United Fresh is accepting nominations for the 2021 Retail Produce Manager Awards Program. This program recognizes 25 outstanding retail produce managers for their innovative merchandising, produce-related community outreach, increased store sales and recognition among company peers.

BJ’s Wholesale Club announced the expansion of its buy online, pick up in-club service to include fresh and frozen grocery items. BJ’s members can now order their weekly groceries on BJs.com or with the BJ’s app for curbside pickup or pick up in-club at any one of the company’s 219 locations.

ESPN announced that the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will kick off on Saturday, Dec. 22 at Boise State University’s Albertsons Stadium. It will be televised on ESPN, reaching millions of viewers.

For college football fans, athletes and sports reporters, the FIPB is a much anticipated bowl game. It has become a breeding ground for top NFL prospects like Josh Allen, a first-round draft pick and now quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, who declared his eligibility for the draft at the FIPB when he accepted the MVP award in 2018.

Westfalia Fruit, one of the world leaders in avocado production and research, expects its sales and volume of avocados from Mexico to the United States to be robust this season because of expansion on both sides of the border.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. reported net sales for the third quarter of 2020 were $1.6 billion, a 9.5 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019. Net sales growth was driven by continued demand from the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to a 4.2 percent increase in comparable store sales and strong performance in new stores opened.