WASHINGTON, DC - Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it has reversed its previous decision and has determined that Michael S. Rawlings, Drew Johnson, and Jonathan Dyer were not responsibly connected members of Adams Produce Company LLC (Adams), Birmingham, Alabama, and has released an update to its Press Release No: 114-14.
Direct from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:
Adams failed to pay $10,735,186 to 51 sellers for 9,314 lots of produce. This is in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). Subsequently, the USDA imposed sanctions on individuals deemed to be responsibly connected to the business and required that all principals not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for a period of at least one year without USDA approval.
The USDA made an initial determination that Steve Alexander, API Holdings LLC, Scott Grinstead, Michael S. Rawlings, Drew Johnson, Jonathan Dyer, and Steve Finberg were responsibly connected to Adams and subject to employment sanction. Michael S. Rawlings, Drew Johnson, Jonathan Dyer, and Steve Finberg disputed this initial determination. USDA has now determined that Michael S. Rawlings, Drew Johnson, and Jonathan Dyer were not responsibly connected to Adams.
Therefore, Michael Rawlings, Drew Johnson, and Jonathan Dyer are under no employment sanctions and may be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee. Steve Finberg is continuing to challenge his responsibly connected status with the company.
The PACA Division, which is a part of AMS’ Fair Trade Practices Program, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to the PACA, including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry.
In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 7,800 callers with issues valued at approximately $148 million. These are just two examples of how the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
For further information, contacts, and to read the press release in its entirety, please click the link here.
TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Because an image is worth more than a thousand words, North Bay Produce has launched a video segment to highlight its strategic logistics program. The company has a centrally located warehouse to ensure all its fresh fruits and vegetables arrive to consumers as quickly as possible. This warehouse is located in the middle of America—Mascoutah, Illinois, to be exact—which helps North Bay reach 90 percent of the population in North America in 18 hours or less by truck.
“At North Bay Produce, fruits and vegetables are what we sell, yet our lives revolve around global logistics,” the video began. “The story of our success is clearly rooted in our planning. People ask us how do we get newly-ripened produce to people year-round. It’s no big secret. At the heart of North Bay Produce are strong operational logistics and facilities, like the state-of-the-art mid-America airport packing facility.”
The video goes on to explain that the Illinois-based warehouse features one of only 12 USDA-certified cold treatment facilities in all of the United States. Additionally, this is only one of two such facilities that is adjacent to a runway handling international flights. Through the strategic placement of its warehouse, the company is able to evenly distribute its product while maintaining its high quality.
“With the vital use of 32 grower-owned farms, located both north and south of the equator, offering a great range of climates, differing seasons, and select microclimates, this makes it possible for us to supply the fresh harvest to tables every day of the calendar year,” the video explained. “What many may call a logistical nightmare ultimately comes down to the coordination of thousands of people who work in symphony with one another.”
To watch this innovative video in full, scroll up and view the link on Youtube. Stick with us at ANUK as we continue to cover the strategic initiatives coming to light across the industry.
SANTA CLARITA, CA - The Southeastern Produce Council (SEPC) recently initiated the Golden Rule Challenge. Stepping up to the challenge is Sunkist Growers, sharing some of the ways the citrus cooperative has given back in the past year.
“We’re excited to rise up to the Golden Rule Challenge at this year’s SEPC. It’s great to see the industry come together and celebrate all the good produce brings to the world,” commented Christina Ward, Director of Global Brand Marketing.
Some initiatives highlighted were:
- Contributed to over 20,000 meals for Hurricane Dorian Relief
- Donated 5,000+ pounds of lemons to L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade and the fight against childhood cancer
- Donated oranges to 120+ families across the Santa Clarita Valley for Thanksgiving through the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center
On another golden note, Sunkist’s Gold Nugget mandarin season is here and SEPC attendees will get a taste of this specialty variety. The company is celebrating peak citrus season and is excited to share its fruit-forward look, merchandising displays, packaging options, and specialty citrus samples at SEPC (booth #329).
