LiveTrends Design Group has announced that it has entered an exclusive distribution partnership with the Japanese brand Sustee for the North American mass-market. Based in Tokyo, Sustee is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of moisture sensors.

Multiple local and independent grocers, including Bowman’s Market, Maurer’s Market IGA, Neiman’s Family Market, Queen’s Price Chopper and Soelbergs Market, are adopting Caper Carts, Instacart’s AI-powered smart carts, across their stores. This move signifies a growing trend among independent grocers to embrace and integrate technology that enhances and makes the grocery shopping experience more delightful for their customers.

The New England Produce Council launched its NEPC Leadership Development Program, an innovative new initiative aimed at fostering the growth of emerging leaders in the produce industry.

RPE LLC announced the results of its October campaign to combat food insecurity, which allowed consumers to vote on which food banks should receive a share of $10,000 in donations. The campaign page attracted significant engagement, with over 14,000 unique views, reflecting the community’s commitment to making a difference.

The top five food banks receiving donations are:

Returning to Monterey, CA, Dec. 4-5, the Organic Grower Summit brings together organic producers, industry suppliers and thought-leaders in organic agriculture at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa. The summit offers attendees cutting-edge ag tech and manufacturing innovations, forward-thinking presentations, incredible food and engaging networking experiences, including the Grower of the Year celebration.

It was a record month for online grocery sales. October totaled $10.5 billion in monthly sales, an increase of 27.9 percent compared to last year according to the most recent Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey. October was also the second straight month in which year-over-year eGrocery sales gains exceeded 20 percent.