The United Fresh Produce Association is now accepting nominations for the 2017 Retail Produce Manager Awards Program. This program recognizes 25 outstanding retail produce managers for their innovative merchandising, produce-related community outreach, increased store sales and recognition among company peers. The program, sponsored by Dole Food Co. and in it’s 13th year, pays special recognition […]
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.
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Produce News, Store News, West
Raley’s Offers Free Fruit For Kids
Raley’s Family of Fine Stores is providing free fruit to kids in stores while parents shop. Baskets of fruit are placed in the entrance of each store, as a nutritious snack option for kids under the age of 12. “Raley’s wants to connect kids with fresh and healthy food, while enhancing our customers’ overall shopping […]
Posted in, Northeast, Produce News
United Fresh Leader Paints Bright Picture For Produce, But Notes Challenges Facing Industry
Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of the United Fresh Produce Association, is presenting an overall upbeat picture of the produce industry. Supporting his assessment is an independent consumer panel, whose members say they look forward to buying quality produce and are willing to pay more for it to feed their families. Stenzel opened the New […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, National, Produce News
Most Americans Value Produce’s Appearance, But Price Is More Important
About eight in 10 Americans (81 percent) confirm that appearance (i.e., not blemished or misshapen in any way) is at least somewhat important to them when shopping for fresh produce (i.e., fruits and vegetables), with 43 percent saying it is very or extremely important. That’s according to a recent Harris Poll. When listed alongside other […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Produce News, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, West
Northgate González To Test Produce Incentives With SNAP Customers, Thanks To USDA Grant
by Lorrie Griffith/editor–West Northgate González Market, the 41-store Southern California grocery retailer, soon will embark on a four-year pilot test to see whether offering Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants financial incentives to purchase fruits and vegetables actually increases their purchase and consumption. The Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) trial is being made possible through […]
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NatureFresh Mobile Greenhouse Educates Consumers About Their Produce
Even in the heart of the summer when there is an abundance of fresh produce choices, NatureFresh Farms Mobile Greenhouse Education Center is gaining momentum with consumers who want to know how their tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers are being grown, and by whom. “Using the Greenhouse Education Center as a living example of how […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Midwest, Produce News, Suppliers, Wholesaler/Distributor News
SpartanNash Makes Fair Food Pledge To Support Fair Labor Practices For Farmworkers
SpartanNash has become the first food distributor in Michigan to sign Migrant Legal Aid’s Fair Food Pledge, affirming the company’s commitment to fair labor practices for the state’s more than 94,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families. The Fair Food Pledge exemplifies SpartanNash’s commitment to corporate responsibility, including the fair treatment of farmworkers, according […]
Posted in, Bakery News, Deli News, Home Page Latest News, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, National, Produce News
Opportunities Vast For Personalized Food Products
In the U.S., folks know know what they like, and usually they’re willing to pay for it. This drive to personalize to suit lifestyles—to save time, live better and healthier, or indulge—extends to the food consumers buy in the grocery store, according to Nielsen. Consumers can purchase products free of gluten or chock full of […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Produce News, Southwest, Store News
Walmart Store Manager Shares Feedback From ‘Fresh Angle’ Remodel
A Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas, is among the first of the company’s remodeled locations to unveil the retail giant’s “Fresh Angle” approach, which places fresh, unpackaged vegetables front and center. Travis Moore, that store’s manager, has shared the feedback he has received about the change. “When you walk into our store today, you’re intentionally […]
Posted in, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Produce News, West
Grocers Show Utah Pride With Local Farmers Markets
Macey’s, Lin’s, Dan’s, Dick’s Market and Fresh Market stores are featuring more Utah-grown items in the produce section with the Local Farmers Markets program, which launched July 1. The in-store program includes signage highlighting Utah-grown produce and the farmers who supply them, as well as parking lot tent sales on Saturdays. “Buying from Utah farmers and growers allows […]
Posted in, Center Store, Corporate Store News, Home Page Latest News, Organic Natural, Produce News, Snacks Brands, Suppliers, West
Grocery Outlet, Revolution Foods Address Bay Area Food Insecurity
In an effort to combat food insecurity in the Bay Area–specifically summer food insecurity when children are out of school–Eric Lindberg, co-CEO of Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, and Kristin Richmond, CEO of Revolution Foods, are partnering with Alameda County Community Food Bank to distribute 10,000 bags filled with healthy food items. Donations for the bags […]
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 […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, National, Produce News, Suppliers
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 […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, National, Organic Natural, Produce News
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 […]
Posted in, Grocery News, Northeast, Organic Natural, Produce News
NEPC To Partner With PMA Talent Group At September Expo, And More…
Grocery News In Brief… The New England Produce Expo (NEPC) and Center for Growing Talent by PMA (CGTbyPMA) will join forces again this year at the Annual Produce, Floral & Foodservice Expo in order to attract new talent to the fresh produce and floral industry. The event is scheduled for Sept. 21-23 at the Ocean […]
Posted in, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Midwest, Produce News, Suppliers
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 […]
Posted in, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, National, Produce News, Suppliers
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, Home Page Latest News, Industry 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 […]
Posted in, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, New Products, Produce News, Suppliers
Five Companies Honored For Innovation At United Fresh 2016
Five Produce Innovation Award winners were recognized June 22 at United Fresh 2016, which was co-located with the Food Marketing Institute’s FMI Connect in Chicago. This year’s honorees were selected by show attendees from a total of 49 contestants in five categories: Best New Food Safety Solution; Best New Fruit Product; Best New Packaging; Best […]