“It’s peak citrus season, and we have good supply in all varieties,” Ward continued. “We’re looking forward to giving SEPC attendees a taste of our specialty citrus, including Sunkist Cara Cara oranges, Ojai Pixies, and Gold Nugget mandarins. Stop by booth #329 to share the fruits of our labor.”
According to a press release, this variety always takes consumers by surprise. Sunkist Gold Nugget mandarins are one of the sweetest, juiciest mandarins, plus they are super easy to peel. Named for its beautiful, bright, and bumpy rind, the Gold Nugget mandarin is in season with peak flavor, available now through May.
The company’s specialty citrus varieties, including Cara Cara oranges, Blood oranges, and Minneola tangelos, are now available through May. Cara Cara oranges have a pink interior with a bright and sweet flavor, packed with more than 100 percent of the daily vitamin C requirement, which is why Sunkist calls it The Power Orange. Blood oranges offer a savory and sweet flavor that has a hint of raspberry, delicious for any cooking, baking, or mixing need. Minneola tangelos, a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine, are super easy to peel and are identified by their knob-like formation. Plus, Sunkist Minneola tangelos are its juiciest variety and have a bold and exotic flavor perfect for snacking or cooking.
Sunkist offers flavor-forward secondary display bins and packaging to help educate the consumer and promote trial and increase purchase intent. Sunkist also offers customizable merchandising options and category management insights to help its customers with their specific category needs.
Here’s to exercising the Golden Rule through premium fresh produce! Keep a tab open for AndNowUKnow as we continue to bring you the industry’s latest.
CHILE - The consumer’s shopping basket is as diverse as ever these days, with more and more companies expanding their programs to offer greater availability across the best of the best in today’s fresh produce programs. One of those premium, in-demand programs is stonefruit—a segment that elevate the flavor and quality across retail.
Karen Brux, Managing Director, Chilean Fresh Fruit Association a.k.a Fruits from Chile, took a beat to talk imports with me as we took the temperature on the current stonefruit season and what lies ahead.
“Shipments of nectarines and peaches peaked in weeks four and five, and are winding down, with promotions running through March. For nectarines, Chile had exported 51,121 tons through week six and, of that volume, 11,954 tons—or 23 percent—were destined for North America,” Karen tells me. “Asia is the largest market for Chilean nectarines, receiving 49 percent of season-to-date shipments. Export estimate for this season is 68,696 tons, a small increase over the 66,889 tons shipped during the 2018/2019 season.”
There is much opportunity to be tapped across Chilean stonefruit. And as Karen notes, there are still some retail chains who don’t sell stonefruit in the winter/spring months, and they’re missing out!
“Over the past few years, we’ve worked with numerous regional and national retail chains on in-store demos, and the numbers speak for themselves. Whenever we run in-store sampling programs and consumers get a tasty, juicy piece of fruit, they buy it,” she says. “I mean, really, who wouldn’t like to eat a sweet, juicy nectarine in the heart of winter? As we say in some of our promotion material, ‘A Taste of Summer. Fresh from Chile.’ Retailers who sell and promote Chilean stonefruit will see that it adds to their bottom line. We have merchandisers throughout the U.S. and Canada who are ready to work with retailers to design custom, tailored stonefruit promotions.”
In addition, the association has numerous merchandising materials, and can support retailers on anything from demos and sales contests to digital coupons and social media programs.
Karen adds that the global export estimate for peaches is 29,132 tons, very similar to last year’s 29,454 tons. Chile had shipped a total of 20,448 tons, with 12,162 tons—or 59 percent—to North America through week six.
“The season for plums starts later and runs later, with peak export volumes expected in week seven and eight. Total volume is estimated at 123,300 tons, a 13 percent increase over last year’s volume of 109,275 tons. So far this season, Chile has exported 28,420 tons of plums, with 7,383—or 26 percent—sent to North America. We will be promoting plums into April,” Karen shares.
