The Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance welcomed eight new members to the association at its annual membership meeting.  Joining the Alliance for 2023 include producer members Local Bounti, Mastronardi Produce and Upward Farms; business service provider members Jiffy Group, Qfresh Labs and Unfold; and retail/foodservice members Brookshire Grocery and UNFI.

Southeast shoppers are flexing their muscles in the produce department as they increasingly opt for eight- and 10-pound bags of Idaho potatoes rather than the traditional five-pound pack.

Lidl launched a private label produce line, Peak Harvest, which will raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. For each purchase of Peak Harvest products throughout January, Lidl will donate 1 percent of retail sales to CMN Hospitals, up to $250,000. The funds will benefit 18 designated member children’s hospitals located in Lidl’s markets along the East Coast.  

Following a breakout year of accelerated growth and commercial milestones, ProducePay, the marketplace transforming the global produce industry into a more connected and sustainable supply chain, appointed Patrick McCullough as its new CEO, succeeding Pablo Borquez Schwarzbeck, who has served as CEO since founding the company in 2014.

An Oregon company has satisfied the terms stemming from its $3.6 million of Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act violations, closing the 2019 case with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In a complaint filed on Nov. 20, 2019, the USDA alleged that Hood River Juice Co. Inc. in Hood River, OR, failed to make full payment promptly in the total amount of $3.6 million to 12 sellers for multiple lots of produce in violation of PACA.

Quality over quantity is the watchword for the 2022 russet crop in Idaho, as growers grappled with increased input costs and weather challenges that led to fewer acres being planted.

“The potato quality looks amazing this year — maybe the best in recent memory,” said Travis Blacker, vice president of industry relations and research for the Idaho Potato Commission. “I’ve heard from growers all over the state that they are really impressed with the potatoes they dug during this year’s harvest.”