Page 94 - Roduce Editorials News Today

NASHVILLE, TN — The Southeast Produce Council kicked off Southern Innovations 2022 with the STEP-UPP and board of directors dinner Wednesday evening, Sept. 21, at Acme Feed & Seed, here. SEPC Chairman of the Board Rania Nelson of Westfalia Fruit welcomed everyone to the event, and then she introduced Mike Roberts of Harps Food Stores and Gary Baker of MDI, who recognized the STEP-UPP class.

For Tammy Switucha, fresh produce food safety starts with a conversation — and having the right people at the table. Providing a safe space for such conversations is a key benefit of the Center for Produce Safety, she said.

Joolies Dates won a New Hope Network 2022 Expo East NEXTY Award. The company's latest product, Jooliettes Blood Orange Dark Chocolate, was named Best New Sweet Snack in the coveted industry awards.  

GrubMarket completed the acquisition of Vernon, CA-based JC Produce, a fresh produce company that sources fruits and vegetables globally, with a focus on South America and Asia. JC Produce sells to hundreds of retail, foodservice and wholesale customers across the U.S. and has a strong reputation as a leader in food-safety practices.

Ocean Mist Farms, a leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes in the U.S., will appear for the first time at Southern Innovations this year and feature its value-added fresh-cut products for retail and foodservice. Ocean Mist Farms is a fourth-generation family-owned business located in Castroville, CA, but Sept. 21-23 Southern Innovations attendees can find the company in booth No. 611.

The Arizona LGMA Food Safety Committee has approved multiple changes to the food-safety standards (also known as metrics) that all Arizona LGMA members must adhere to. The changes went into effect Sept. 16, and Arizona Department of Food & Agriculture auditors will begin verifying compliance in November when harvest starts for the 2022-23 season.

Market Basket bested Aldi and third-placed Winco as the top-ranked grocer during inflationary times, according to dunnhumby's Retailer Preference Index, a comprehensive nationwide study of the $1 trillion U.S. grocery market. The report examined which grocers are winning customers as the economy falters. Grocery Outlet and Save A Lot rounded out the top five due to their superior ability to save customers money at a time when this matters more than ever.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — From the time he was five years old, Shaun O’Hara had a dream of playing professional football. Yet the path was not easy.

Taylor Farms, North America’s largest producer of healthy fresh foods, partnered with Bloom Energy, Ameresco Inc. and Concept Clean Energy to install a microgrid capable of taking one of its California food processing facilities completely off the traditional energy grid.

Don Bowden, a pioneer in the food industry and founder of Wholly Guacamole, died Sept. 14 at the age of 90. Mr. Bowden has been credited with leading the growth of the fresh scooped avocado and guacamole industry to where it is today by actively innovating and investing in the process of transforming raw avocados into fresh, packaged guacamole and avocado being sold in foodservice and retail.