The Foundation for Fresh Produce and the International Fresh Produce Association announced the newest cohort of companies selected to participate in the 2025 Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator, a flagship program designed to connect promising technology innovators with leaders from the fresh produce and floral industries.

Exp. Group supplies a full line of mainstream fresh produce items — such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes, bananas and watermelons — but Anthony Serafino, president of the North Bergen, NJ-based company, said the foundation is an A-to-Z offering of specialties.

“We started our organization on tropicals, and it’s something that is principled in our business,” Serafino said. “When we think of specialties, we think of tropical merchandise.”

At The Retail Conference and Golf Tournament last week, the International Fresh Produce Association announced the 20 recipients of the 2025 Retail Produce Manager Awards, recognizing their outstanding dedication to fresh produce, inventive merchandising, community engagement and exceptional customer service.

The roller coaster of temperatures, typical of spring, looks likely to continue across the coastal California fields as we move through May. 

As low pressure systems pass mainly to the north, they bring cooler temperatures along with a heavy marine layer and drizzle to the fields. Intermittent high pressure then brings warm temperatures and a shallow marine layer for a short period followed by another round of cooler temperatures, fog and drizzle.

FirstFruits Farms is celebrating another impactful year of its Take a Bite Out of Hunger program, a core expression of the company's mission to nourish communities and support families in need with fresh apples.

During the 2024-25 college basketball season, Food Lion Feeds teamed up with 51 collegiate basketball programs, including 15 women’s teams, to address food insecurity with its Score to Give More initiative. The effort resulted in more than 1.6 million meals provided to neighbors experiencing hunger.