Southern Exposure Produce: The Unseen Heroes kicked off March 7 and ran through March 9 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, FL. On Friday, March 8, after a day of educational sessions, produce industry members gathered at SEPC’s opening gala for an evening filled with music, dancing and entertainment.

With 2023 worldwide revenues of $611 billion, Walmart is still the largest retailer in the world, though Amazon is moving up quickly. Walmart officials report the company employs approximately 2.1 million associates in 10,500 stores in 19 countries. Walmart is also the largest retailer in the United States, with about $500 billion in domestic retail sales across more than 5,200 locations.

The Southeast Produce Council delivered once again as its Southern Exposure show received rave reviews. Record numbers poured onto the expo floor at the Tampa Convention Center, which ran a little longer than previous years. At the keynote address, prior to the opening of the expo, Hall of Fame National Football League quarterback Kurt Warner discussed his journey from stocking grocery store shelves to winning the Super Bowl.

On March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, many celebrate all things Irish, which is natural as St. Partick is the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved to a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking and a whole lot of green. When it comes to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, the dress code is always green, and although there aren’t many green flowers that fit the bill, Carnations are perfect in every way.

Instacart announced new retailers using Instacart Storefront to power their e-commerce websites, including Canseco’s Market, Harps Foods and Price Chopper. Instacart Storefront is an easy and affordable way for grocers of all sizes to get online and add e-commerce to their websites.

Instacart currently powers owned-and-operated e-commerce storefronts for more than 600 retail banners, enabling them to establish and manage their online presence seamlessly.

Monterey Mushrooms is cultivating more than a meal — it's nurturing a sustainable future. This spring the company is making a significant change to enhance the recyclability of its mushroom packaging by incorporating near-infrared sortable material in its recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate thermoformed tills.