Superfresh Growers of Yakima, WA, reported a strong opening on the 2022 crop year for its exclusive club apple, Autumn Glory. Examining the most recent Nielsen data reveal sales were up for Autumn Glory the week of Nov. 26 by 104 percent YoY dollar growth, followed by the week of Dec. 3 with sales up 89 percent YoY. During that time, average retail rose $0.16 to $1.84, in line with Fuji and other core apples.

Starr Ranch Growers of Wenatchee, WA, known for its premium branded JUICI apple, highlighted retailer support, consumer engagement, and the importance of developing trust with retailers and consumers, all in promotion of this year’s winter apple crop.

Grapeman Farms has a rich history in the grape category and is the largest importer of Chilean grapes to the West Coast.

“Being that we are a 52 week a year shipper, it’s a very important segment to our company,” said Jared Lane, vice president of sales and marketing for the Los Angeles-based company. “We have grapes every day of the year. We’ve been importing Chilean grapes for over 18 years now, so it’s become a pretty big part of our business.”

Aanika Biosciences, a Brooklyn, NY-based biotechnology startup focused on bringing trust, transparency and traceability to the food system, will be entering into a first-of-its-kind bio-backed insurance agreement with Satur Farms, a specialty crop producer with operations in New York and Arizona.

The Strengthening Organic Enforcement final rule establishes additional risk-based requirements intended to maintain integrity of the organic supply chain through fraud prevention. Specific aspects of the SOE final rule will reduce the types of uncertified operations in the organic handling supply chain, require import certificates for all organic products entering the United States, and provide additional oversight authority to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Organic Program.

Metro Inc. donated $50 million worth of food in 2022, the equivalent of 9.9 million pounds of food or 9 million meals to food banks in Ontario and Quebec. In addition, Metro also made a financial contribution of $5.5 million to various causes.