WASHINGTON, DC - While we all know the wonders of fresh produce, to really drive sales one needs to remain ahead of the curve when it comes to the comings and goings of food and market trends. United Fresh’s Spring 2019 issue of Fresh Insights for Foodservice, developed in partnership with leading market research firm Datassential, provides on-trend applications for fresh produce in restaurants, at retail, in meal kits, and more, to open the door to a whole new world of seasonal possibilities.
“Spring is always a great time to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables—whether folks are looking for healthier and lighter fare as we head toward summer or are simply seeking new ideas and inspiration with their favorite produce,” said Andrew Marshall, Director of Foodservice & Foundation Partnerships, United Fresh Produce Association. “The spring publication highlights a variety of produce options and the creative ways chefs are including them on menus, whether that be front and center, or as a pop of smile-inducing flavor.”
The Spring 2019 issue focuses in on the versatility of two in-season rising produce stars: apricot and Swiss chard. Apricots are naturally rich in beta carotene and can be used for both sweet and savory applications, while Swiss chard is packed with a number of antioxidants and vitamins and can be seamlessly swapped for spinach.
Another topic covered by the report is the booming popularity of handheld wraps—an ideal vehicle for injecting more fresh vegetables into one's diet and can be enjoyed at any time of day. Consumers love them for the time-saving, on-the-go options and opportunities for flavor innovation.
The report contains an On the Horizon section that covers fall menu trends, including the use of persimmon and eggplant in foodservice, and the use of fresh fruit with pancakes. A Chain Report for the quarter covers an array of commodities that have been featured on menus at major chain restaurants in recent months, including strawberries, arugula, and asparagus.
The View From Above section rounds out the issue by exploring on-trend personalized eating, including an interview with corporate chef Brandon Hudson of the Texas-based chain Jason’s Deli. Winner of the 2019 United Fresh Produce Excellence in Foodservice Award in the Quick Service Restaurant Category, Chef Hudson will be honored at the United Fresh Convention & Expo, June 10-12 in Chicago.
The United Fresh Retail-Foodservice Board and Datassential will be hosting a webinar on May 17 that will highlight statistics included in the Spring Report, offering a chance for produce industry members with an interest in foodservice to ask questions to gain a better understanding of what drives current trends.
“This new webinar series provides a forum for members interested in foodservice to dive more deeply into each quarter’s trends, ask questions, and provide their own perspectives on why certain produce items are gaining traction on menus and enjoying greater consumer interest,” said Sarah Grady, Manager of U.S. Strategic Supply Chain at McDonald’s Corporation and Vice Chair of the United Fresh Retail-Foodservice Board, who will moderate the webinar.
United Fresh Members receive complimentary access to Fresh Insights for Foodservice. The report is $50 to non-members. To download the report, visit www.unitedfresh.org.
For more news to keep you on-trend and in-the-know, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
WASHINGTON, DC - Trade negotiations between the United States and China have again fallen into disrepair this week, as Chinese negotiators Vice Premier Liu He and Xi Jinping head to the White House in what The New York Times has characterized as an attempt “to try to salvage a trade agreement that has fallen apart.”
President Trump asserted, in a series of tweets this Wednesday, that he would be happy to impose higher tariffs on Chinese goods, and a filing by U.S. trade representatives that same day detailed plans to increase existing tariffs on $200 billion in goods from 10 percent to 25 percent “in light of the lack of progress in the additional rounds of negotiations since March 2019.” New tariffs will go into effect this Friday.
“The reason for the China pullback & attempted renegotiation of the Trade Deal is the sincere HOPE that they will be able to 'negotiate' with Joe Biden or one of the very weak Democrats, and thereby continue to ripoff the United States (($500 Billion a year)) for years to come,” President Trump tweeted. “Guess what, that’s not going to happen! China has just informed us that they (Vice-Premier) are now coming to the U.S. to make a deal. We’ll see, but I am very happy with over $100 Billion a year in Tariffs filling U.S. coffers...great for U.S., not good for China!”
China’s Commerce Ministry issued a brief statement promising countermeasures.
“The escalation of trade friction is not in the interests of the people of the two countries and the people of the world,” the Commerce Ministry said in response reported on by the Times. “The Chinese side deeply regrets that if the U.S. tariff measures are implemented, China will have to take necessary countermeasures.”
Will the U.S. and China continue to escalate trade tensions or can common ground be reached this weekend? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - This fifth Viva Fresh certainly made itself a milestone in more ways than one. Perhaps it was the Innovations Showcase, or just the fervor of the region, but it seemed there were a lot of new things to learn about—and taste. Here are some of the impressions that stuck with me as I put pen to paper (so to speak).
