IFCO, a leading provider of Reusable Packaging Containers, delivered over 2 billion reusable packaging shipments of fresh produce, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, bread and other fresh grocery products during 2022. With a circular economy business model based on share-reduce-reuse principles, IFCO enabled its supply chain customers to achieve substantial environmental savings.

The Fresh Market Inc. wanted to make 159 lucky guests’ Valentine’s Day extra special this year with free roses for a year. Guests had the opportunity to win a dozen Passion Roses every month for a year— to share with someone they love or treat themselves.

Stop and smell the roses
Shoppers were able to fill out an entry form at all 159 The Fresh Market locations—no purchase necessary. One winner from each of The Fresh Market’s 159 stores was selected to win vouchers for one dozen Passion Roses each month for one year.

Americans believe that grocery retailers are earning a 35.2 percent net profit margin, more than 10 times higher than grocers’ actual net profit margin average of 2.5 percent, and that food-at-home inflation is 24.3 percent, double the annual rate reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, according to the latest dunnhumby Consumer Trends Tracker. The CTT is part of the dunnhumby Quarterly, a strategic market analysis of key retail themes, with the third edition being focused on navigating uncertainty.

For the third consecutive year, Above All Flowers and New Bloom Solutions will host the official “Bloom Together After Party” in collaboration with WF&FSA’s Floral Distribution Conference, which is on the first day of the convention, March 6, 2023, at 7 p.m. EST. This year, the event will take place at The Doral Yard, which is conveniently located very close to the convention and is set in a beautiful tropical setting.

As of Feb. 13 Chrysal CEO Peter Vriends will step down as CEO. Vriends served for five years as CEO of Chrysal and led the acquisition of the company by OAT and was the driving force behind the growth of the company.

When the FDA released the Final Rule on FSMA Section 204 in November, one of the biggest changes was the addition of the requirement to capture and record Critical Tracking Events or CTE’s. The FDA defines a “Critical Tracking Event to mean an event in the supply chain of a food involving the harvesting, cooling (before initial packing), initial packing of a RAC other than a food obtained from a fishing vessel... shipping, receiving or transformation of the food.”