The time is now—you've heard Karen! And keep checking back with AndNowUKnow as we bring you more updates on Chilean fresh produce in the weeks to come.
AUSTIN, TX - The relationship between buyer and supplier is essential to our food chain, helping to bridge the gap between farm and fork. Natural grocers like Whole Foods Market are truly spearheading this effort, bolstering fresh produce grown by our industry’s most prominent producers. Whole Foods recently honored some of its supplier partners, naming 32 of the top players for their outstanding achievements in 2019 and ongoing commitments to quality, environmental stewardship, organic integrity, innovation, purpose, and partnership.
“We’re honored to work with and celebrate the remarkable contributions of these suppliers that embody Whole Foods Market’s core values and consistently raise the bar in our industry,” said Don Clark, Senior Vice President of Non-Perishables Merchandising. “Their dedication to excellence, quality, innovation, and partnership is critical to our success and delivering on our mission to nourish people and the planet.”
According to a press release, this was the company's eighth annual Supplier Awards. The honorees were selected by Whole Foods Market global and regional leadership, category experts, and buyers who work closely with these suppliers on a daily basis. There were three outstanding produce suppliers who managed to nab a spot on the list this year: Braga Fresh Family Farms, Suntreat, and Del Rey Avocado Company.
Braga Fresh Family Farms received a Special Recognition awared for providing fresh, high-quality produce and offering excellent service. Farming from the Salinas Valley to Yuma, AZ, for three generations, Braga Fresh quickly became a key supplier for Whole Foods Market in the wet vegetable category, collaborating with the company to refine its offerings and demonstrating consistent engagement and commitment to partnership.
In the outstanding innovation category, Suntreat (Parent Company; AC Foods) was awarded an Outstanding Innovation award after being named for its commitment to selling the highest quality citrus and practicing a win-win partnership. Notably, Suntreat worked with Whole Foods Market to create a remarkable retail program for the widely popular Sumo Citrus variety since it was first launched. Suntreat is also a trusted supplier of a number of other conventional and organic citrus varieties.
Del Rey Avocado Company was awarded a Service and Partnership award, after being recognized for exceptional partnership and attention to service, both of which have made the company a top avocado supplier. In addition to always being readily available and providing transparency, the Del Rey team is committed to high quality and social responsibility by creating economically viable business relationships, utilizing technologies that minimize waste, and practicing environmentally sound agricultural practices in growing its avocados.
For the full list of winners, click here.
Congratulations to all of the incredible suppliers who were named in this year’s Whole Foods Market Supplier Awards.
OXNARD, CA - Any meeting of the minds of produce’s most preeminent thought-leaders is always newsworthy for us at ANUK. These meetings often signify the interwovenness of our industry’s community and what we can accomplish by working together. For Gills Onions, whose team recently convened with Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky on Friday, February 7, 2020, these meetings also help facilitate important conversations about the future of the industry—which, of course, includes one of the 21st century’s buzziest topics: sustainability.
As one of produce’s forerunners of sustainable and regenerative agriculture, Gills Onions is continuously going above and beyond to make sure its team isn’t just talking the talk but walking the sustainability walk however it can. I chatted with Steve Gill, Owner of Gills Onions, to find out how the company’s recent visit with Deputy Censky is doing exactly that and then some.
“We appreciate Deputy Censky’s time,” Steve shared with me. “We had a productive conversation, shared our sustainability story, and gave him a firsthand look at what we do at Gills Onions.”
The company’s sustainability story includes processes that have reworked Gills Onions’ operations into a greener format, like implementing healthy soil practices, partaking in water and land conservation efforts, and incorporating the Advanced Energy Recovery System (AERS) into its facilities.
“Healthy onions start with healthy soil. From the time each seed goes into the ground until it goes on a truck, we continually look at how to make our process more environmentally friendly and healthy,” Steve continued. “Responsible practices are necessary, and we value the conversation we had with the Deputy and listening to the USDA’s vision for supporting efforts to expand regenerative agricultural practices to all farming operations in the United States.”
