Archive For The “News” Category
by National Watermelon Promotion Board
Nearly 1,000 consumers voted for their favorite entry in this year’s Watermelon Carving Contest, hosted by National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB). The annual contest, which takes place every July to honor National Watermelon Month, encourages watermelon fans everywhere to create and carve watermelon works of art.
Each carving submitted in the contest could be viewed at an online gallery at watermelon.org. NWPB encouraged fans to vote for their favorite overall carving from one of five categories.
“The Pop Culture category, which was new for 2016, included entries of watermelons used as serving bowls, beverage kegs, a wedding cake, and even two different Prince portraits!” said Stephanie Barlow, NWPB Senior Director of Communications. “The submissions really highlighted watermelon’s uniqueness in its versatility.”
While several of the entries were submitted by professional fruit carvers, the Judge’s Choice Award and First Place Award in the Basket Category was given to a beginner carver, showing that creativity and ingenuity is just as important as technical skill. Staging and category fit were also carefully considered by judges of the contest.
In addition to Pop Culture and Basket, other categories for this year’s carving contest included Elegant, Etched and Event/Occasion. Two entrants were also honored for “Judge’s Choice” and “People’s Choice” carvings. Winners from the five different categories received more than $1,000 in Amazon gift cards. Additionally, four carvers were awarded “Honorable Mention” prizes, also Amazon gift cards.
View the complete list of entries, as well as the winning carvings at http://www.watermelon.org/TheSlice/2016-Watermelon-Carving-Contest-Winners. For more watermelon carving inspiration, tips and tricks, visit Watermelon Board’s Pinterest Board or the “Carvings” page on watermelon.org where new carvings are regularly added.
About National Watermelon Promotion Board
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), based in Winter Springs, Florida, was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the United States and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by more than 1,500 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.
Watermelon, the produce leader in lycopene, is a multivitamin unto itself, with each serving providing an excellent source of Vitamins A and C and a good source of Vitamin B6 with only 80 calories. Watermelon consumption per capita in the United States was an estimated 14.8 pounds in 2015. Watermelon volume in the United States was approximately 4.7 billion pounds in 2015. For additional information, visit www.watermelon.org.
Lyons, GA – L.G. Herndon, Jr. Farms, Inc. is announcing the release of its newest line of packaged greens, SuperFit Greens. The launch of SuperFit Greens introduces an innovative concept for Herndon, offering healthy traditional greens in a convenient new package.
Herndon Farms has been the leader in produce categories including Vidalia onions, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, and bunch leafy greens for more than 30 years. As owner Bo Herndon has watched the leafy greens category change recently, he has envisioned creating a line of packaged greens that would engage consumers. “Since we started the farm in the late 70s, we’ve always grown southern, cooking greens. With the rise of items like kale and with consumers looking for more convenience with their greens, we knew it was time to create the right brand for today’s consumers.
The name SuperFit Greens was born out of a passion to inspire consumers to think healthy when deciding what to eat. “‘Eat your greens’ isn’t a passing fad,” remarks John Williams, Sales and Marketing Director for Herndon Farms, “Consumers are more health conscious and we want to support that with our products, to support Americans who are returning to a more nutrient-rich diet.”
The company recently expanded their operation with the construction on a state-of-the-art 44,000 square foot processing plant on their farm in southeast Georgia, to accommodate SuperFit Greens packaging. Williams states that freshness and shelf life were at the forefront of their decision to pack on-site. “The entire process from harvest to packaging will occur at the farm. We’re very confident the quality of our product will stand out because of this,” confirms Williams.
All of Herndon’s items are Primus GFS certified and the new facility will follow these same guidelines. Herndon added, “food safety is an extremely important part of what we do every day and our plans for our company’s future. We have a food safety team in place to help handle all the requirements an operation like ours requires.”
Williams is also confident that their innovative packaging, the SuperFit Greens website, social media channels, and direct marketing efforts will appeal to consumers. “We are focused on inspiring consumers through engagement, education and with the high quality of greens they will see offered under the SuperFit Greens brand,” adds Williams.
The company will begin shipping SuperFit Greens this October from their farm in Lyons, Ga.
About L.G. Herndon Farms, Inc.:
L. G. Herndon Jr. Farms is a family owned and operated business with over 30 years of experience growing Vidalia® sweet onions, Peruvian and Mexican sweet onions, Lil’ Bo’s Petite sweet Vidalia onions, sweet corn, green leafy vegetables, and most recently, sweet potatoes. Herndon Farms strives to maintain a reputation of high-quality and consistency that has come to define the Herndon name. For more information, visit vidaliasfinest.com.
