Longtime execs fired amid Market Basket feud
Market Basket's board of directors said it fired two executives for insubordination, making false and derogatory remarks about the company and people associated with it, and inappropriate communications with colleagues. The termination of Joseph Schmidt, director of operations, and Thomas Gordon, grocery director, comes almost two months after the two men — along with CEO Arthur T. Demoulas and other employees — were placed on paid administrative leave May 28 while an investigation was conducted into the CEO’s conduct.
Trendspotting: U.S. food industry evolves amid uncertainty
Feeding a nation is never easy. Our country’s food industry continues to face a challenging macroeconomic situation. Approximately 80 percent of both retailers and suppliers anticipate that trade policies and tariffs will continue to impact pricing and disrupt supply chains. Additionally, most expect operating costs to remain elevated. This — and much more — was revealed in FMI - The Food Industry Association’s signature research, The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2025.
Side Delights features A Cut Above potato line at IFPA Foodservice Conference
Fresh Solutions Network will feature its A Cut Above potato line along with whole potatoes and onions at booth No. 403 at the upcoming International Fresh Produce Association Foodservice Conference. More than 2,000 attendees from across the supply chain will be in attendance. FSN is also participating in the Buyer Sourcing Meetings on July 31 — a members-only, speed-dating-style event that allows foodservice suppliers to meet face-to-face with operators and distributors.
USDA restricts PACA violators in California, Texas and Minnesota
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on three produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and for 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:
Duda strengthens sales leadership with strategic hires
Duda Farm Fresh Foods has hired Roger Moncada as director of sales – West and Steve Bindas as director of outside sales. These appointments come at a pivotal moment for Duda as it approaches its centennial in 2026 and builds toward its next 100 years.
Generous Brands acquisition creates nearly $1B retail sales portfolio
Generous Brands, a Butterfly portfolio company and a leader in premium refrigerated beverages offering the Bolthouse Farms, Evolution Fresh and SAMBAZON brands, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Health-Ade, a fast-growing leader and innovator in kombucha tea beverages, from private equity firms First Bev and Manna Tree Partners, who will also continue on as minority shareholders in Generous Brands.
Family and mushrooms drive Basciani’s passion to its centennial
Sixteen members of the Basc
Little Leaf Farms introduces Romaine Leaf lettuce
Little Leaf Farms, the leading brand of packaged lettuce sustainably grown through controlled environment agriculture, is expanding its line of leafy greens with the launch of its newest variety: Romaine Leaf.
Tradition meets innovation at Bottomley Farms
Bottomley Farms grows more than just crops — it grows legacies, nurtures communities and sows seeds for a better tomorrow. As a proud family-owned and operated farm, its roots trace back to the late 1960s when it began with a single, humble crop: cabbage. From those early days, its passion for agriculture and commitment to quality has helped the company evolve into one of the most dynamic farming operations in the Southeast.