PMG Industry Perspective
While any store can appear fine from the front, a look out back can reveal telltale signs of inventory mishandling, health and safety hazards, theft and other problems, says columnist Armand Lobato.
Don’t want to get burned by ordering too little or too much? Columnist Armand Lobato offers advice on maintaining a well-stocked produce department.
Last week I touched on reasons why produce managers get transferred from one store to another. It happens as managers move about, taking on other responsibilities, opening a new store or transferring for other reasons.
Jeff Cady rarely misses an opportunity to get better, and that approach has served him well as director of produce and floral for Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops Friendly Markets.
Warm weather means prime time for every produce department, from berries to stone fruit to grapes to the crown jewel of summer: cherries.
Cherries come in a variety of pack sizes and styles, and in typical years – coronavirus may change the approach this season – many retailers have worked to present several different options for shoppers.
Retailers generally carry cherries whenever they are available, though the Northwest season is obviously the pinnacle of volume and consumer interest.
If the mission is greatness, then a few minutes spent in creative thought is a prudent investment.
Avocado marketers anticipate the usual increase in demand next month leading up to the biggest guacamole consumption occasion of the year — the Super Bowl.
In part one of our series, we covered the basics of crisping and preparing your fresh produce. With all that work now complete, you are ready to go into physically setting the rack and painting your picture!
Ahhh, the beautiful wet rack! The crown jewel and showpiece of every produce department.
Bronx, N.Y.-based online grocer FreshDirect has closed its sale to food retail group Ahold Delhaize and investment firm Centerbridge Partners.
I like how technology plays an ever-increasing role in produce retailing. Take, for example, ad displays.
I hate putting things off. In fact, I once worked with a guy who admitted he put the “pro” in procrastination. That’s not good when working in the produce department.
Episode 42 of Tip of the Iceberg Podcast features a conversation with Sandor Nagy, group vice president of supply chain for Driscoll’s.
A well-managed produce department runs on a strict regimen of doing things correctly.
Julie Krivanek, president of Krivanek Consulting, recently joined The Packer’s Ashley Nickle on Tip of the Iceberg Podcast to discuss how technology is changing the produce industry and how companies can respond.
It has been a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic began and a May 5 Produce Marketing Association Town Hall program looked at some of the lessons learned.
The Center for Produce Safety launched its latest fundraising campaign in January with a goal to raise $15 million to support its work for the next five years, and so far it has raised nearly $6 million.
I’m a produce writer, but not a very good poet. In school I didn’t grade well in the world of couplets, stanzas, prose and ballads. Still, I’m inspired by the art. More about this later.
How the food dollar ultimately splits out between foodservice and retail remains to be seen, but right now both channels are experiencing growth.
Sometimes, training others means teaching those we also answer to.
The produce aisle is but one department in the grocery business. And, by all appearances, when a customer navigates through a store, it’s a peaceful place.
Angela Scarfia’s 25-second educational video on the ice cream bean fruit earned 283,700 views, 58,000 likes and 764 comments on TikTok.
I visit a full range of stores, from the quiet produce stands that depend on evening and weekend business to keep them afloat, to the megastores, and everything in between.
Watsonville, Calif.-based Driscoll’s recently signed on to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, an initiative designed to minimize the environmental impact of plastic.
Two experts cover how significant this is for the industry, what new capabilities represent incremental change versus transformational change, and what other areas have truly transformative potential.
Foodservice demand for garlic has increased and retail demand has receded slightly as consumers return to restaurants – though people continue to prepare more meals at home than they did pre-pandemic.
Meal preparation habits established during the pandemic bode well for the fresh herbs category, as retail sales remain above 2019 levels even as demand flattens out amid the return of foodservice.
Sprouts Farmers Market plans to open two new fresh distribution centers this year: one in Colorado next month, and one in Florida in early summer.