SpartanNash is again expanding its participation in the Double Up Food Bucks healthy food incentive program, bringing on an additional 29 stores. That triples SpartanNash’s participation in the Double Up program in 2017, with 46 stores now taking part in Michigan. Double Up Food Bucks matches Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food […]
Category: Produce News
The Shelby Report covers the produce industry for grocery retailers nationwide, from fresh fruit and vegetable trends and supplier announcements to merchandising strategies and regional market news. Updated regularly across our five regional editions.
Find all our fresh coverage in Focus on Fresh.
Hannaford, New York Partner On State Grown & Certified Program
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced a partnership with Hannaford Supermarkets to promote local products from farms participating in the New York State Grown & Certified program. Hannaford is the first grocer in New York’s Capital Region to feature products grown and produced by New York farms that the state has certified as using safe food […]
Sweet Potato Industry Leader Carson Barnes Passes Away
Carson Barnes, a driving force in the North Carolina sweet potato industry, passed away late Saturday evening. He was 82. Barnes began farming in 1960 with three-eighths of an acre of sweet potatoes and eight acres of tobacco. His company, Barnes Farming Corp., has grown to become the largest sweet potato grower and shipper in the country. […]
Ag Secretary Announces $16.8M To Encourage SNAP Participants To Purchase Healthy Foods
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Monday announced 32 grants totaling $16.8 million to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The program is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition […]
Langer Farms Ramps Up California-Grown Apple Cider Line
Family-owned Langer Juice Co. Inc., based in City of Industry, California, is building on the latest addition to its lineup of juices. The company began testing an apple cider under its new Langer Farms brand last year and launched it this year. Soon, Langer Farms will begin peak production of its Unfiltered Apple Cider, according […]
CAC Says July Fourth Avocado Sales Broke Record
According to the California Avocado Commission (CAC), this year’s Fourth of July avocado sales figures indicate 118.3 million pounds were sold in the U.S. in support of holiday festivities, making it the highest Fourth of July consumption period on record. The results were stronger than the 100-million-pound pre-holiday projection and surpassed the 2016 actual by […]
Utah Grocers Featuring In-Store And Outdoor Farmers Markets
Five Utah grocery chains are making it easier for shoppers to get the freshest fruits and vegetables this season. Macey’s, Lin’s, Dan’s, Dick’s Market and Fresh Market are bringing back the Eat Fresh, Eat Local in-store and outdoor farmers markets, which feature a variety of Utah-grown produce. The farmers markets run through the first week […]
Schnucks Launches Double Up Food Bucks At All Missouri Stores
Through a partnership with Fair Food Network and a grant provided by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), Schnucks is launching Double Up Food Bucks at all 56 of its Missouri stores. The program starts immediately and will run as long as local produce is available. Double Up Food Bucks is a national model for healthy […]
Misfits Help Hy-Vee Save 1M Pounds Of Produce From Landfills
Hy-Vee says it has rescued more than 1 million pounds of produce from landfills, a milestone reached just four months after it began offering an “ugly” produce program. Hy-Vee began offering the Misfits program in nearly all of its grocery stores in January. Ugly produce is cosmetically challenged fruits and vegetables that traditionally would go unsold due to the […]
Hy-Vee Awards $156,000 To Fund Community Gardens
Hy-Vee recently awarded 156 One Step Garden Grants totaling $156,000 to community organizations and Hy-Vee stores as part of the Hy-Vee One Step program. The $1,000 grants will be used to purchase seeds, plants, garden tools and food preservation equipment for community gardens. One Step Garden Grants are given to community gardens that teach those […]
Meeting Supply Chain Sustainability Goals With Reusable Packaging
IFCO, a provider of Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) for fresh food packaging, is collaborating with the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) to offer a series of online educational sessions, Just the Facts: How Reusable Assets Can Help Retailers and Growers Achieve their Zero Waste Goals. A session in mid-May focused on the key role shared and […]
Del Monte Fresh Produce Rolls Out Pre-Measured Smoothie Kits
Del Monte Fresh Produce is introducing its Del Monte Smoothie Kit product line. The smoothies are available in a variety of sizes at select locations across North America, in four varieties: • Antioxidant: Strawberries, Red Apples and Blueberries; • Super Fruit: Strawberries, Kiwi, Mangoes and Blueberries; • Energizer: Strawberries, Red Grapes, Carrots, Mangoes, Red Peppers and […]
Giumarra Forecasts Excellent Vidalia Onion Volumes This Spring
Vidalia onion season officially kicks off April 12, according to the Vidalia Onion Committee—and Giumarra Southeast says it is offering promotable volumes of the summer favorite, packaged in the Nature’s Partner brand. Shipments will begin the third week of April and continue through the end of July. “Growing conditions in South Georgia have led to […]
Five Steps To Cut Spoilage And Reduce Losses
by Michael Falck/co-founder and U.S. president, RELEX Solutions Special to The Shelby Report According to a 2016 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, shrink loss in fresh fruit, vegetables and meat items continues to increase despite advances in food technologies. In the same report, the USDA found that in 2011-12, the average loss estimate […]
SpartanNash Promotes Pahud To COO Of Caito Foods
SpartanNash has promoted Mike Pahud to COO of Caito Foods, effective immediately. Pahud has been serving as Caito’s CFO since joining the company in February 2013. In addition to his current responsibilities of managing finance and information technology for Caito, Pahud will assume responsibility for sales, procurement and operations. He will report directly to Bob Kirch, […]
United Fresh Reveals 25 Retail Produce Manager Award Honorees
Marking its 13th year of recognizing exceptional retail produce managers, the United Fresh Produce Association has revealed the winners of its 2017 Retail Produce Manager Awards. The group of 25 produce managers represents supermarket banners, commissaries and independent retail stores from 14 different states and two Canadian provinces. The winners will be the honored guests at the United […]
Double Up Food Bucks Expands To Lowe’s Grocery Stores In New Mexico
Beginning this spring, New Mexicans who receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can save money when they buy New Mexico-grown fresh fruits and vegetables at several Lowe’s grocery stores in New Mexico. SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, assists one in five people in the state. Double Up Food Bucks, a program of the New […]
SpartanNash Sales Increases Benefit From Holiday Shift
SpartanNash said Wednesday that business gains and the timing of the New Year holiday resulted in fourth quarter sales growing to $1.83 billion from $1.77 billion a year ago. Net sales for the food distribution segment increased to $838.6 million from $773.7 million in the same quarter a year ago. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company said the gains […]
The Multicultural Influence Across Grocery’s Perimeter Categories
With the rapid growth of multicultural households in America and their unparalleled influence on the marketplace, there is a strong need for retailers to revise their in-store strategies to include a wider range of fresh food products and flavor profiles that cater to the multicultural consumer set. That’s according to Nielsen, which has released a […]
Top Trends In Fresh Foods For 2017 To Be Revealed At FMI Midwinter This Weekend
Food retailers know the retail landscape is changing, particularly as the store perimeter plays a bigger role in grocery trips, but do they know how to respond to those changes? The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and its Fresh Executive Committee have teamed up with IRI for the second consecutive year to highlight the trends that will have […]
