Archive For The “News” Category
Allen Lund Company has announced that it has submitted and received approval for their current data submission to the SmartWay Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the industry.
The SmartWay Transport Partnership provides a framework to assess the environmental and energy efficiency of goods movement supply chains.
Allen Lund Company will continue to contribute to the Partnership’s savings of 312 million barrels of oil, $41.8 billion on fuel costs and 133 metric tons of CO2, 2.6 million tons of NOx, and 109 million tons of PM… This is the equivalent of the annual electricity use in 20 million homes. By joining SmartWay Transport Partnership, Allen Lund Company demonstrates its strong environmental leadership and corporate responsibility.
Executive VP, Kenny Lund commented, “Allen Lund Company has been a proud participant in SmartWay for many years. We will continue to help the transportation industry to deliver goods in the most efficient way possible. Our experienced employees and cutting-edge technology allow carriers and shippers to run more loaded miles with less waiting and supply chain disruption.”
Developed jointly in early 2003 by EPA and Charter Partners represented by industry stakeholders, environmental groups, American Trucking Associations, and Business for Social Responsibility, this innovative program celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2014. Partners rely upon SmartWay tools and approaches to track and reduce emissions and fuel use from goods movement. The Partnership currently has over 3,000 Partners including shipper, logistics companies, truck, rail, barge, and multimodal carriers.
For information about the SmartWay Transport Partnership visit www.epa.gov/smartway.
Avocado production may triple its growth by 2030 compared to levels in 2010 by reaching 12 metric tons (MT), according to an FAO report.
The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030 reports while avocados have the lowest production level among the major tropical fruits, it has experienced the fastest growth in production in recent years.
This fruit is expected to remain the fastest-growing commodity of the major tropical fruits during the reporting period.
Ample global demand and lucrative export unit prices continue to be the main drivers of this growth, stimulating substantial investments in area expansion in both major and emerging production zones.
Production and Consumption
Avocado production has so far been concentrated in a small number of regions and countries, with the top 10 producing areas currently accounting for almost 80 percent of world production.
Despite the above, the report said around 74 percent of avocado production is expected to remain in Latin America and the Caribbean, given the favorable growth conditions in the region.
In response to the rapid growth in global demand, avocados are expected to become the most traded tropical fruit by 2030, reaching 3.9MT of exports and surpassing both pineapples and mangoes in terms of quantity.
Given the high average unit prices of avocado, the total value of world avocado exports would reach an estimated $8.3 billion in constant value terms from 2014 to 2016, placing the avocado as one of the most valuable fruits.
Production in Mexico, the world’s largest producer and exporter, is expected to grow 5.2 percent annually over the next 10 years due to continued growth in demand in the U.S.
As such, and despite growing competition from emerging exporters, Mexico is expected to further increase its market share to 63 percent in 2030.
The report also notes the U.S. and the EU are expected to remain the top importers, accounting for 40 percent and 31 percent of world imports in 2030, respectively.
However, imports are also increasing rapidly in many other areas such as China and some Middle Eastern countries, and, as measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman index of all importers, the concentration of imports is gradually decreasing.
By The Wonderful Company
LOS ANGELES – POM Wonderful® is excited to launch a social media cocktail contest dedicated to supporting local bars that were impacted by pandemic closures. The competition will put bartenders’ mixology skills to the test as they create cocktails using POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice. Five winners will each designate a deserving bar to receive a $10,000 cash prize and year’s supply of POM Juice.
Mixologists across the country are encouraged to highlight the sweet-yet-tart taste of POM Juice and enter the #POMCocktailContest. Entrants will be tasked with developing a signature POM-inspired cocktail and sharing a photo of their creation on Instagram along with the recipe, tagging @POMWonderful and nominating a local bar. Entries will be judged on presentation, creativity, diversity of ingredients, and the extent to which POM Juice is featured.