As we wait for the seeds from Gills Onions’ conversation to sprout, AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you up to date on the latest comings and goings in our industry.
LUXEMBOURG - Recently, SCP Group, a Luxembourg-based financial investment firm, acquired Real hypermarket, a banner under German wholesaler Metro AG. The transaction includes 276 Real stores, its digital business (including the online marketplace real.de), 80 real estate properties, and all companies affiliated to Real.
“It is important to us that the majority of today’s Real stores will continue to operate in some form in the future. Thereby, many of the experienced and qualified Real employees will have good prospects of continuing their employment going forward,” Olaf Koch, CEO of Metro AG, said.
According to Metro’s press release, SCP Group partnered with x+bricks Group to oversee the repositioning of the business’ real estate portfolio. The investment firm will retain all of the approximately 34,000 Real employees with their present contracts under existing conditions.
“Today, we have achieved an important milestone that will provide Real locations with the best available economically viable concept for the future. SCP Group and x+bricks Group combine a highly dedicated team with high retail and real estate expertise, the necessary funds as well as a long-term vision for Real and its locations,” commented CEO of SCP Group, Marjorie Brabet-Friel.
For more information on this acquisition, please click here for the full press release. Stay in the know on all things retail with AndNowUKnow.
MUNICH, GERMANY - For the third time in a row, IFCO is awarding its annual Sustainability Certificate in Europe and North America. This sustainablility initiative began in September of 2018, when it was handed to retail customers in Europe and North America. Acknowledging the sustainability efforts not only of retailers, but also of growers, IFCO awards companies of both sectors of our industry.
“The use of RPCs ensures sustainability along the entire supply chain, from the growers to the retailers. By awarding our Sustainability Certificate, we like to recognize the efforts of customers in both industries in reducing their environmental footprint,” remarked Wolfgang Orgeldingr, Chief Executive Officer, IFCO. “The certificate proves that the awarded growers and retailers are taking concrete measures to make supply chains more sustainable and to protect the environment. This commitment is increasingly important to customers as well as to business partners. Therefore, being able to prove this commitment is a decisive factor for business success.”
Each retailer and grower customer receives a certificate highlighting the amount of carbon dioxide, water, energy, solid waste, and food waste avoided by utilizing IFCO RPCs in its supply chain.
As the industry steers toward sustainability initiatives that better the environment, customers are looking for partners that can deliver on sustainable efforts. Taking into account the increased demand for environmentally friendly products and processes helps retailers and growers stand out from the competition, a press release noted. By receiving IFCO’s Sustainability Certificate, the company noted that this is a clear demonstration of environmentally friendly behavior to customers and shareholders alike.
IFCO is constantly monitoring the environmental benefits generated by its logistics concept, the IFCO SmartCycle™, which is based on the principle of "share and reuse." All IFCO RPCs are reused between 30 and 120 times during their lifetime, and at every cycle are put through a rigorous cleaning and inspection process before being delivered for the next cycle. Those RPCs that cannot be repaired are 100 percent recycled and then used for the production of new IFCO RPCs.
As it monitors the environmental benefits through SmartCycle, IFCO reported the following savings:
- 516,168 tons of CO2, equivalent to 280,275 fewer cars on the road in a year
- 9.2 million cubic meters of water, equivalent to over 209 million five-minute showers
- 33,096 terajoules of electricity, enough to power over 17.4 million light bulbs for a year
- 265,873 tons of solid waste, equivalent to the trash produced by 194 million individuals per day
- 47,296 tons of food product waste, equivalent to 78 million average meals in the world.
These benefits carry through to IFCO customers’ supply chains and represent a significant achievement for companies wanting to protect their fresh produce while still being committed to improving their sustainability performance.
Keep reading AndNowUKnow for the latest in how our industry is shaping the future.