Magic Sun - Medley Tomatoes
Personally, I’m a sucker for a medley. Multiple options translates to my brain as maximum flavor, and I can’t resist the colors that it brings to the plate. So, I was definitely drawn to Magic Sun’s take on its medley offering, helped by the way the translucent Top Seal showed the variety of options before I even needed to pick it up. I can see consumers in the aisle doing the same.
Fresh Farms - Cotton Candy Grapes
It could be my inside-the-industry viewpoint, but Cotton Candy Grapes once felt like an urban myth—you hear about them, but the window of opportunity is brief, and you’re lucky if you get to try one. Fresh Farms is turning myth into matter, with its expansion of the Cotton Candy Grape season, bolstering not just the availability of this sweet treat, but the green grape options as a whole. Glad I made this stop!
SunFed - Sweet Melon Machine
In keeping up with Viva’s theme for innovations, this assurance that melons reach their maximum sweetness has to make the list! Cantaloupe, among others, is certainly among those produce items consumers seem to have tangible memories attached to in terms of flavor, and to know that there’s a machine to help ensure more of those memories are made, including remembering to come back for more, was a big impression on my show experience.
Giumarra Companies - Lemonade™ Apple
Who doesn’t think of kids trying their first hands at earning a wage when hearing “lemonade?” From the nostalgia of a childhood farmstand to the pop-culture iconic collection by Queen Beyoncé herself, it’s a powerful word and choosing it for Giumarra’s latest apple variety offering was, in my opinion, branding genius. Clearly, I’m still thinking about it.
With just one more show in San Antonio before Viva Fresh migrates again, 2020 is sure to bear much more fruit (and vegetables). Until then!
MONTREAL, CANADA - In the fight to stay on top of the grocery hill—that’s totally how the saying goes, right?—Sobeys has plans to open a robotic warehouse in Montreal in addition to one already under construction in Vaughan, Ontario. Both warehouses are estimated to cost $95 million, making a $190 million investment in total.
“No one is standing still,” Sarah Joyce, Senior Vice President of E-Commerce, Empire, told The Globe and Mail. “We’ve got a hot hand. We’ve got the exclusive in Canada for the best technology in the world. Why wouldn’t we use that?”
Last year, Sobeys' parent company, Empire, struck a deal with online retailer Ocado to up its presence in the online grocery sector. Currently, Empire has not yet tested the Ocado platform through Vaughan distribution center. However, The Globe and Mail noted that the retailer is betting on the success of these two facilities to help bolster its presence in a rapidly growing sector in the Canadian grocery biz: online delivery.
News of this Montreal facility hit the newswire around the same time that Empire also announced its new online delivery service: Voilà by Sobeys. The delivery service promises to help Canadians stay one step ahead of their busy lives, underscored by a new tag line “Your groceries delivered. Just like that.”
“We are building the most advanced e-commerce infrastructure in Canada,” said Joyce in a press release. “An online grocery home delivery experience like Voilà by Sobeys does not yet exist in Canada. While most players in the industry are focused on store pick models to fulfill their online orders, we are building automated warehouses specifically designed for best-in-class home delivery based on a highly successful model from the U.K. Voilà by Sobeys will deliver Canadians exactly what they want, when they want it, every time.”
The 285,000-square-foot Montreal warehouse is set to be completed in 2021 and will serve Montreal as well as cities as far away as Ottatwa and Quebec City. Eventually, Sobeys plans to have four robotic distribution centers in total.
Will these new facilities and new delivery service help Sobeys rise to the top of the Canadian supermarket food chain? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - With a name like Farmer’s Fridge, there is little left to the imagination—that’s how good of a name it is. Think about it: The company is creating a bridge via literal fridge from growers’ fields to cities so that consumers have access to farm-fresh goods almost anywhere. To put it simply, the idea is genius, and since first putting it into play back in 2013, Luke Saunders and his team have already caught consumers’ interest and begun to transform the supply chain. As a result, Farmer’s Fridge is expanding and introducing its automated smartFridges stocked with chef-curated salads, bowls, snacks, and more to a new city.
“We are expanding into Indianapolis with a total of 18 Fridges to start. As a Chicago-based company, we’re starting our expansion across the Midwest, and we have had lots of great feedback and excitement from Indianapolis,” Luke, CEO and Founder of Farmer’s Fridge, shared with me. “Our mission is to make fresh, healthy food as accessible as a candy bar. Our expansion into Indianapolis brings us one step closer to that goal while also increasing our national presence. It is also the perfect opportunity to share our fresh, healthy food with a new group of consumers.”
