Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Midwest, Perishables, Produce News, Suppliers

Apple Co-op Releases SweeTango Crop Projections

Members of the Next Big Thing Growers’ Cooperative released estimates for the 2016 crop of SweeTango, the sweet, tangy, crunchy apple that was developed by the University of Minnesota to feature the best characteristics of the Honeycrisp and Zestar apple varieties. The projected crop yield is 450,000 standard 40-lb. boxes, which is an 18 percent […]

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Dole The First Produce Brand To Get Nielsen Innovation Award

Nielsen has honored Dole Fresh Vegetables for “transformational innovation and for continually bringing improvements to essential day-to-day experiences and rituals.” The company and specifically its line of Dole Chopped Salad Kits launched in 2013 received a 2016 U.S. Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Award, selected for distinctiveness, relevance and endurance from close to 3,500 consumer products introduced […]

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OTA/Nielsen Report: Organic Produce Is Growing

More than half of all households in the U.S. are now purchasing organic produce, according to an Organic Trade Association/Nielsen report. Sales of organic bananas alone—now a $165 million market—soared by more than 30 percent last year. Organic “value-added” vegetables (think chopped kale, peeled carrots and ready-to-cook squash) grew by a whopping 54 percent in […]

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First Pick Marks The Start Of Michigan Blueberry Harvest Season

Blueberry harvest is officially underway with the annual “First Pick” in Grand Junction, Michigan. To kick-off the season, South Haven Mayor Bob Burr and Larry Ensfield, president/CEO of MBG Marketing, a grower-owned cooperative and a founding partner of Naturipe Farms, which manages the sales, marketing and distribution of the co-op’s blueberries, visited with Harris Blueberries LLC […]

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United Fresh Opens Application Period For Caplan Scholarship

The United Fresh Produce Association is now accepting applications for the 2016 Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship.   The Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship Program was founded in 2001 by sisters Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in honor of their mother, Frieda Rapoport Caplan. The program provides the opportunity for representatives from […]

Posted in, Corporate Store News, Grocery Industry, Home Page Latest News, Perishables, Produce News, Sustainability News, West

Raley’s Food For Families Launches Summer Fresh Drive

Raley’s Food For Families has launched its Summer Fresh Drive, designed to raise funds and increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables at food banks throughout Northern California and Nevada. During the school year, 21 million children from financially challenged homes in the U.S. eat a school lunch every day. The need for food assistance […]

Posted in, Bakery News, Deli News, Food Service News, Grocery News, Merchandising News, Northeast, Produce News

Study: Hispanic Shoppers Lead U.S. Market In Grocery Shopping Enjoyment & Engagement

Acosta and Univision Communications recently released the fifth edition of The Why? Behind The Buy U.S. Hispanic Shopper Study, which concludes that Hispanic shoppers enjoy the shopping experience and are highly engaged consumers. “Data clearly shows Hispanics are the driving force behind sales growth across many key grocery categories, but the bigger challenge is to […]