Archive For The “News” Category
by Allen Lund Company
ALC Logistics, the software and logistics division of the Allen Lund Company, introduced a customized Transportation Management Software (TMS) specific for produce.
Built on a platform that has been in place for five years, the TMS produce specific solution is now available to the industry. The software enables companies to have control over their transportation spending and includes customized programming to fit each customer’s needs. Specific to produce, customer’s will have control over: load tendering, dock scheduling, spot pricing, and live load tracking.
The ALC TMS Sales team is headed by Kenny Lund, Vice President, Chetan Tandon, CIO, and providing sales and implementation, Kevin Peterson. “We are very excited to roll out this product, at what, we believe, is the right time to help those that transport produce,” stated Lund. He added: “38 years of experience transporting produce have gone into this software which adds visibility, creates efficiencies, controls costs and eases the challenges of produce transportation. There is nothing like it on the market; it works with your systems and adapts to your business processes to ultimately save you time and money.”
About Allen Lund Company: Specializing as a national third-party transportation broker with nationwide offices and over 390 employees, the Allen Lund Company works with shippers and carriers across the nation to transport dry, refrigerated (specializing in produce), and flatbed freight; additionally, the Allen Lund Company has a logistics and software division, ALC Logistics, and an International Division.
Established in 1976, the Allen Lund Company received the TIA 3PL Samaritan Award for 2011 and was placed in Transport Topics’ “2013 Top 25 Freight Brokerage Firms.” The company managed over 288,000 shipments in 2013. The NASTC (National Association of Small Trucking Companies) named Allen Lund Company the 2010 Best Broker of the Year. More information is available at www.allenlund.com.
Studies are tracking shifting trends in in shopping and spending that is resulting from the rise of a new generation of consumers who embrace different values and lifestyles. These are intersecting with the exploding digital landscape.
As consumers take advantage of ready-to-eat foods and meal solution offerings from grocery stores, quick-serve restaurants, food delivery and take away, shoppers are increasing eating out by actually eating in.
Recently released was the ninth edition of The Why? Behind the Buy, a report by Acosta Sales & Marketing. It found among other things, the concept of “grocerants” — grocery stores acting as restaurants — is on the rise. Contrary to some reports, eating at home is not passé. Rather, it has evolved to meet the needs of busier lifestyles, more sophisticated palates and consumers who have become accustomed to immediate gratification.
Millennials are most likely to use prepared foods for meal solutions, but overall:
- 77% of total U.S. shoppers reported eating out in the past month.
- 66% brought home prepared foods
- 65% bought food at a restaurant drive through
- 64% ordered food from a restaurant for pick-up/carryout
So, who’s still cooking at home? Most people, most of the time.
Beyond grocerants, research shows that technology use for grocery shopping is catching up to other retail shopping as more consumers, across generations, incorporate digital along their path to purchase. Among the top digital tactics are printing coupons online before shopping (30% of shoppers), loading coupons onto shopper cards from a website (26% of shoppers) and viewing a store’s digital circular (26% of shoppers).
According to a new study, pairing flavored sauces and spreads liked by children with vegetables will get them to eat vegetables regularly.
Researchers from the Arizona State University interviewed 29 preschoolers on how they felt about 11 different vegetables including whether they liked it or disliked it or had never tried it. They measured the effectiveness of paring vegetables like cauliflower and Brussels sprouts with sweetened and unsweetened cream cheese.
The children were divided in three groups, the first group received the vegetable with unsweetened cream cheese, the second group with sweetened cream cheese and the third group received without any cream cheese. After one week, the participants were served these vegetables without any cream cheese. By the end of 15 days the researchers saw that children who were served vegetables along with cream cheese liked them significantly more than those who were served plain.
Less than a quarter of children liked Brussels sprouts without cream cheese whereas more than 72 percent of children liked the vegetable when served with cream cheese.
Majority of children in the U.S. do not eat the required amount of vegetables and children vegetable consumption is mainly hindered by Neophobia or a fear of something new- a condition that is typical among children between the ages 2 and 5 years. The authors said that this strategy of paring food with something that children and adults already know and like will induce them to consume more fruits and vegetables.
Elizabeth Capaldi-Phillips, study author and psychologist at Arizona State University said, “This has the potential to change the eating habits of children, including eating more vegetables, and this in turn will affect childhood obesity.”
According to a previous research, children need to try new foods at least eight to 10 ten times before they get used to its taste. But the new study got the children to like the vegetables only after seven trials.
Washington-grown Kanzi brand apples are hitting retailers’ shelves on schedule, but production is limited. However, within five years growers expect to be able to ship half a million cartons annually.