On October 1, 10 finalists will be chosen, and their cocktails will be featured on the @POMWonderful Instagram page. Consumers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite POM cocktail by “liking” the photo to determine the semi-finalists. Five winners will be selected on October 11. The winners’ nominated bars will receive a $10,000 cash prize to help them recover from pandemic hardships, along with a year’s supply of POM Juice to incorporate into cocktails.
“The bar community played an important role in the beginnings of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice, bringing to life the iconic POMtini and pomegranate margarita. With so many bars impacted by COVID-19 closures, we wanted to rally behind those who have supported us,” said Adam Cooper, senior vice president of marketing, The Wonderful Company. “Through a friendly competition and unique POM cocktails, we hope to bring some hope, excitement and flavor to the bars and bartenders that have had a challenging year.”
As a cocktail ingredient, POM Juice adds a unique burst of flavor and antioxidant goodness, perfect for those looking for a better-for-you mixer. To learn more about the contest and for official rules, please visit POMCocktails.prizelogic.com. For cocktail inspiration and information about POM Wonderful, please visit POMWonderful.com, on Facebook at /POMWonderful, and Instagram at @POMWonderful.
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About POM Wonderful
POM Wonderful is the largest grower and producer of fresh pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the United States as well as the worldwide leader in fresh California pomegranates and pomegranate-based products including our 100% pomegranate juices, healthy juice blends, and teas. We grow, handpick and juice our own pomegranates to ensure the highest quality. POM Wonderful is part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $5 billion company, which also has other No. 1 brands such as Wonderful® Pistachios, FIJI® Water, Wonderful® Halos®, JUSTIN® Wine, and Teleflora®. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, visit www.wonderful.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Over 3 million pounds of organic garlic, and sales in excess of $24 million occured in 2019.
IRI reports income plays a role in organic garlic purchases. Shoppers earning less than $50,000 annually were half as likely to select organic garlic exclusively in 2020 as those earning $50,000-$100,000, according to Organic Fresh Trends 2021.
African American consumers, Asian shoppers and those in the “all other” ethnic group were among the most likely overall to buy organic garlic at least some of the time. Hispanic shoppers were among the least likely to buy organic garlic overall, whether it be periodically or exclusively.
Older consumers were less likely to select organic garlic than those younger than 40. In fact, shoppers age 18-39 were among the most likely groups overall to buy organic garlic at least some of the time, while those over age 60 (and Hispanic shoppers) were the least likely groups overall to choose organic.
U.S. fruit imports in the first half of 2021 rose by 13 percent year-on-year, with the value of trade from Mexico seeing the largest increase of the top-five supplying countries.
Imports of all fresh, frozen and processed fruit grew from $11 billion to $12.3 billion MT from January through June this year.
Mexico, by far the leading supplier, provided nearly half of the volumes, with imports from the Latin American country rising by 19 percent to $5.9 billion.
The other top supplying countries also sent more fruit to the U.S.
Imports from Chile rose by 10 percent to $1.4 billion, while from Peru they rose 2 percent to $712 million. Guatemala, Costa Rica and Canada also sent greater volumes.
In terms of fruit categories, berries had a strong showing in the six-month period. Raspberry imports rose by 8 percent to $605 million, blueberries rose by 38 percent to $526 million, strawberries rose by 28 percent to $773 million and blackberries rose by 30 percent to $318 million.
Avocado imports rose by 2 percent to $1.3 billion, table grape imports rose 6 percent to $1.6 billion, and citrus rose by 21 percent to $548 million.
Bananas were one of the few categories to see a decline, falling by 3 percent to $957 million.
By Brendan McCallum, ALC Rochester
With every produce shipping season comes a new set of challenges, and the 2021 season may be the most challenging we have ever seen. The impact of COVID-19 on the economy has been massive and unprecedented, with every industry being affected in one way or another. While many industries suffered during this time, the agriculture industry saw volumes increase. Add on the usual surge in volume during the produce season, and you see an extremely tight capacity situation.