By The Idaho Potato Commission
EAGLE, IDAHO — The world’s largest potato on wheels traded its tires for buoys in celebration of the 2016 Idaho® Potato Harvest. On Wednesday, August 24, the giant spud embarked on her maiden voyage through the New York Harbor – beginning in Brooklyn and passing all the major landmarks in South Manhattan including the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and Freedom Tower.
Over the next several weeks 320,000 acres in Idaho will be harvested and yield more than 13 billion pounds of Idaho® potatoes. New York is the largest consumer of Idaho® potatoes, and two iconic New York-based restaurants, Macy’s and Toffenetti’s, were instrumental in establishing Idaho® baked potatoes as a premium menu item back in the 1930’s.
New Yorkers consume more potatoes than any other state. To show its appreciation, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) donated 12,000 pounds of Idaho® potatoes (equivalent to the weight of the Big Idaho® Potato on the Truck) to Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, New York’s largest emergency food program. They’ve consistently served 1,000 homeless and hungry people every weekday for the past 30 years.
“New Yorkers have played a major role in building the Idaho® potato brand and making the baked Idaho® potato one of the most sought after side dishes on the menu,” explained Frank Muir, President & CEO of the IPC. “It was a privilege for us to spend time at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen and provide and serve healthy Idaho® potatoes to those who are less fortunate.”
The Big Idaho® Potato Truck was built five years ago to celebrate the IPC’s 75th anniversary. The organization wanted to celebrate the milestone in a big way, and more importantly, include the entire country in the celebration. The idea for the Truck was born from a vintage postcard depicting a giant potato on a flatbed trailer with the quote, “We Grow ‘Em Big in Idaho.” To date, the Truck has traveled over 100,000 miles promoting the heart-healthy benefits of the Idaho® potato and donating to local charities through its “A Big Helping” program.
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About The Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the IPC is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation, and rich volcanic soil give Idaho® potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance, which differentiates them from potatoes grown in other states.
The Big Idaho® Potato Truck travels across the country carrying the world’s largest potato on wheels — a 28 foot long, 12 foot wide, 11.5 foot tall, 6 ton spud. It was built to celebrate the Idaho Potato Commission’s 75th anniversary in 2012 and was intended to be on the road for one year. But it was such a hit the journey continued and today it’s more popular than ever. For more information visit www.bigidahopotato.com.
Specialized carts designed to keep employees out on the floor culling produce and reducing wastage, is being implemented by Wal Mart Stores Inc., the latest step in a push to improve its fresh food offerings and revive sales growth, according to a recent news story by Reuters.
“Quality carts”, as they are being called by the world’s largest retailer, are being deloyed at 500 stores. There are plans to have them in all of its nearly 5,000 U.S. outlets by the end of the third quarter, Vice President for Central Operations Shana DeSmit told Reuters in an interview.
Equipped with weighing scales and a box to collect the discarded produce, the carts are being equipped weighing scales and a box to help employees carry out tasks that were typically carried out in the back room. With the carts, employees can sort fresh produce by removing items nearing expiration and weighing them to manage inventory counts and help with replenishment.
Wal-Mart’s service levels have suffered due to fewer employees in store interacting with consumers.
The retailer is introducing one such cart per store and will eventually add more, said DeSmit. The produce collected through the carts is either donated or sold through markdowns.
A renewed emphasis on fresh food, which includes produce, deli items, meat and baked goods, has been a crucial turnaround strategy under U.S Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran. Wal-Mart is the largest grocer in the United States, with nationwide sales of $167 billion in 2015.
Wal-Mart has started revamping the layout of the food section at 3,000 stores, in recent months, including supercenters and its smaller Neighborhood Market stores. It has taken steps such as lowering display cases and opening up floor space so that shoppers can see more clearly across the food area. It has replaced black plastic crates with ones that look like wood to give the store more of a farmer’s market feel.
In February, the retailer said it would hire hundreds of fresh food managers to improve its offerings. The company is on schedule to have such managers in a third of its stores nationwide by the end of the year, Wal-Mart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said.
by Legion Logistics, LLC
Florence, KY – Legion Logistics, one of the region’s fastest growing third-party logistics providers, announced recently that they placed #513 on the Inc. 5000 list. This is the third straight year Legion has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list, and this year, they are the #1 company for growth in both Kentucky and the Cincinnati Region.
