Archive For The “News” Category
A partnership has been formed between Veg-Fresh Farms of Corona, CA and citrus grower-packer Redlands Foothill Groves, allowing Veg-Fresh to ship citrus the year-round.
Based in Redlands, CA, the citrus cooperative has over 80 growers of navels, Valencias, grapefruits and lemons, which are packed in the last operating packinghouse in San Bernardino County, according to a news release.
“In addition, being located just 30 miles from our Corona facility, it provides our customers the logistic advantage that we have found so valuable being located in the Inland Empire,” Veg-Fresh managing partner Dino Cancellieri Jr. said in the release.
The partnership will expand retail and foodservice opportunities, Veg-Fresh Farms citrus director Jacob Garcia said, referring to the 96-year-old Redlands Foothill Groves as a “storied packinghouse” that has continued to invest in fruit-grading technologies to improve packing.
Veg-Fresh packs under the Veg-Fresh Farms, Crystal Cove Berry Farms and Good Life Organic labels.
Bill Bess, director of carrier development for The Allen Lund Company of La Canada Flintridge, CA has been awarded the inaugural Allen Lund Legacy Award.
The new award, given to Bess at the company’s recent annual managers’ meeting and awards banquet, recognizes employees who exemplify the leadership qualities and character of company founder Allen Lund, according to a news release.
Bess said Lund has been the most influential person in his life.
“It was his example as a businessman, a family man and a Christian that has guided most of my personal decisions over the last 35 years,” Bess said when he accepted the award, according to the release. “He set the bar high and encouraged you to be the best that you could be.”
Allen Lund’s wife, Kathie Lund, announced Bess as the recipient.
“I am so proud of all of our employees and I can say with confidence Allen would be as well,” she said, according to the release. “After much reflection with the family, we created this award to continue Allen’s legacy and recognize a truly outstanding employee that exemplifies his qualities.”
Mr. Lund died in April 2018.
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PHOTO:
Bill Bess was recently honored with the inaugural Allen Lund Award. Anna (Lund) Clapp (from left), Kathie Lund, Bess and his wife Gaye, Christina (Lund) Doerfler and Natalie (Lund) Peterson attended the award ceremony.
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Nicole RumseyMarch 20 · My view pulling into work this morning. These trucks all rolled in last night to load produce heading out across the country! I’m honored to be part of the amazing produce industry. God bless our truck drivers, provide them with safety & health as they do their part to keep our country going!
A national emergency has been declared by President Donald Trump due to the coronavirus COVID-19 and waived the hours of service rules for truck drivers transporting emergency supplies of food.
It’s the first time since the rules were enacted in 1930 that they have been suspended.
The March 13 emergency declaration covers “food for emergency restocking of stores,” as well as medical equipment, hand sanitizer, masks, and other items. The waiver remains in effect until midnight April 12 or when President Trump terminates it, if sooner.
The waiver grants emergency relief form the hours of service rules. Those rules still apply for routine deliveries and mixed loads that include “essential supplies” that are not being transported in support of emergency relief efforts, according to the declaration. Drivers must start the clock when they’re dispatched to “begin operations in commerce.”
The declaration does not define what are emergency relief efforts versus a return to “interstate commerce” not supporting relief efforts for drivers supplying retailers. It does not specific if the waiver covers fresh produce and other foods being transported to processing facilities.
President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and other White House officials participated in a call with retailers and industry groups on March 15.
According to published reports, executives of Walmart, Aldi, Whole Foods, Wegmans, Publix and other retailers participated.
Greg Ferrara, CEO of the National Grocers Association, welcomed the opportunity to speak to White House officials.
“While local, independent grocers are currently experiencing an unprecedented demand in store traffic and for product and goods, we continue to work closely with the president and our federal, state and local officials nationwide to ensure the resilience of both the food supply chain and our local economies,” according to a statement from Ferrara.
“Our industry has faced emergencies before from hurricanes to earthquakes, and fires to floods,” he said in the statement. “Grocers are experienced and prepared to continue serving their communities and employees as our members do each and every day.”
The Food Industry Association (FMI) also released a statement, ensuring the “viability of the supply chain and the availability of safe, affordable food.”