Shifting focus to the Northeast, which has its heaviest peak of volume in August/September, relying mainly on the production of apples, corn, and blueberries. In 2020 we had seen increases in produce sales within these major Northeast crops, only to see these numbers increase further coming into 2021:
- Total corn production increase estimated at 6.5% between 2019 and 2020, with that trend continuing into 2021, which is in part due to corn exports increasing because of high demand from China and other importers.
- In New York, apple production is expected to increase in 2021 due largely to improving export markets and continued strong domestic demand.
- Coming off a 2020 drought season, Maine has shown improvement in blueberry production in 2021 and will see continued improvements, due to further education/research on climate adaptions.
These are just some examples that will make up for a challenging peak in the Northeast produce season. Around this time, carriers will devote trucks to moving high crop volumes, diminishing available capacity throughout the country. This causes spikes in truck rates, which immediately impacts the ability to book shipments into or out of the affected and nearby states. It is important to apply advanced preparations and have a strategy in place to adapt to various seasonal demand changes. This is the season in which relationships built throughout the year with carriers becomes so important. Having people you can rely on to ship these products during a trying time will help mitigate disruptions and frustrations, ensuring continued success for everyone involved.
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Brendan McCallum is a transportation broker in his first year at the ALC Rochester, office. He has three years of previous experience working in Intermodal Logistics. Brendan attended The College at Brockport where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management.
A new report shows that Florida’s seaports are poised to recover from a loss of $14 billion over last year.
Leading the recovery is the strong growth in cargo volumes that started in the second part of last year and the recent gradual restart of the cruise industry.
The value of trade decreased more than 16 percent in 2020, according to the annual report from the Florida Seaports Transportation and Economic Development Council (FSTED).
“We knew it was going to hit cruise — obviously with that being shut down — but cargo was a little bit of a rude awakening, to see the impact on that,” Michael Rubin, president and CEO of the Florida Ports Council said.
“The good news, again, is that cargo is back up, and it seems to be doing well.”
The report confirms that most of the declines came in the first part of the year due to the uncertainty around COVID-19.
The recovery occurred in the fall, but most of Florida’s ports experienced declines for the year.
Breakbulk cargo experienced an overall year-over-year increase though, growing 8.8 percent to 7.8 million metric tons (MT) last year.
Despite the current challenges to cruise operations in Florida, the report concludes that the fundamentals of the cruise industry remain strong.
They believe the combination of pent-up demand and widespread vaccinations will result in a full, long-term recovery for the industry.
“With $3.3 billion in capital improvements at Florida’s seaports identified over the next five years, we expect our ports to continue playing a leading role in job creation and economic growth,” FSTED Program Administrator Michael Rubin said.
Among the projects slated are rehabilitation and repairs for berths, construction of new cruise and cargo terminals, and channel and harbor deepening efforts.
Florida’s governor also announced that he plans to devote $250 million from the federal stimulus monies to the ports.
Goodlettsville, Tenn. – Dollar General (NYSE: DG) today announced an operational partnership with Feeding America®, as well as a $1 million donation to the organization, to provide access to food resources in rural and otherwise underserved communities and to proactively address food insecurity across the country. The Company also plans to offer produce in up to 10,000 communities over the next several years, with a meaningful number of those stores in current United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defined food deserts.
“Food insecurity impacts communities across the country, and given that Feeding America projects that 42 million people may face hunger as a result of the pandemic, we want to be part of the solution for those facing this issue,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO. “With our extensive store footprint, often in communities others have chosen not to serve, Dollar General is uniquely positioned to help combat hunger by offering convenient access to a variety of nutritious foods at affordable prices. Our work with Feeding America builds on these efforts by providing in-kind donations of perishable foods to help nourish and feed those in need. Together with Feeding America and local community food banks, we look forward to making a measurable impact in the fight against food insecurity.”
