The Mushroom Council and The Culinary Institute of America recently launched “Mushrooms in the Plant-Forward Kitchen,” an educational video series spotlighting to chefs the many ways to incorporate mushrooms into globally-inspired, plant-forward cooking.

U.S. retail dollar sales of potatoes increased 16.8 percent for July 2022 to June 2023,  which closed with a strong quarter — April through June — that saw retail dollar sales growth of 14.5 percent compared to the same period last year. Dollar sales reached $16.9 billion for the 52-week period, the highest in five years. Although volume sales were down for the year (2.6 percent)  and the quarter (3.3 percent), they remain 2.5 percent above pre-pandemic levels.  

The International Blueberry Organization is set to unveil its 2023 Global State of the Blueberry Industry report. The release event will take place via a webinar hosted by editor Cort Brazelton and Colin Fain, who leads the team that produced the report. This live virtual event is set to take place on Aug. 15, at 2 p.m. GMT.

The South Texas Onion Committee was busy from April through mid-July promoting Texas 1015 sweet onions, resulting in another record-breaking marketing program this spring and early summer focusing on increasing brand awareness and sales of the Texas 1015 Sweet Onion.

Maglio's ReadyRipe is a reusable and resealable watermelon pouch that naturally keeps watermelon fresh and sweeter for an extended period of time. This innovative solution gives sliced watermelons longer shelf life, naturally enhanced quality and convenience for today's busy customers.

To borrow from Charles Dickens, when comparing the 2022 avocado marketing season with 2023: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

It also causes avocado marketers to look at potential root causes. The 2022 season saw record farm gate prices being paid to avocado growers, while 2023 saw below-average prices during a good portion of the season that were far lower than they have been in decades in relative terms, adjusting for inflation.