“We are resilient; our industry is working 24 hours a day to replenish and restock while ensuring the cleanliness of our stores and facilities,” FMI president and CEO Leslie Sarasin said in the statement. “We are seeking to be sensitive to the needs of all our customers and partners, including our WIC and SNAP shoppers and the food banks our stores support.”
Many grocery stores are expanding the hours they are closed to clean the store and restock shelves.
“As we continue to see an increase in customers, this temporary reduction in hours will allow us time to focus solely on store cleanliness and product availability,” according to a news release from St. Louis-based Schnucks. “Our supply partners and warehouse teams continue to work around the clock to ensure that product is available to our customers as quickly as possible.”
SINGAPORE – Carrier Transicold, with Chiquita, successfully completed live cargo shipments for the new EverFRESH® active controlled atmosphere system, transporting fully loaded containers of bananas from Panama to the Netherlands. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
Chiquita shipped bananas using 40-foot, high-cube containers equipped with Carrier Transicold PrimeLINE® refrigeration units. The EverFRESH systems were programmed to maintain oxygen levels at 5% and carbon dioxide at 4%. Temperature, gas and humidity concentrations were monitored continuously throughout the 17-day shipments.
Significantly, the containers used in the shipments were not new and had some degree of air leakage due to normal wear and tear, making them more representative of typical containers used throughout the global fleet. Positive-pressures generated by the installed EverFRESH system helped offset issues related to leakage from the existing containers.
“Through multiple trials, the EverFRESH system delivered on its promise to create a controlled atmosphere balance that could be sustained throughout the voyage,” said Stefano Di Paolo, president, Great White Fleet, Chiquita. “The speed at which the EverFRESH system reduced oxygen levels to slow ripening and its ability to maintain high humidity were impressive.”
Jim Taeckens, senior product manager, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold, said, “In the shipments, container humidity levels were maintained as high as 90%, a feat other active atmosphere control systems can struggle with, which can potentially lead to a loss of fruit moisture content. We are pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Chiquita on this trial, successfully demonstrating the EverFRESH system’s ability to protect and preserve their valuable cargo en route to consumers in Europe.”
Introduced in November 2019, Carrier Transicold’s new EverFRESH system builds on the first generation EverFRESH system introduced 25 years ago. Today’s EverFRESH system continues to help preserve the quality of perishables beyond what refrigeration alone can do by actively managing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to slow respiration and the natural ripening of the commodity inside. Moreover, it does so more affordably than the previous EverFRESH system. As an active system, it generates nitrogen to more quickly and responsively displace oxygen, rather than relying on respiration alone to gradually reduce oxygen levels.
The new EverFRESH system will be available in the first quarter for Carrier Transicold PrimeLINE refrigeration systems equipped with the Micro-Link® 5 controller option. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com.
About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 50 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.
LOXAHATCHEE, FL – A new tag team enters the fresh produce ring. J&J Family of Farms, a locally grown, nationally-known marketer and distributor of fresh produce, announced a new partnership with Tifton, Georgia-based Lewis Taylor Farms. With a new alliance formed, Lewis Taylor Farms brings superior production with 6,500 acres of produce as well as 81 greenhouses for 275 million vegetable transplants and 65 million pine tree seedlings.
According to the press release, J&J’s new partnership with Lewis Taylor will expand its portfolio significantly in the form of greens, broccoli, mini watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Lewis Taylor, in turn, gains a powerful ally in the peppers, cucumbers, squash, and eggplant categories.
Lewis Taylor began farming operations in the 1930s and is now one of the largest privately-owned vegetable and greenhouse operations in the Southeast. Known for its focus on sustainable agriculture, Lewis Taylor Farms maintains the highest quality and standards to ensure the best product reaches customers.
Together, the J&J Family of Farms and Lewis Taylor Farms have more than 100 years of combined experience specializing in fresh produce and innovation. J&J Family of Farms is strategically positioned as a national supplier, with a robust line of products offered year-round to meet growing customer demand.
Organic strawberries continue to gain popularity with consumers; in fact, marketers moved 6.2 million pounds more organic berries in 2018 than in 2017. This is according to data from IRI/FreshLook Marketing.
More than one-tenth of sales of the fruit came from organic sales in 2018, even though the average retail price of organic strawberries fell 17 cents during that 12-month period.