Produce and Healthier Foods Goals
With approximately 75 percent of the U.S. population living within five miles of one of its general merchandise stores, millions of Americans rely on Dollar General to provide convenient, affordable access to the everyday products they need and want, including the components of a nutritious meal such as milk and dairy products, bread, frozen and canned vegetables, canned fruits, grains and more. Dollar General also has partnered with a registered nutritionist to create DG Better For You meals, which provide healthier recipes for each meal of the day with items sourced from DG stores, and created the Good & Smart® private brand to provide yet another healthier option to customers.
The Company currently offers fresh produce in more than 1,300 stores, providing the top 20 items typically sold in grocery stores and approximately 80 percent of produce categories carried by most grocers. Dollar General plans to expand this offering in up to 10,000 stores, including a meaningful number of stores located in food deserts.
Feeding America Partnership
In partnering with Feeding America, Dollar General is excited to bring together the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and the nation’s largest retailer by store count to positively impact food insecurity concerns, especially in rural America.
Dollar General’s work with Feeding America will be highlighted by a $1 million donation, as well as in-kind donations of perishable and nutritious food to community food banks. At full operational capacity, Dollar General seeks to provide up to 20 million meals each year*. This will not only help alleviate hunger in the communities it calls home, but also nearly double the number of stores in which Feeding America services.
The partnership further aims to enhance Feeding America’s rural hunger initiatives and provide more food donations to 95 percent of member food banks across the country. Additionally, it aims to support otherwise underserved communities with valuable food resources through Dollar General’s unique real estate footprint with approximately 75 percent of its stores serving communities of 20,000 or fewer individuals.
About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
About Dollar General Corporation
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 80 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day.® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at everyday low prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 17,426 stores in 46 states as of April 30, 2021. In addition to high-quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and PepsiCo. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.
The Canadian retail industry reviews market share numbers for major supermarket operators and examines the growth potential for U.S. fresh produce exports, according to a new report.
Published by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, Canada is the largest overseas market for U.S. high-value, consumer-oriented products, with exports reaching nearly $17 billion in 2020. This represents 25% of the total value of U.S. consumer-oriented exports worldwide.
The report said:
- Canada’s retail market is mature and largely consolidated, with five retailers comprising more than 75% of the total retail grocery market;
- The remainder of the market is represented by smaller regional retail chains that include 6,800 independents and 27,000 small and independent convenience stores;
- Approximately 90% of Canada’s nearly 38 million consumers live within 100 miles of the U.S. border;
- The top three consumer-oriented agricultural product categories were bakery goods, cereals, & pasta ($2.2 billion), fresh vegetables ($1.9 billion), and fresh fruits ($1.6 billion);
- U.S. products dominate in imported goods in the Canadian market, but recently implemented Canadian trade agreements with 3rd country trading blocs – CETA (Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) and the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) – have contributed to increased agricultural export competition in the Canadian market;
- By surface area, Canada is the second-largest country, but over 80% of Canadians live in the country’s 15 largest cities;
- In 2020, Canada’s food and beverage retail sales surged by a record 10% from the previous year – reaching $109 billion, including alcohol sales of $20 billion – as COVID-19 response measures drove double digit losses in food service;
- Consumer demand and established distribution channels with U.S. suppliers continue to fuel produce sales growth, with Canadians spending 21% more on fruits and vegetables than U.S. consumers;
- Online sales in 2020 were up 105% over 2019;
- Investment in e-commerce will be vital to keeping up with consumer demand, and several of Canada’s largest retailers announced new supplier fees in 2020 to offset the cost of fulfillment center investments;
- Unable to develop online fulfillment capabilities independently, many smaller grocery retailers also partnered with delivery platforms (e.g., Instacart) or offered in-store pick-up services;
- The rise in e-commerce has also led to an increase in data and loyalty memberships;
- The success of loyalty programs has been attributed to the customization of promotional outreach (e.g., newsletters, coupons) to targeted customer demographics. KPMG’s 2019 Customer Loyalty Report underscored this fact before the pandemic, noting how Canadian consumer loyalty programs like Air Miles, Triangle Rewards, and P.C. Optimum are enmeshed in Canadian consumer culture.
