Fresh Produce Technology
Technology drives growth and efficiency in the fresh produce industry by optimizing the entire supply chain. Robotics and autonomous harvesters help growers overcome labor shortages, while digital tools and IoT sensors enhance food safety through real-time traceability. AI-driven analytics extend shelf life and minimize waste by maintaining optimal environments for perishable goods. Explore how these innovations are transforming the fresh produce industry for a more sustainable future.
As labor unions and lawmakers push to restrict electronic shelf labels over fears of worker displacement and AI-driven surge pricing, retail advocates are defending the technology before Congress as a necessary operational upgrade that improves price accuracy and streamlines store management.
Onza Corp.’s FreshSure technology converts volatile ozone gas into a stable, USDA-organic solid crystal matrix offering scalable sachets that achieve up to log-five pathogen reductions and extend produce shelf life by up to nine days.
Circana’s Jonna Parker warns that brands are missing out on online shoppers, viral social trends and falling behind as AI-driven commerce takes off.
The move comes months after the California-based company raised $50 million in February at a $4.5 billion pre-money valuation in a funding round.
By tailoring price drops to individual fruits and vegetables rather than entire aisles, grocers can protect profits, cut food waste and keep fresh produce affordable.
The company’s chief business development officer breaks down how its simulation-trained, zero-fruit-contact harvesting robot achieves up to 85% autonomous coverage, with North American commercial operations set to launch early next year.
Engineers have developed a virtual reality system that creates real-time 3D virtual replicates of greenhouses, enabling older farmers, individuals with disabilities and agricultural students to intuitively monitor plant health.
Deerpoint Group has tapped the agricultural executive as its first chief revenue officer to oversee the expansion of its automated irrigation and crop nutrition technology into new regional markets across the U.S.
Following an unexpected surge on social media, founder Adam Stager explains how massive public interest drives global demand for agricultural automation and eco-friendly alternatives to traditional chemical sprays.
While major retail chains gamble on generic chatbots, independent grocers are deploying a custom, inventory-driven AI that turns seasonal produce and beverage pairings into highly personalized basket builders.
To combat rising input costs and fragmented farm data, Innov8.ag’s HarvestReplay platform aims to eliminate risk for specialty crop operations.
Uber’s director of grocery and retail partnerships explains how the platform is helping grocers capture spontaneous, midweek demand by turning on-demand delivery into a seamless extension of its business.
Bipartisan legislation heading to Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s desk aims to protect consumers from real-time price gouging and safeguard union grocery jobs.
With a 2027 U.S. debut on the horizon, German tech company Orbem is set to transform fresh produce grading by bringing industrialized, hospital-grade MRI technology paired with AI to packing lines on a pay-per-scan basis to eliminate internal browning, rot and guesswork without ever cutting the fruit open.
From long-range climate forecasting down to highway cold chains and the final checkout bar code, automation is removing human error from the fresh supply chain.
By eliminating the manual blind spots of traditional tracking, real-time wireless automation is helping retailers protect fresh food quality and slash spoilage.
The family-owned grocer has deployed autonomous shelf-scanning technology to strengthen shelf visibility, pricing accuracy and in-store execution.
As agentic commerce shifts online grocery from rigid, transactional search bars to intuitive, conversational AI, retailers have an opportunity to use autonomous agents to solve the industry’s long-standing fresh produce adoption bottleneck.
While AI-driven demand forecasting has prevented millions of pounds of waste and boosted retail profits, its full potential is restricted by store managers who override technological insights to avoid the risk of empty shelves.
Fam Stumabo’s Paul Krechel breaks down how modern cutting technology eliminates “invisible” waste, simplifies labor challenges and proves that true sustainability happens on the factory floor.
At The Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum, venture capitalists revealed three macro trends that are positioning the retail produce department as the ultimate destination for data-driven, wellness-focused consumers.
Industry experts project biological crop protection solutions will achieve complete market parity with conventional synthetic pesticides by 2040.
The launch gives Weis customers real-time spend tracking, personalized coupons and seamless loyalty rewards.
At the West Coast Produce Expo Helios AI CEO Francisco Martin-Rayo explained how artificial intelligence helps lean procurement teams navigate geopolitical fertilizer shortages and climate risks.
The former FDA deputy commissioner joins “The Packer Podcast” to discuss the potential for machine learning to turn food safety from reactive to predictive and its tangible benefits for the fresh produce industry.
In a candid look at the future of agricultural innovation, Danny Bernstein and Walt Duflock discuss bridging the Silicon Valley funding gap, reducing development costs and scaling crop-specific hubs to strengthen the specialty crop industry.
Fresh produce operators are increasingly turning to on-site ethylene generation to escape price volatility and secure their ripening pipelines, according to Catalytic Generators.