SpartanNash is upgrading store guest experiences across the Midwest by consolidating its No Frills, Sun Mart and Dan's Supermarket retail banners into Family Fare, its flagship retail banner. This summer, seven stores in Nebraska were remodeled and there are five more planned conversions for 2023 to be completed in North Dakota by the end of summer.

USA Pears' 10 pear varieties were recognized in Good Housekeeping’s 2023 Best Snack Awards. Select winners can be found in the July/August issue of Good Housekeeping.

“We’re thrilled to have been selected by Good Housekeeping for this award in the Powerhouse Produce category,” said Jim Morris, marketing communications manager for Pear Bureau Northwest. “Pears make a nutritious, high-fiber and versatile addition to savory snacks and meals, or to naturally satisfy your sweet tooth.”

At the International Fresh Produce Association’s upcoming Foodservice Conference in Monterey, CA, Mission Produce Inc. plans to educate others on the value avocados bring to menus and the art of ripening fruit to the right stage for the recipe.

Omar Bobadilla has joined Bonduelle Fresh Americas, home of Ready Pac Bistro, as vice president of agriculture operations. Bobadilla will become a member of the company’s operations leadership team and will be based in Bonduelle’s newly renovated and expanded Salinas Valley location with additional responsibility for deepening relationships with grower communities and suppliers across the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.

FreshEdge acquired Sirna & Sons Produce, a fourth-generation, family-run, wholesale food distributor and its respective value-added operation, Christine’s Cuts, a Kosher and Primus GFS certified in-house produce processing facility. FreshEdge now operates more than 1.1 million square feet of warehouse space across 28 facilities with a fleet of 1,027 trucks.

As the produce in foodservice industry prepares to gather July 27-28 in Monterey, CA, International Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns looks forward to a record-breaking crowd of 2,000-plus, an insightful education program and the best products and services on display at the expo.