The pistachio business has generally thrived in recent years. As the COVID-19 crisis has  heightened consumer interest in health, Setton Farms, the country’s second-largest pistachio grower-processor, has seen an increase in consumer interest and product sales.

Joseph Setton, vice president of domestic sales for the family business, said online sales have particularly escalated in 2020.

Total organic fresh produce sales and volume continued to register double-digit growth in the third  quarter of 2020, with July-September sales increasing 16 percent and volume up 15 percent from the same period in 2019, according to the Q3 2020 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by the Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.

The National Watermelon Promotion Board named winners in its annual Retail Merchandising Contest, which garnered 220 entries from various retail chains, independent retailers and commissaries throughout the U.S. and Canada. This year’s iteration of the contest — the 12th since its inception —  was reimagined to incorporate social media and marketing efforts in addition to in-store displays.

Albertsons Cos. Inc. introduced Albertsons Pay, a new zero-touch checkout experience available through its updated just for U loyalty app.  Albertsons Pay provides shoppers with a safe, secure, and contact-free way to pay, use discounts, and earn rewards all at the same time. The company is also piloting PickUp lockers in select Safeway stores as the newest easy fulfillment option for e-Commerce orders.

​Ark Foods — the modern-day farming company bringing unique vegetables and vegetable-based creations to the produce aisle — debuted its Clean Label Salad line at the Produce Marketing Association’s FreshSummit virtual trade show last week.