WATSONVILLE, CA - Driscoll’s has been drumming up refreshed interest in the berry category lately by stoking consumers’ deepest berry desires with a few renditions of Limited Edition items. This week, the grower is expanding its Limited Edition Sweetest Batch™ line with the addition of Blackberries—another collection in the line that will include a curated series of best of season, ultra-flavorful offerings bred to give consumers an indulgent new way to experience fresh berries.
“The addition of Sweetest Batch Blackberries to the Limited Edition collection underscores our commitment to delighting consumers who have come to expect only the best and most flavorful berries from Driscoll’s,” said Fran Dillard, Senior Director, Brand and Product Marketing.
According to a press release, the new flavor-packed blackberry is one of the sweetest sensations to hit the produce aisle this winter and marks Driscoll’s as one of the first companies to market a complete berry patch premium flavor offering across strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Like the previously launched berries under the Sweetest Batch brand, Driscoll’s new Blackberries are bred naturally by the brand’s Joy Makers, Driscoll’s team of agronomists, breeders, sensory analysts, plant health scientists, and entomologists, exclusively for its network of independent farmers to grow and harvest.
“We’re on a constant pursuit to innovate and perfect different blackberry varietals,” said Gavin Sills, Global Plant Breeding Director for Blackberries. “The traditional blackberry has long been known in the produce industry as an underdog berry, and Driscoll’s is set to revolutionize this segment with incredibly flavorful varieties.”
The latest product launch from Driscoll’s is also arriving on the heels of major growth in household penetration for the blackberry category.
“This new product innovation generates buzz and excitement for the entire blackberry category,” added Annie Duner, Product Marketing Manager. “Flavor is driving the overall growth of the fresh blackberry category.”
Driscoll’s as a brand is constantly working to develop new proprietary varieties, like those in its Limited Edition line. Though each proprietary variety takes years to perfect, the resulting Limited Edition collections promise to bring even more joy to the experience of biting into a fresh berry.
The Sweetest Batch Blackberries are available now in select regions across the U.S. for a limited time.
AndNowUKnow will continue to keep the produce industry on the up and up in terms of the freshest, latest news.
BAKERSFIELD, CA - Yesterday, President Trump ordered regulators to give farmers in California’s Central Valley more access to water. This approval of new federal biological opinions is part of a Record of Decision updates on regulatory policies governing water storage and conveyance. Since the late 2000s, farmers’ access to water has been restricted due to environmental efforts to protect aquatic life.
After authorizing an Interior Department order giving federal managers more flexibility in pumping water to farms, President Trump noted, “A major obstacle to providing more water for the region’s farmers has now been totally eliminated by the federal government.” This statement was delivered to a crowd of Bakersfield farmers who gathered to hear the President speak in a Bakersfield airport hangar.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Central Valley farmers have struggled under the restrictions implemented in 2008-2009, which curtailed the amount of mountain water pumped to the area in the hopes of protecting endangered fish.
Western Growers President and CEO, Dave Puglia, issued the following statement in response to the order:
“The Record of Decision approved by President Trump yesterday presents a long-needed break from the inflexible regulatory regime that has restricted water storage and conveyance since 2008. That regime has failed all interests—urban and rural communities as well as endangered and threatened species—by every objective measurement. We hope the Newsom Administration continues to approach this matter with objectivity and pragmatism. In his commitment to negotiating effective voluntary settlement agreements that would commit significant water flows and funding for habitat programs, the Governor has moved past ideologically-driven conflicts, usually in the form of litigation, that have beset water policy in California for decades."
He continued, noting, "That is a hard trail to blaze, but it’s the only true path forward. Given the inherent linkage between Delta operations under the revised biological opinions and the prospective voluntary settlement agreements, it is even more critical that our elected leaders seek practical and effective outcomes for all interests. ”
In response to this order, Governor Gavin Newsom said that the state would file suit to challenge the administration’s biological opinions that justified the order.
As we continue to chart how this decision affects the industry, keep reading AndNowUKnow.