Food helps us connect with our culture and different cultures, build connections, create memories and share moments together. It can bring emotions such as nostalgia, happiness and comfort, among others. It can be a coping mechanism or used to celebrate a special occasion. It is safe to say that food plays a big role in our lives.

Benal Serin has joined The Wonderful Company as senior vice president of marketing. In her new role, Serin will be responsible for leading all marketing efforts in Wonderful’s product portfolio that includes nuts (Wonderful Pistachios), juice, tea, arils (POM Wonderful) and citrus (Wonderful Halos mandarins and Wonderful Seedless Lemons) businesses.

The Russet potato market continues to be 60 percent higher ($28 for an 80-count) than prior years. Growers report that potato production has declined again for the fourth year.

“While supply has consistently flagged due to various factors, demand for potatoes (most notably processing potatoes) is swelling,” said Mark Campbell, founder and CEO of ProduceIQ. “As a result, all categories of potatoes have experienced supply challenges.”

D’Ottavio Farms grows and distributes some of the finest produce in southern New Jersey, and one of its key commodities in the summer months is blueberries.

After a year where blueberries had some unique challenges for most growers, the Vineland, NJ-based company is liking what it sees from this year’s upcoming season.

Hood River Cherry Co.’s orchards are situated in a pristine river valley off the Columbia River Gorge, flanked by the monolith that is Mt. Hood. The topography matters to the company, the community, and the fruit. “Our fruit enjoys consistently warm days and then we get the big temperature swing at night with airflow up the Gorge off the Pacific,” said Kristoff Fowler, field manager at Hood River, who maps out the geography.

Spice World has introduced a new 16-ounce jar of Easy Onion to its portfolio. Easy Onion is a convenient, ready-to-use product that adds delicious, fresh flavor to any recipe without the peeling, chopping or tears usually associated with onions.

Spice World launched Easy Onion in two squeezable sizes last year and created the new 16-ounce jar in response to strong consumer demand for convenient, fresh onion without all the prep time. Each jar contains approximately four medium onions grown in the U.S.