Bosc pears are a favorite among pear lovers due to their crisp, sweet flavor as well as their versatility in recipes from salads to baking. Kicking off the new year, Pear Bureau Northwest highlighted the most popular Bosc pear recipes from 2023 in a social media campaign in January entitled, “Begin the Year with Bosc."

The recipes can all be found at usapears.org/top-bosc-recipes-of-2023 as part of USA Pear’s online collection of more than 400 recipes.

Bagged avocados continue to emerge as a preferred choice for shoppers during holiday gatherings. A recent Avocado Holiday Retail Recap report by the Hass Avocado Board noted a rise in sales of bagged avocados during the 2023 summer holidays.

United Natural Foods Inc. plans to implement an A.I.-powered robotic automation system in its soon-to-be-completed distribution center in Manchester, PA. This advanced system, manufactured by Symbotic, is the second installation for UNFI and part of the company’s commitment to further enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of its distribution center network.

Once installed, UNFI expects the system to enhance the customer experience, improve quality and service to customers, increase capacity within its facilities and lower overall costs to fulfill customer orders.

The official crop forecast for the California Avocado Commission’s fiscal year 2023-24 is 208 million pounds, compared to the prior year volume of 237 million pounds. Weather and market conditions will be key factors for when California avocado growers begin harvesting. The potential for a wet winter may encourage some growers to delay picking to allow their avocados time to increase in size, which could in turn increase the crop volume.

Bay Baby Produce, a pioneer in imaginative produce offerings, is thrilled to celebrate its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter-century of creativity, growth and a commitment to providing unique and delightful individually painted and hand-decorated pumpkins.

Progressive Produce, a year-round grower, packer, and shipper of fresh produce, started in bulk citrus in 2016 and organics followed shortly after.

“Over the years, we have increased the program by adding grower partners in all California citrus regions as well as Mexico,” said Jaime Greger, senior marketing coordinator for the Los Angeles-based company.