If we step back and look at the landscape of public health in the United States, one thing becomes clear: schools represent one of the most powerful — and underleveraged — nutrition platforms we have.

Every single day, millions of children interact with federally supported feeding programs. Whether through the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program or educational snack-based initiatives like the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, schools are not just places of education, they are daily touchpoints for food exposure at scale.

With more than 50 organic stock-keeping units, Progressive Produce has a wide variety of items to offer, including year-round programs in key commodities.

The Los Angeles-based company is promoting the quality of its organic russet potatoes this spring, according to Gael Vazquez, vice president of procurement and grower relations.

The Southeast Produce Council successfully hosted its 2026 STEP-UPP Retail Class for their annual spring tour last week. The intensive multi-day journey took participants directly into the fields and through state-of-the-art facilities, providing hands-on experience designed to foster more effective partnerships between retail professionals and growers.

Wegmans Food Markets Inc. has released its 2025 Impact Report, sharing the various ways the company makes a difference for its customers, communities and employees. The company opened three new stores in 2025, creating approximately 1,400 permanent jobs and hundreds of temporary construction positions.

The company invests approximately $100 million annually in roughly 700 store upgrade projects.

Wegmans also sources products from 400 family farms and local suppliers to provide customers with a variety of local goods including produce, meat and cheeses. 

Fresh Pro launched its refreshed Honey Watermelons brand. Designed to support shopper marketing and increase consumer engagement, the updated brand introduces an integrated marketing platform that helps simplify watermelon selection and drive demand at the shelf.

The refresh includes a new consumer landing page, original video content, point‑of‑sale materials and an enhanced PLU system — delivering retail‑ready tools that guide shopper decision‑making and promote engagement at point of purchase.

Members of the 2026 Eastern Produce Council Leadership Class participated in a seminar about making the most of social media prior to the April 7 general EPC membership meeting, sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture at Topgolf in Edison, NJ. The general EPC membership was also invited to attend this timely seminar.