Page 184 - Roduce Editorials News Today

Village Farms Fresh will be participating in the Viva Fresh Expo in its home state of Texas this week.  Farming flavor-forward Texas-grown tomatoes is a strong key value proposition for Village Farms Fresh to offer customers. The company is a proud member of the Texas Department of Agriculture, Go Texan program, as well as a member of the Texas International Produce Association.

Reusable produce bags that can create a profit center for supermarkets while eliminating literally billions of plastic bags from landfills are gaining traction in the retail community.

Wegmans Food Markets Inc. announced that Marty Gardner, senior vice president of merchandising, distribution, manufacturing, food safety and pharmacy, will retire in May, following a 40-year-career with the company.

When it comes to creating better eating habits, often the most challenging part is putting the actions needed to improve into practice. Mindful eating provides specific tactics that can easily be applied to help improve overall health and wellness.

Inteligistics has been working quietly to bring Silicon Valley cloud-powered and paperless scientific technology to support supply chain performance, productivity and sustainability for some of the leading growers and shippers in the Salinas Valley and elsewhere. With successful partnerships and process metrics accrued since 2015, it has now made its solutions and digitization available to companies throughout the perishable supply chain.

Equitable Food Initiative, a workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer groups, welcomed produce industry veteran Michael Lacey to the position of business development manager. In the role, Lacey will be responsible for engaging produce growers in EFI’s certification program and helping ensure a seamless customer experience.

Bee Sweet Citrus is expanding its packinghouse to include a state-of-the-art Mandarin facility adjacent to California Highway 99.

Boskovich Fresh Food Group subsidiary Fresh Prep LLC, the processing arm of the company, brings an exciting new retail line, Green Fork, to the industry this month with 11 SKUs. Green Fork offers playful prepackaged salad kits, tender leaves, salad blends and packaged vegetables.

Sprouts Farmers Market will host its first-ever Our Brands focused Sustainability Vendor Summit June 21-24 as part of the company’s commitment in bringing responsibly grown and sourced food to our customers. The virtual event, hosted in partnership with ECRM and RangeMe, will allow Sprouts to discover new suppliers to support the continued expansion of Sprouts Branded items in departments including­ produce, grocery, frozen, deli, bulk foods, meat and seafood, and vitamins and supplements.

Total organic fresh produce sales for the first quarter of 2022 increased by 4 percent from the same period last year, topping $2.3 billion for the quarter, according to the Q1 2022 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.