market to bringing new, leading California retailers like Gelson’s on board, we’re giving more consumers access to regional produce that is grown clean.”

The grower says it cultivates its leafy greens in a high-tech controlled environment agriculture facility without the use of pesticides or bleach. In addition to its Compton farm, Plenty operates a vertical farming research center in Laramie, Wyo., and is building an indoor strawberry vertical farm in partnership with Driscoll’s near Richmond, Va., with an opening date slated for 2024.

Related news: Driscoll’s heads to Virginia to grow strawberries in world’s largest indoor vertical farm

Whole Foods Market and Gelson’s Markets will sell four varieties of leafy greens grown at Plenty’s Compton farm, which include baby arugula, crispy lettuce, baby kale and curly baby spinach leafy, according to the release.

“Over the past 70 years, Gelson’s has earned a reputation as one of the premier supermarket chains in the country, in part because of our dedication to offering superior produce,” Paul Kneeland, Gelson’s Markets senior vice president, said in the release. “Plenty makes it possible for us to provide our Southern California shoppers with delicious, locally grown greens all year long, thanks to their advanced technology that brings out its best natural flavor.”

Related news: Plenty unveils its first commercial farm in Compton

The Compton farm’s increased production is not only powering the expansion of Plenty’s California retail footprint to Gelson’s Markets and Whole Foods Market stores, but also includes all California-based Bristol Farms locations, totaling more than 180 retail stores across the Golden State, according to the release.

Additionally, Plenty’s leafy greens are also available online through e-commerce channels such as Good Eggs, Imperfect Foods, Instacart, Misfits Market and Whole Foods Market, the release said.

Picking up the pieces: California lettuce and leafy greens stabilize after rocky spring

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:01:32 GMT

Markets and crop harvests are finally normalizing across the supply chain after the California climate brought challenges to lettuce and leafy greens growers in the first half of 2023.

“The climate this year really threw us a curveball, and it’s been it’s been difficult to spring back from, but we will,” Mary Zischke, Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) and soil-borne diseases task force coordinator for the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California , told The Packer. “We’ve got the right location, climate and set of circumstances that this industry has always relied on to be the primary producer of leafy greens. I don’t think that’s going to change in the long term.”

The one silver lining to the early season rain, flooding and cool temperatures in Central California has been a reduction in disease pressure, Zischke said.

“We were faced with all these weather-related problems this year — flooding and ground that wasn’t drying out,” she said. “Planting schedules just got thrown completely off kilter this year, and that just ripples through a season.

“We’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in markets this year because the supply hasn’t been as reliable as usual due to our cold, wet winter that has just really thrown a monkey wrench,” she continued. “But things are back on track.”

Tiffany Stornetta, strategy manager for leafy greens and salad for meal kit company Hello Fresh, echoed Zischke’s assessment. Weather issues plagued leafy greens coming out of Salinas Valley in the first half of the year, causing compounding quality issues and gaps in supply until as recently as June, she told The Packer.

But Stornetta remains optimistic for the weeks ahead.

“It’s finally feeling like the doldrums of summer are here and most of the markets are stabilizing, which feels good,” she said.

How markets survived California’s wet winter and cool spring

One advantage to the meal kit and delivery service model is that buyers were able to pivot and navigate tricky markets this spring by making meal kit menu adjustments, Stornetta said.

“We have a unique situation where we are pushing produce out to our consumers and they’re not going to the shelf and picking and choosing. Our culinary team creates our recipes and meals,” she said. “There are times of the year where we’ll anticipate supply gaps. We’ll work with our culinary team to make sure that we’re not putting something on the menu that is going to go through a supply gap.”

This means that, unlike most retailers, when markets skyrocket, the meal kit and delivery service can pivot and adjust menus accordingly. But this innovative model brings new challenges.

“What we buy is pretty unique,” Stornetta said. “We buy, basically, anywhere from a 2-5 ounce bag of spinach. They’re meant to be consumed by two to four people — it’s a unique pack size, not something that you would see in the retail space or in foodservice.”

Because the company is shipping packaged product directly to a customer’s doorsteps to be cooked at home, conventional assumptions about the supply chain’s last mile don’t always match the Hello Fresh model.

“It presents its challenge — its own set of challenges, right? It’s a small bag of leafy greens and we’re putting it through the mail,” Stornetta said. “That means we really put a high priority on making sure that the quality going into the bag is right for our business model, and we set ourselves up and our suppliers up for success going through our supply chain.”

For producers, inflationary pressures layer on an additional hurdle to delivering high-quality, affordable greens to shelf.

“Like most other growers, recent inflation pressures have increased the cost to grow leafy greens,” John Georgalos, Ocean Mist Farms sales commodity manager, told The Packer. “Land, water, fertilizer, fuel, seed, etc. have all been affected. As a result, we’ve taken a detailed look at our expected needs and right-sized our program to match those needs. We continue to seek ways to farm and operate more efficiently and sustainably to minimize the impact of inflation on our customers.”