“I remember counting down the days until we could be eligible to be considered for the Inc. 5000 list.” Antony Coutsoftides, CEO and co-founder, says of this honor, “But now we have been ranked three years in a row and I continue to dream of ways we can improve our ranking in the nation and within our industry.”
The Inc. 500 is an annual list that began in 1982 ranking private companies that are booking the biggest sales growth throughout the year in their region. For 34 years, the Inc. 5000 list, an expansion of the Inc. 500, has been introducing and honoring the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S. and Legion has made the list three years in a row. This year, the magazine will formally congratulate all of the honorees at the Inc. 5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony in San Antonio, Texas in October.
Legion Logistics, LLC is a service disabled veteran-owned third-party logistics provider (3PL) based in Florence, Kentucky. What all those hyphens don’t tell you is that Legion is committed to exceptional customer service, fair dealings with trucking companies and an outstanding, veteran-friendly work environment. Founded in 2009, the Legion specializes in full truckload, less-than-truckload, government freight, hazardous materials and produce shipping. Learn more at jointhelegion.com.
Merchants in the Hunts Point Terminal Market continue talking about new and modern facilities, but in reality they are going nowhere. Realistically, construction of such a facility will never happen.
For example, look at the 20014 agreement signed by market officials and the city’s Economic Development Corporation, which renewed the wholesale market’s lease for seven years.
There also have been major improvements by large produce wholesalers such as Nathel & Nathel Inc., S. Katzman Produce Inc., and E. Armata Inc., which operates from 24.5 market units and has made large investments into its facilities.
These wholesale distributors are not wasting their monies. When you see companies spending this kind of money, you know Hunts Point isn’t going anywhere.
The historic Hunts Point neighborhood location in the South Bronx, provides an ideal location for the facility because it is close to New York City’s area metropolitan boroughs.
There has been talk about a new market in New York for more than a decade.
How would you get all of these merchants into the new market over time or at the same time? I don’t foresee any change.”
“There’s been a lot of talk about this market moving or rebuilding,” said Sheldon Nathel, vice president of Nathel & Nathel recently. “This has been going on for 13-14 years. A lot of the people on the market seem to be putting a lot more money into their stores lately. We followed suit. Who knows where this market will be in five years?”
Federal government monies are being actively pursed by Hunts Point leaders to upgrade the world’s largest fresh produce terminal. There are 22 million people in the Tri-State area that Hunts Point serves.
The facilities at Hunts Point are antiquated and everything from old plumbing to grid lock is constantly causing problems. There often are electrical lines reported exploding and transformers breaking for lack of capacity.
Supermarkets remain a “powerhouse in fresh,” despite an ever-growing variety of food shopping outlets, especially fresh produce, which resides as a “supermarket stronghold” among 68 percent of shoppers.
According to Anne-Marie Roerink, who reviewed the results of the Food Marketing Institute’s second annual Power of Produce report, Supercenters (16 percent) are the second most popular outlet for fresh produce purchases, followed next by warehouse clubs (5 percent).
Highlights of this year’s produce shopper study found nearly 25 percent of shoppers switch outlets when purchasing fresh produce versus the bulk of groceries, primarily to full-service supermarkets, farmers’ markets/produce stands and specialty organic stores.
Roerink, principal of 210 Analytics, which prepared the “mega trends” produce study, warned that younger generations are drawn to alternative channels. She sees this as “a red flag for traditional retailers, as losing the produce basket may result in losing additional spending in center store.”
Ringing up a whopping $61 billion in annual sales, fresh produce is in hot demand with no signs of a slow down. Powered by a 4 percent growth rate, the category is a lucrative and influential element for grocery baskets, which average nearly $30 more with fresh produce than one without.
Beyond price, the most successful incremental produce purchase drivers, per the Power of Produce study, include:
- Eye-catching displays, which are extremely influential
- Produce cross-merchandised in other parts of the store
- Impulse through ideation, including recipes, serving ideas and sampling
- Education/information, especially nutrition call-outs that are relevant to the audience
Notably, consumers are placing increased value on transparency – how and where the crop was grown – as evidenced by how support for the local farmers/economy overtook perceived freshness as the top reason for buying locally-grown. This sentiment also applies double-digit sales gains for organic fresh produce and an expressed need for “free-from” products. Still, organic remains a niche segment to date, according to the Power of Produce consumer research study, reflecting 8 percent of total produce sales, with usage skewing to the more affluent shoppers and families with children.