This year’s crop is has turned out very well and doesn’t have the limitations the previous crop had in relation to a hail storm. U.S. Growers are adding trees to increase production and meet strong market demand. With the existing trees in the ground, and new plantings, it is estimated that within five years, production will hit nearly 500,000 cartons.
Even with that expanding production, demand is great enough to require imported Kanzi apples to supplement the domestic program. The imports are expected in spring after the domestic apples have sold out. Kanzi was originally developed in the European market by Greenstar Kanzi Europe and has features from its parents, Gala and braeburn apple varieties.
Kanzi is fresh bi-colored apple with a unique sweet-sour flavor, now grown in the Washington state’s Wenatchee Valley.
Kanzi, as a name, does not perhaps have the same gravitas as the old heritage apple varieties – yet. Fortunately this is a pretty good apple so we can let the name grow on us. Kanzi has been developed and marketed by Greenstar Kanzi Europe (GKE) and first came on to the market in 2006. Most supplies are from the Netherlands.
If you are a produce association, produce grower or shipper, or anyone else in the fresh produce industry looking for ways to market and promote your products, there may not be anyone better than this trucker, who has been a professional driver for over a quarter of a century, and hauls nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables.
Meet Lee Weaver, a driver for Alan DoBorde of Fayettville, GA.
Lee has logged over two million accident free miles during his career, and still runs about 100,00o miles a year.
The company driver not only is proud of his profession, but takes pride in the fact he is delivering such healthy, nutritious fresh food.
“I like hauling produce even though it sometimes can be a hassle,” he notes. “But you are picking up fresh fruit and you are delivering fresh fruit. I am being partly responsible for families having fresh produce on their tables at home. I am making a difference.”
Lee drives a beautiful red 2013 Kenworth powered by a 500 hp Cummins. He pulls a 53-foot Utility trailer with a Thermo King SB-210. His sleeper has all the amenities ranging from a refrigerator to microwave oven and flatscreen tv.
A resident of Roanoke, AL, Lee has a regular run originating in Georgia, where he pick ups produce. He’ll then truck to Texas, then over to Louisiana and up to Arkansas, before heading west to Los Angeles. After delivering and picking up in Southern Calfiornia, Lee heads back to either Georgia or Florida.
Lee has never owned his own truck and has no desire to take on the headaches associated with being an owner operator. At the same time he likes being an over-the-road driver, which pretty much allows him to be his own boss.
“You have to be responsible,” he says, “Plus you are not in the same place everyday. You are getting paid to see the world.”
A concern being on the road is the lack of attention to driving by so many motorists. It is a primary reason for accidents. Paying attention while driving is one reason this long haul truck has an impeccable driving record, covering so many miles over such a long period of time.
Recently Slate Magazine published an in-depth article which presented science based information on why parents can feed their kids conventional produce with confidence.
“What all this means for parents is that we should stop worrying so much about whether the apples we buy are organic produce or conventional—we should just start giving our kids more apples.” the article concluded. This conclusion is strongly supported by health experts, scientists, and environmental groups.
Featured in the publiction’s article were papers reviewed by peers, government data, interviews with scientists and provided information that may help consumers make better shopping choices for themselves and their families. But once again there were numerous negative comments and social media discussions in response to the content. We have seen this type of response and controversy before and it seems to continue despite general agreement about the safety of organic and conventional produce and that common fear based misconceptions about produce safety can discourage healthier eating.
So there is general agreement that the presentation of science based information to consumers is a positive thing, that generating misguided fears about residues is detrimental to efforts to increase daily consumption of fruits and veggies for better health, and that both organic and conventional produce is safe and we should all be eating more. It seems on the issues of most importance for consumers, there is more agreement than controversy.
Food transportation companies will be required to adhere to certain sanitation standards to prevent food from becoming contaminated during transit under a new rule proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a recent article by Reuters.
Carriers and shippers under the rule would be required to properly refrigerate food, clean vehicles between loads and protect food during transportation.
The rule is the seventh and final plank of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act, a sweeping initiative designed to reduce food-borne illnesses by giving the FDA greater powers to intervene before an outbreak occurs.
It would establish standards for vehicles and transportation equipment, transportation operations, information exchange, training and records.
“This proposed rule will help reduce the likelihood of conditions during transportation that can lead to human or animal illness or injury,” said Michael Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.
Excluded from coverage will be shippers, receivers or carriers whose operations generate less than $500,000 in annual sales. The rule also excludes food that is fully packaged and stable, and live food animals and raw agricultural commodities transported by farms.
