Organic fresh produce sales grew by 3 percent in 2022, while volume declined by 3.7 percent, as total sales topped $9.4 billion for the year, according to the 2022 Organic Produce Performance Report released by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.

As a leading innovator of Polyethylene Terephthalate (commonly referred to as PET) packaging for the produce industry, Kurt Zuhlke & Associates Inc. has seen business continue to flourish as consumers’ and retailers’ needs greatly changed once the pandemic began.

In fact, the Easton, PA-based company saw demand at an all-time high for many of its packaging products, especially clamshell packaging, made from recycled material, which keeps produce items out of the hands of people and safely packed away.

Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farm workers, retailers and consumer groups, announced that AgSocio, an agricultural labor and service provider operating in California and Arizona, is the first company to complete an initial verification of EFI’s farm labor contractor standards, as part of a pilot program.

In November, the Autumn Glory apple hit the retail shelves for a record-shattering season start. Shipment volumes were at all-time highs, ranking Autumn Glory as No. 2 in the Washington state “Other Variety” category, according to the November shipment report. The week after Thanksgiving sported a whopping 104 percent growth over the previous year.

The South Texas Onion Committee is currently seeking producer and handler nominees for Districts 1 (Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley) and District 2 (Uvalde-Wintergarden region).

Sprouts Farmers Market launched its Rescued Organics program in all 130 stores in California. The program reduces food waste and supports local farmers by bringing to market imperfect organic produce that would typically be discarded due to imperfections that do not affect quality.

Rescued Organic produce may be misshapen, under or over-sized or slightly off color, but has the same great taste, nutrients and amazing quality as other Sprouts produce. The program also makes organic produce more accessible because it is offered at a reduced price.