Organic produce sales topped $1 billion in the first quarter of 2016, according to the latest United Fresh Produce Association FreshFacts report.Tracking sales data from January through March, the report found that organic fresh produce sales in the first quarter totaled $1.1 billion, up 15% from year-ago levels. Sales gains were boosted by an increase in the number of retailers offering organic produce, according to the release.
The growth in organic produce sales and other data from the report were featured in the workshop “Who’s Buying Your Produce?” at the United Fresh 2016 convention in Chicago, according to a news release.
The FreshFacts report reveals that fresh produce accounts for 34 percent of total fresh sales in supermarkets, second only to meat. Total first-quarter sales of fresh produce were up 5 percent from year-ago levels, and volume was up 1 percent, according to the report.
The United Fresh workshop, to be led by Jen Campuzano and Matt Lally from Nielsen Perishables Group, will address shopping behaviors by generation, income and ethnicity, according to the release. The workshop presenters will also provide recommendations on market strategies for produce suppliers and retailers, according to the release.
The FreshFacts report, produced in partnership with the Nielsen Perishables Group and sponsored by Del Monte Fresh Produce, is available online and can be downloaded with no charge for United Fresh members and $50 for non-members, according to the release.
Beyond its examination of organic sales and trends for the top ten fruits and vegetables, the first quarter FreshFacts report explores consumer perceptions of local produce and generational demand, according to the release.
Even refrigerated carriers have their challenges hauling fresh produce, but it is an awesome mountain for rail entities, which is why there have been so many failures over the years.
Now we hear Railex LLC is ending service to the Southeast. although it claims it will be back one day.
The rail logistics transporter, based in Riverhead, NY, ceased operations in Jacksonville, Fla. August 13th with its refrigerated perishables..
Rumors of the closing had been circulating since July. The company apparently felt it was in its best interest to reassess the Southeast receiving location and close the Jacksonville location. Railex was unable to properly structure its operations at the Jacksonville facility that was too small. The company was operating with a short-term lease.
Railex is working with the Union Pacific and CSX railroads to find a service plan allowing timely deliveries to Southeastern customers through a different location. Railex is hoping to negotiate a service agreement within the coming months.
The Jacksonville location was intended to be a temporary solution to satisfy customers that had long demanded Southeastern service.
“For various reasons beyond our control, Railex could not run the traditional unit-type train service into Jacksonville,” Paul Esposito, executive vice president of corporate affairs said. “The transit times were two days longer than what we had planned and what our customers expected. Now, two years later, during the peak summer season, with transit variabilities as well as the decline in truck rates, we find it difficult to sustain any significant volume into the area.”
The carrier transported apples, carrots, onions, potatoes and wine to receivers via 64-foot refrigerated railcars.
Railex ships from Delano, CA, and Wallula, WA., and unloads and distributes at a Rotterdam, N.Y., refrigerated warehouse near Schenectady, N.Y.
The company opened the Jacksonville location in June 2014.
Rail companies have a history of basing their rates to a significant degree, on truck rates.
McDonald’s is talking up a milestone in providing children increased access to fruit through sliced apples served in Happy Meals.
Since 2004, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based foodservice operator reports serving more than two billion packages of sliced apples in Happy Meals, according to a news release.
In 2012, McDonald’s began serving the sliced apples as the default side item instead of french fries.
McDonald’s needed suppliers to develop the capacity to offer the product at restaurants nationwide. The success at McDonald’s led to fresh-cut apple availability at retail, schools and other quick-service restaurants, according to the release. McDonald’s has 14,000 locations in the U.S.
“As the first restaurant to offer fresh-cut apple packages as a side choice for children in April 2004, McDonald’s helped transform the children’s meal nutrition landscape by being the first to successfully create a market for convenient and easy, fresh-cut apple packs,” McDonald’s officials said in the release. “Today, all children in the U.S. under the age of 12 have only ever known a Happy Meal that included the option of apple slices.”
“This milestone is a marker of McDonald’s continuing to play an important role in every community and our ongoing efforts to help increase access to fruit and other nutritious food for children,” Steve Kerley, vice president and general manager of McDonald’s in the Philadelphia region, said in the release. “The decision to serve real apple slices with Happy Meals more than a decade ago helped make it easier for parents to ensure that their children are getting wholesome options.”
McDonald’s is the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries.
Founded in the United States in 1940, the company began as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald. In 1948, they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand using production line principles. Businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955. He subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth.