Reconfigured clamshell offers double freight advantage
For many years now, the manufacturers of clamshells for strawberries and other fresh produce commodities have been tweaking the dimensions to satisfy both consumer desires and industry concerns.
The one-pounder is the clamshell used most often by the industry, but other sizes, including the two-pounder and four-pounder, are gaining favor. F-D-S Manufacturing Co. in Pomona, CA, has entered the two-pound arena this year with three different sizes, each of which allows for an eight-down pallet stacking configuration.
Fresh & Easy closing stores as it looks to become 'fresh food convenience store'
Fresh & Easy is reportedly closing at least 50 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada as it pursues a new business model. Remaining stores will see some changes, as Fresh & Easy is working with ADMI, the firm behind the design of the Apple Store, to design the Fresh & Easy store of the future -- a concept that the company believes represents the future of convenience retail and puts Fresh & Easy into a category of one: a fresh food convenience store.
Listeria risk prompts Wegmans recall
Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is recalling approximately 12,540 packages of Wegmans Organic Food You Feel Good About Just Picked frozen spinach due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The product was sold in the frozen food department of the company’s 85 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts between Jan. 27 and March 21.
No illnesses associated with this recall have been reported to date, but Wegmans will place automated phone calls to customers who purchased the product using their Shoppers Club card.
Farmworker strike in Baja California causes minor disruptions
A strike by farmworkers the week of March 16-20 in southern Baja California did cause some disruption of shipments of produce, but a couple of sources said it did not cause major problems.
David Castanedo, who is on the sales desk for Baja Best Distributing Inc. in San Diego, said the strike did not affect his firm’s farms in that region, nor the farms of most of the other major shippers of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and other vegetables.
Village Farms inks distribution deal with Florida Organic Farms
Village Farms International Inc., with U.S. headquarters in Heathrow, FL, and Florida Organic Farms International LLC, located in Okeechobee, FL, jointly announced an exclusive distribution agreement between the two companies.
Primus Group announces creation of new division
Following the sale of its auditing division to its former director of auditing operations, Primus Group is now looking to expand its service offerings.
While the Primus Group Inc. is best known for auditing, the firm’s core services actually include microbiological testing offered from seven facilities based in the United States and Mexico, data management, pesticide residue analyses and a service offering supply chain review for fresh produce suppliers.
Retail View: Convenience stores the new frontier for fresh produce sales
If two trade associations, representing their respective industries, are right, the 152,000 convenience stores in the United States might soon help this nation increase its collective consumption of fresh produce and help stem the tide on the country’s obesity issue.
The United Fresh Produce Association and the National Association of Convenience Stores recently collaborated on a primer designed to build the business case for produce sales at convenience stores.
Generation Next: From rodeo queen to head of marketing for Boskovich
Whether she’s roping cattle in a rodeo, hunting with her dad and brothers, or working for her family’s business, Boskovich Farms Inc. in Oxnard, CA, 23-year-old Bridget Boskovich isn’t afraid to call the shots.
As the company’s new head of marketing and advertising, the young, go-getting produce professional comes with quite the impressive résumé.
Del Rey exec: Opportunities abound for avocados this season
As the California avocado season was getting into full swing in March, Bob Lucy, co-owner of Del Rey Avocado Co. Inc. in Fallbrook, CA, was optimistic that a very good season would ensue.
“Right now we have a very strong market and I expect that to continue. This should be a very good year,” he said.
Del Rey began marketing California fruit to select customers in late January as some wanted to feature California avocados for their promotions timed to coincide with the Super Bowl.
Hass Avocado Board’s avocado research resonates with media
In January, the Hass Avocado Board publicized some positive avocado nutrition research concerning avocado consumption and its beneficial impact on the amount of good vs. bad cholesterol in the bloodstream.
“It was our most successful PR campaign,” said Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the industrywide commodity group. “The pickup (of the story) by the media resulted in 700 million impressions.”