The FDA proposes staggering the implementation of the rule based on the size of a business, ranging from one to two years after publication of the final rule. The proposed rule is open for public comment through May 31.
Port Everglades has begun construction of an intermodal rail facility , which handles almost half of the fresh produce entering Florida by ship. Crews from Jacksonville-based Florida East Coast Railway are installing tracks and crane pads for the intermodal container transfer facility at the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., port.
The $73 million, 43-acre rail operation is scheduled to open this summer and will be used to transfer domestic and international shipping containers between ship and rail. The operation, at the Southport container cargo area, replaces a 12-acre intermodal yard that is several miles from the port. The road leading to the facility is being paved and workers are constructing buildings.
The facility will allow the railroad to assemble 9,000-foot unit trains without blocking city streets. When finished, cargo can move through the port to and from Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., in two days and to Nashville, TN, and Memphis, in three days.
The railroad’s connections to CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads should also allow rail service to 70 percent of the U.S. population within four days. At this point it isn’t known how much produce will go through the port.
During fiscal year 2013, the port handled 928,000 TEU (20-foot equivalent units). Of those, refrigerated cargos accounted for 134,597 TEUS or 15 percent of volume, with imports constituting 75 percent of refrigerated container movement.
By Columbia Marketing International
Supermarket sales data released by Nielsen Perishables Group reveals continued strong apple sales over the December holiday period. A three year analysis of apple performance by CMI shows retail volume continues to grow, led by newer varieties. During the month of December, apple category volume at retail increased by 3.2% over 2012 but is up 9.5% over 2011.
“It’s very encouraging to see near double digit volume growth in December compared to the same period just two years ago,” said Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI. “The numbers validate that consumers are buying more apples overall while embracing new varieties.”
The Nielsen Perishables Group data for December 2013 shows the Fuji, Cripps Pink/Pink Lady®, Ambrosia™ and Granny Smith varieties all increased in volume by more than 20%. Honeycrisp and Rome volume in December 2013 vs. 2011 increased by 18.3% and 17.4% respectively.
“The December data really reveals how consumer preferences are shifting while growing the category in the process,” said Lutz. “Over two years, Honeycrisp volume is up by over 17% despite an average retail price of $2.40 per pound. Ambrosia™ volume is up by 24% with an average retail price that is 20% higher than the average for the total apple category. Volume growth at these levels combined with higher retail prices is only sustainable if consumers like what they’re buying and come back for more.”
Lutz said that despite the strong category volume gains, the report shows it’s not all good news. Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Jonagold and Cameo® all lost significant market share over the two year holiday period. Lutz noted that Cameo® volume dropped by 43% while Braeburn lost 28%.
The analysis also indicates how supermarket distribution practices are impacting store-level volume. Impressions per store per week (a measure of the unique items in each store each week) increased by 8.1% for the category as more apple varieties and items were stocked on retail shelves.
“It’s pretty clear that over the past two years, retailers encouraged consumers to discover these new varieties by putting more items on more shelves more often, said Lutz. “Ambrosia impressions jumped by 48% while Cripps Pink/Pink Lady® and Honeycrisp both increased by over 16%.”
Not all apple varieties secured incremental retail impressions. McIntosh, Braeburn, Romes and Cameo® varieties all suffered declines in retail impressions. “This clearly shows that there is a finite amount of space available for apples,” said Lutz. “Romes volume was bailed out by a substantial drop in an already low retail price, but those other varieties were hit hard by the loss of retail shelf support.”
Consumers’ favorite apple varieties may be changing according to newly released supermarket performance data for November.
Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI, reports shoppers are increasingly seeking out apples believed to be high in flavor.
A report by Nielsen Perishables Group shows that older varieties like Red and Golden Delicious are losing ground, while new varieties like Gala and Honeycrisp are showing growth. Apple volume in supermarkets increased by 2.5 percent, apple retail prices fell by 6.5 percent, and the gains in volume were said to be supported by these falling prices. Gala was the largest volume apple in U.S. supermarkets, and has increased by 3 percent over the same period last year. Honeycrisp rankead second in volume, jumping by 14 percent.
Lutz reports more consumers are selecting newer variety apples like Gala, Honeycrisp and Fuji at the expense of some traditional favorites. Pink Lady volume jumped by 44 percent, while Ambrosia volume increased by 22 percent, despite supermarket shelf prices substantially higher than the average price for all apples.
Lutz stated, “Increasingly, for retailers success hinges not only on knowing which apple varieties to put on the shelf, but also knowing which apples to emphasize in merchandising and which varieties should be dropped.”