Page 181 - Roduce Editorials News Today

Publix has donated more than 50 million pounds of produce as part of its initiative to support farmers and food banks in the Southeast. Launched in response to farmers being forced to discard produce they could no longer sell due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Publix began purchasing produce directly from impacted farmers and donating it to food banks throughout the company’s operating area.

COVID-19 has inspired change in consumer attitudes and actions at a very fast pace, and successful businesses need to acknowledge, embrace and adapt to those changes.

With all industries in a state of upheaval during this past year, BlueSkySearch LLC wants to connect young talent with corporate experts so that the agriculture and produce industries, as a whole, can prosper and move forward. The online agriculture job portal service has curated many internship programs with several long-standing members of the produce community. These opportunities cover the expanse of the country from California to Rhode Island.

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania and Vermont, promoted Jeff Cady to the role of vice president of produce and floral as part of Shared Services Center. Shared Services Center supports both Tops Friendly Markets and Price Chopper/Market 32, which formally merged this past fall.

Top-selling fruit brands — Sunkist Growers, Naturipe Farms and T&G Global's Envy Apples — launched a new "Fruitastic" promotion for WildBrain’s new animated Strawberry Shortcake series Berry in the Big City, now available on YouTube and Netflix.

DMA Solutions, a marketing agency serving the fresh produce, better-for-you foods, restaurant and floral industries, officially launched the Self Smarter podcast.

California Giant Berry Farms anticipates giant volumes of organic and conventionally grown strawberries ahead, just in time for National Strawberry Month. The company reports its grower partners are on track to deliver peak promotable volumes of California strawberries led by its Santa Maria, Watsonville and Salinas growing regions.

Heat waves in the West and blizzards in the Northeast have been affecting crops. Out West, the high temps reinforce drought concerns. The Coachella Valley is in the midst of pepper harvest and temps are expected to be in the mid-90s. Most commodities were unaffected by the snowfall in upstate New York, “but domestic asparagus markets will endeavor to shrug off lingering chills for a couple more weeks,” said Mark Campbell, founder and CEO of ProduceIQ.

DNO Produce, a leading fresh-cut produce processor and wholesale produce distributor, broke ground on an expansion to its fresh-cut produce facility. The expansion will increase DNO’s production capacity by 33 percent through additional space, improved layout and process improvements.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on three produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. In one case the award was previously reported as satisfied; however, the check tendered as payment of the award could not be processed due to insufficient funds.