- Canada’s leading grocery retailers continue to consolidate ownership of the segment and increase their bargaining power relative to suppliers, enabling retailers to set more favorable terms, fees, and requirements.
- The consolidating nature has left multiple suppliers feeling pressured and powerless in their relationships and contract negotiations with grocers. Following new fees suppliers’ associations and politicians began calling for a legislated retail grocery code of conduct to restore greater balance to negotiations with retailers. Some retailers have been advocating for a voluntary code rather than have one imposed upon them.
Top 10 Canadian Food Retailers (by retail sales)
- Loblaws/Shoppers Drug Mart (27%)
- Sobeys/Safeway (22%)
- Metro/Jean Coutu (11%)
- Costco (9%)
- Walmart (8%)
- Overwaitea Food Group (4%)
- Co-ops (3%)
- Couch-Tard (2%)
- North West Company Inc. (1%)
- Dollarama (1%)
Source: Canadian Grocer
By Iyer Amruthur, ALC San Antonio
Lush leaves, warm waters, flourishing flora, are just a few of the things that come to mind in a picturesque way when one thinks of California. But California is not just a “start-all, end-all” vacation spot. Coastal California actually has a lot more to do with you than you think.
Do you enjoy complete and balanced meals? Of course, you do! It’s important to maintain your body and keep yourself properly hydrated and hit all the food groups. Fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, grains, are all main staples but chances are your fruit didn’t come from a couple of miles down the road, it more than likely came from one of our powerhouse produce states.
Just to name a few: Texas, Florida, and California. These three states play a big role in getting those delicious dinners and popping picnics to come together. Did you know California by itself produces more cash receipts from produce than the entire Mountain/Pacific region states combined or that about half as much comes from Texas, which has 86% of its land [ocregister.com]used for agricultural production?
While this is fantastic for our country to have so many geographic options for crops, sometimes those regions come with a bit of a headache down the road. As you know historically, California has experienced drought from the early 2000s to today, and if you’re a Texas resident you know we’ve been feeling the same. What does that mean at the end of the day for our nation?
Let’s step back for a second and have some breakfast, and figure things out. As you may have heard one of the trendiest foods incorporated into breakfast this side of the decade has been avocados, maybe you’ve seen them aesthetically spread onto toast.
Along with many other functional foods, avocados have almost doubled in price (complimented with far more than double the demand) since a few years ago. Unfortunately, that breakfast might be a little bit more expensive on the west coast now. California is one of our nation’s leaders in producing avocados.
In 2014, California’s last notable drought [businessinsider.com[businessinsider.com] top exports such as avocados, berries, cruciferous vegetables, i.e. cauliflower, cabbage, kale, as well as grapes, and lettuce rose in price anywhere from 17 to 62 cents depending on the product.
It’s not all bad news, we can look at some silver linings while we wait on the clouds to come back and rehydrate our fields. Texas shares a similar palette on many in-demand produce products with California and has seen a recent increase in exports of avocados to pick up the slack left behind.
According to data from the USDA [data.ers.usda.gov] website, avocado demand grew from 155,379 ($1000’s) in December 2020 to 231,835 in Jan 2021 and 315,128 by March of the same year. Many times, when we see a lack of a commodity in one area, we’ll look to grow it somewhere else, or import it.
Texas has the perfect climate for avocados, and also controls some of the main border entries for Mexico, which exports billions of dollars worth of avocados [agmrc.org] every year to us. This new entry point/origin for produce shifts the freight market as well to create demand for trucks in Texas while decreasing the demand in California.
To sum things up, when it starts to “Never rain in [Southern] California” we see the whole nation shift their focuses on backups, imports, and inevitably higher costs. So be sure to avoca-do yourself a favor and pick up some delicious guacamole ingredients while we wait out this drought and get produce to your state from wherever its’ freshest!
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Iyer Amruthur is a business development specialist in the Allen Lund Company, San Antonio office and has two years of logistics experience. Iyer attended The University of Georgia where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, with a minor in Communications.