Despite myriad weather challenges, markets have been favorable overall for the grower.

“We’ve had a couple of windows in March and then in late May and June when supply exceeded market demand, causing markets to fall below cost,” Georgalos said. “But all in all, we’ve had a very good year so far.”

Unprecedented weather jostles business as usual

“As an industry, we rely on historic weather patterns to determine when we’re going to plant, which seed variety use [and so on]. When this changes, it disrupts the normal flow of supply,” Georgalos said.

This unprecedented weather caused a ripple effect in planting schedules.

“This year has been the most challenging in recent memory [for weather],” he said. “Extreme winter weather altered planting schedules and delayed harvest by up to three weeks, and periods of nonstop rain were followed by flooding.”

Crops were planted late and experienced wetter, colder weather than normal in the spring months, he said.

“Many leafy green crops tended to be bunched, causing some gaps and periods of oversupply,” Georgalos added. “The first crops planted were affected the most. By the time the second planting went in, weather had normalized, bringing more consistent supplies.”

Diversifying growing regions to reduce risk

Unpredictable weather patterns such as these have underscored the advantage of having diverse growing regions available. For some growers, that means looking outside of California.

“Foxy Organic produce is now being shipped out of the Walker River Cooling Facility in Yerington, Nev. This area produces the best organic quality in the country from late May to the middle of October,” John Amaral, sales manager for The Nunes Co. , told The Packer. “Also, the location in Nevada brings the product closer to the customers, easily saving a day and a half in transportation time with carriers not having to come into California, saving 600 miles. This gives our customers fresher product with less shrink.”

It’s not just growers. Retailers are starting to ask questions and make sure they have a one or more contingency plans ready in the event of unforeseen weather.

“What we’ve had to do is to really make sure that, as we’re [lining up our] supply for leafy greens, we’re diversifying our growing regions,” said Hello Fresh’s Stornetta.

Having weathered the California weather patterns over the last two seasons, Stornetta said it’s critical to discuss risk strategy with her suppliers.

“We’re making sure not only that we’re diversifying our growing regions [that we buy from], but also that our suppliers have some sort of contingency planning built into their model,” she said. “We don’t want to see high risk in their plans, and we don’t want to see high risk in our plans. We’re very much focusing on making sure that we’ve got multiple growing regions going at the same time.”

Growers regain normalcy after a rocky spring

Cultivating iceberg lettuce, romaine and green, red and butter lettuce varieties, Ocean Mist Farms has had luck navigating the tricky weather patterns earlier this year largely due to its vertically integrated supply chain.

“Ocean Mist Farms is fortunate in that we own much of the land we farm, and our in-house team manages the farming and harvest operations,” Georgalos said. “We’ve been able to minimize major supply impacts by working together to coordinate harvests and proactively manage any swings in supply. We’re also constantly trying to match our available supplies with the needs of our customers and keeping our customers up to speed with our supply forecasts. This has been a very successful model this year.”

The Nunes Co., home of Foxy Fresh Produce, was able to leverage its diversified supply chain to maintain close to normal volumes.

“A good land base up and down the Salinas Valley provides flexibility when navigating any weather-related challenges,” Amaral said.

The grower produces organic and conventional lettuce greens along with chard, spinach, kale, cabbage and collard greens. While it didn’t experience supply gaps, the cooler temperatures and weather caused a delay earlier in the year, though it’s back on track with “summertime volume and good quality.”

“Weather conditions made it much more difficult [than in 2022],” Amaral said.

Over the last three to four months, the unfavorable weather, an unseasonably cool June in the Salinas Valley and persistent fog have affected production, he said.

In addition, Amaral saw an increase in demand due to supply shortfalls coming out of regions that faced adverse weather conditions, such as extreme heat in Mexico.

Setting sights on the summer months ahead

Georgalos of Ocean Mist Farms is expecting strong quality coming out of fields but likely lighter-than-average harvests through July.

“Below-normal temps during the last five weeks are starting to have an effect,” Georgalos said. “We see industry volume trending downward at a time when production is normally very high.”

The grower experienced slight delays earlier this season in Castroville, Calif., due to heavy winter rains, but things have been steady since the fields matured, he said.

Despite challenges, Stornetta at Hello Fresh is excited about the salad category this year.

“We have quite a few new recipes on the menu. We’ll see how those play out over the next couple of months, and I’m looking forward to expanding our salad options,” she said.

In addition to buying bags of spinach, along with arugula and spring mix blends, Stornetta said she’s enthusiastic about the recent addition of baby romaine to meal kits.

“We take baby romaine and pack it into a single bag [that’s] dropped into our kits. It’s a perfect size for a two- to four-person meal,” she said. “There’s a variety of things that our culinary team loves to play with; we use it in salads, we use it as a lettuce wrap or cup. It’s a wonderful size for us. It’s just this little, tiny head of romaine. It’s nice and compact and you get a lot of use out of a small footprint.”