Periodic purchases of organic strawberries did not vary much when studying income; age played a bigger factor. Shoppers younger than age 40 were twice as likely to always buy organic strawberries as those age 50-58, and the gap doubled again for those age 59 and older.
When considering region, Western shoppers were the most likely to buy organic strawberries at least some of the time, followed by those in the Northeast—a trend that continues from last year.
Consumers continue to look for organic strawberries; in fact, marketers moved 6.2 million pounds more organic berries in 2018 than in 2017, according to data from IRI/FreshLook Marketing. More than one-tenth of sales of the fruit came from organic sales in 2018, even though the average retail price of organic strawberries fell 17 cents during that 12-month period.
Periodic purchases of organic strawberries did not vary much when studying income; age played a bigger factor. Shoppers younger than age 40 were twice as likely to always buy organic strawberries as those age 50-58, and the gap doubled again for those age 59 and older.
When considering region, Western shoppers were the most likely to buy organic strawberries at least some of the time, followed by those in the Northeast—a trend that continues from last year.
Asian consumers comprised the most likely group to buy organic strawberries periodically, followed by Hispanic consumers. Asians were also the most likely to buy strawberries as exclusively organic.
Families with children living at home were a bit more likely to always buy organic berries, at 11%, than those without kids, at 8%.
Chilean fruit exports to the United State plunged by 10 percent in 2019.
With a value of $929 million, the USDA reports Chilean fruit exported to the U.S. has consistently exceeded a billion dollars, so the decrease marks the first time it has been lower than a billion in five years.
Chilean orange exports to the U.S. is the primary citrus item shipped with value of $159 million, accounting for a 23 percent decline for 2019. However, this may be a larger trend of less imports into the U.S. in general as, for example, the second citrus exporter to the country, South Africa, saw its citrus exports fall 37 percent in the same year.
As for table grapes, there are three main time frames for U.S. imports. From April 1 through June, Chile was in second place for table grape origin for the country with $192.8 million in total value. Chilean grape exports to the U.S. had an increase of 1 percent compared to the previous year during this time.
However, it is significant to note other periods for grapes experienced a dip of 43 percent in the second period. Peru also surpassed Chile in table grape imports during that time.
But in the last trimester of U.S. table grape imports, Chile was the first country of origin for the U.S. even though export figures decreased by 5 percent during the same period. In the other important category for Chile, cherries declined by 12 percent in export value, making about the same amount as in 2017 with $27.8 million in 2019.
While Chilean citrus, table grapes and cherries saw declines in 2019, apples noted a rise in exports. With a value of $75.8 million, Chilean apple exports to the U.S. increased by 27 percent.
Los Angeles, California – Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit on the planet. Native to the warm climates of Southeastern Asia, each fruit on average grows to be about 50 pounds and contain hundreds of editable fruit pods. The unique flavor of these pods has been described as a blend of mango-pineapple-banana and juicy fruit gum! However, these tasty fruit pods are difficult to extract as spiny, sticky antennae-like filaments surround the fleshy pods of fruit, not to mention the unwieldy size of each fruit.
Jackfruit is gaining interest among professional chefs as a unique ingredient and now Melissa’s makes this unusual fruit available to the retail consumer in a no-mess, 8 oz. container of all fruit pods. Because of the pods’ meaty texture, Jackfruit has become a popular meat substitute cooked just like meat, though it can also be enjoyed uncooked out of hand or as a flavorful component in a fruit salad.
Melissa’s Produce is the leading U.S. variety distributor of specialty and organic fresh produce and products. The company imports exotic fruits and vegetables from around the world. Melissa’s Produce can be contacted at 1.800.588.0151 or at www.melissas.com.
A new global marketing campaign by The California Walnut Commission of Folsom, CA creates The Power of 3, that has a simple message: three handfuls of walnuts a week can help improve nutrition.
The campaign focuses on walnut’s essential fatty acid, omega-3 ALA, and asks consumers to share the nut’s health message with three others through February, which is American Heart Month. It’s the first campaign of its scale for walnuts, according to a news release, with promotions in the U.S., Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
Consumers in each country will be directed to a global landing page on the commission’s website, https://walnuts.org/power-of-3/.
Digital and social media content, a sweepstakes, recipes and snack ideas, pop-up events, samplings and more will be used to spread the nutrition campaign, according to the release.