The U.S. Department of Agriculture has officially declared December as National Pear Month, a time to celebrate the abundance and variety of USA Pears, now at their peak and available nationwide. Pears can star in festive appetizers and holiday feasts, gifted fresh, preserved as jam or chutney, and as portable, healthy snacks throughout this active […]
Category: Grocery News
Big Red, Trees For Troops Bring Christmas Cheer To Military Families
Austin, Texas-based Big Red soda has partnered with Trees for Troops to donate live Christmas trees to military families. For every Big Red purchase this holiday season, Big Red will donate a portion of the proceeds to send Christmas trees to military members and their families around the world. Last year, Trees for Troops donated […]
PMA Produce Pavilion Will Return To 2016 NGA Show
The PMA Produce Pavilion will return for the 2016 NGA Show, to be held Feb. 28- March 2 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. For the fifth year, the Produce Marketing Association will feature 32 exhibitors from the fresh produce industry within its 3,200-s.f. pavilion at the National Grocers Association’s annual convention. […]
PMA’s Silbermann Announces Plans To Retire, Burns Will Take Over
Bryan Silbermann, the longtime leader of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), plans to retire as CEO on Jan. 31, 2017. Current PMA President Cathy Burns will succeed Silbermann, a move that was approved in late 2013 by PMA’s executive committee. In an emailed letter to PMA members Tuesday, Silbermann said that, starting Jan. 1, 2016, […]
Though Amazon Is No. 1 Among Moms, Food Brands Dominate Favorites Ranking
Food brands make up half the list of the top 25 most loved brands among moms of children age 6-12. Brands making the list include Reese’s, Oreo, Hershey’s, M&M’S, Kit Kat, Snickers, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lay’s, Doritos, Goldfish, Tropicana, Cuties and Pringles. Nevertheless, Amazon takes the No. 1 spot, topping the list of 283 family-friendly […]
Freshway Foods Receives Cornerstone Partner Award
Freshway Foods, a fresh fruit and vegetable processor, repacker, distributor and logistics provider, has been recognized with the Cornerstone Partner Award by Gordon Food Service. The award, which is the highest that Gordon Food Service bestows, was announced at the 2015 North American Vendor Involvement Process (VIP) Award Dinner. The Cornerstone Award recognizes suppliers who […]
United Fresh Accepting 2016 Retail Produce Managers Award Nominations
The United Fresh Produce Association is now accepting nominations for its annual Retail Produce Manager Awards Program. The program will honor 25 outstanding retail produce managers at the United Fresh 2016 Convention June 20-22 in Chicago, Illinois. The Retail Produce Manager Awards Program, sponsored by Dole Food Co. and now in its 12th year, pays […]
Honey Nut Cheerios’ Living Billboard In Florida Highlights Limited-Edition Box
Florida residents this week previewed Honey Nut Cheerios’ one-of-a-kind living billboard, just outside of Orlando, to celebrate the classic cereal’s key ingredient—real honey. Much more than just a billboard installation, the three-story free-standing structure was home to more than 100,000 honeybees. The honey produced from the working hives was used to spell out “Made with […]
Steamboat Springs Location Wins Tom’s, Natural Grocers Contest
The Natural Grocers store in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, won Tom’s of Maine’s “Garbage to Green” promotion, a contest encouraging each of the chain’s 90 locations to reuse empty Tom’s of Maine products and reduce the amount of waste sent to local landfills. Participants created original Tom’s of Maine end cap displays incorporating the empty natural […]
Blue Bell Readies For Phase Three Of Return
Blue Bell Ice Cream continues to expand its distribution following the virtual shutdown of its operations earlier this year after a recall of its products. Phase three of the Brenham, Texas-based company’s five-phase market re-entry is scheduled to begin Dec. 14. Phase three includes the remaining majority of Texas and central and southern Alabama. “We […]
FSMA’s Produce Rule Among Latest Finalized By FDA
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday said it took major steps to prevent foodborne illness by finalizing rules implementing the bipartisan Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that, for the first time, establish enforceable safety standards for produce farms and make importers accountable for verifying that imported food meets U.S. safety standards. The agency […]
IDDBA’s ‘What’s In Store 2016’ Highlights Category Trends
“What’s in Store 2016,” the latest edition of the annual trends publication of the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA), and What’s in Store Online, a collection of 150 downloadable tables, as well as white papers and trends articles, are now available. With 30 years of credible reporting, What’s in Store is an essential dairy-deli-supermarket food service-bakery-cheese […]
Weigel’s Wins Third Tennessee State Fair Blue Ribbon For Chocolate Milk
Convenience store operator Weigel’s has won a blue ribbon in the Tennessee State Fair for its chocolate milk. The competition was held at the fairgrounds in Nashville earlier this fall. The win marks Weigel’s third blue ribbon for chocolate milk; its first win came in 2011, then again in 2014 before taking home this year’s […]
Products With A ‘Fall Feel’ Dominate Instantly’s Latest Shelf Score Report
Instantly, the world’s largest audience and insights company, has released its latest Shelf Score report, a monthly top 10 list of the newest CPG products ranked by consumer purchase intent. With temperatures cooling down across the nation, consumers are seeking products that offer a fall flavor and feel. In the October edition of Instantly’s Shelf […]
Coca-Cola Partners With Musician/Author To Promote Book During Homeless Youth Awareness Month
Country music artist and New York Times bestselling author Jimmy Wayne is joining forces with Coca-Cola to make a positive difference during National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in November. Wayne’s latest book, “Walk To Beautiful” (HarperCollins Christian Publishing), the critically acclaimed memoir that recounts Wayne’s transition from homeless teen to becoming a country music star with a No. 1 song, was […]
Country Hearth Breads Launches Great Holiday Get-Together Sweepstakes
St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Country Hearth breads is offering Midwest consumers the chance to win one of two $1,000 cash awards with the “Great Holiday Get-Together Sweepstakes.” Pan-O-Gold Baking Co., bakers of Country Hearth and Village Hearth breads, is sponsoring the sweepstakes open to residents age 18 and older in its Upper Midwest market area. Entries […]
Kiolbassa Provision Co. Named A Top Workplace
Kiolbassa Provision Co. has received a 2015 Top Workplaces honor by the San Antonio Express-News. The Top Workplaces lists are based solely on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by WorkplaceDynamics, a research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement. Several aspects of workplace culture were measured, including alignment, execution and […]
Pear Bureau Northwest Honors Wegmans As Pear Retailer Of The Year
On behalf of the 1,600 fresh pear growers of Washington and Oregon, Pear Bureau Northwest has named Wegmans Food Markets the 2015 Pear Retailer of the Year for its merchandising performance and sales increase in the pear category. The award was presented at the Pear Bureau’s booth at PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta over the […]
Survey: ‘Local’ Food No Longer Just A Trend To Drive Sales But Critical For Growth
The third annual A.T. Kearney survey of U.S. shoppers’ local food-buying habits finds that local food has made the leap from a “hot” consumer trend to a central growth driver for grocery retailers and restaurants. Two years ago, when A.T. Kearney conducted its first study of local food-buying habits, merely offering local food was a […]
PMA Fresh Summit Sets Attendance Record, Marks Other Milestones
Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention and Expo, the annual homecoming of the fresh produce and floral industry, drew record-breaking attendance from the global supply chain attracting 19,332 attendees from 63 countries, Oct. 23-25 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. In its 66th year, the event surpassed the previous East Coast attendance […]