If you’re familiar with the Indianapolis area or based there yourself, the following locations will now feature a Farmer’s Fridge, beginning April 30th:
- Capital Center
- BMO Plaza
- PNC Center - Fridge will be located in the lobby
- Salesforce Tower
- 130 E Washington - Fridge will be in the building lounge
- Circle Centre Mall
- Indianapolis Airport - 3 Fridges on April 30th include: Concourse A, post-security; Concourse B, post-security; Baggage claim, by door #3; a fourth Fridge will open end of May in the food court, pre-security
These 18 Fridges join 250 others located in hospitals, universities, office buildings, and airports across Chicago, Milwaukee, and now Indianapolis. All of these Fridges further the company’s mission of transforming the supply chain and leveraging technology in a way that builds personal relationships with consumers along the way. But, while Luke equated the Fridges with typical vending machines, Farmer’s Fridge’s offerings are nothing like their counterparts’.
“Meals are made from scratch in our kitchen and delivered fresh to Fridges—all with a chef’s tasty touch. From hand-chopping lettuce to making salad dressings from scratch, Farmer’s Fridge is committed to serving fresh, handcrafted food day-in and day-out,” Luke explained. “And, unpurchased meals are regularly donated to local food depositories, providing responsibly sourced nutrition to community members in need.”
With a unique vision of a healthy future and a solution so easy to adopt that the future seems possible as soon as tomorrow, Farmer’s Fridge is truly a produce company leading by example, and I think it’s about time the rest of us fall in line.
For more of the latest from fresh produce companies setting a precedent for the industry, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
SPARTA, MI - Riveridge Produce will once again be marketing Michigan asparagus for Ridgeview Orchards and Shafer Lake, which represent some of the largest family-owned growers in the state. Michigan asparagus is a quick six- to seven-week season that starts in Southwest Michigan near Dowagiac and then dominates the landscape near the northern Lower Peninsula’s lakeshore in Hart and Ludington.
“As soon as those spears start coming up, we have officially kicked off the summer produce season in Michigan,” said Trish Taylor, Account Manager for Riveridge Produce. “Michigan is the second most agriculturally-diverse state in the country and the second largest asparagus producer. But it’s a short season—so now is the time for consumers to enjoy that local asparagus.”
According to a press release, the state is the second highest asparagus producing state in the country, reaping the benefits of nearby Lake Michigan with its sandy yet nutrient-rich soil.
Michigan Asparagus marketed by Riveridge Produce will be available in the following configurations for the 2019 Season:
- One-pound bundles with a Riveridge, Michigan-grown tag, available in 11 lb and 28 lb carton configurations
- One-pound bags, featuring a quick recipe on the back of the packaging
- Two-pound plus bags; ideal for family cookouts, canning, and freezing to extend the Michigan asparagus season
- 12 oz microwave-in-bag; simply snip the corner and toss in the microwave for two to three minutes for a quick, healthy side dish
For updates on the Michigan asparagus season and anything else fresh produce, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
ROSEMONT, IL - US Foods is investing in its supply chain operations with the recent announcement of a new team member. Timothy Connolly is set to join the company as its Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer starting May 13.
“Tim joins the executive team with more than 30 years of experience leading large supply chain organizations,” said Pietro Satriano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, in a press release. “He has a track record of improving safety, service, and productivity by engaging front-line employees, and he will be instrumental in helping us deliver on our ‘Great Food. Made Easy.’ strategy.”
In his new role, Connolly will oversee the company’s supply chain organization, including supply chain strategy, safety, transportation, warehousing, continuous improvement, operations, and labor relations. Connolly will report to Satriano.
Connolly brings a wealth of experience to his new role, and most recently acted as Senior Vice President of Operations at Uline and, before that, as Chief Operating Officer at Essendant where he oversaw a network of more than 70 distribution centers. Connolly also managed supply chain operations at Cardinal Health for 10 years.
Congratulations to Timothy and the US Foods team!
WASHINGTON, DC - United Fresh has announced the inaugural honorees for the first-ever 2019 Council Awards. The Council Awards, which are new this year, recognize five produce industry individuals who have demonstrated outstanding work in sharing their expertise across different areas of our industry. This year’s winners will be recognized on the Main Stage at the United Fresh 2019 Convention & Expo on June 10-12 in Chicago.
According to a press release, awards will be presented in areas represented by United Fresh Expert Advisory Councils and will be given to the following five individuals, who were nominated by their peers:
Finance & Business Management:
Jason Pounds, Treasurer/Secretary, Hardie’s Fresh Foods
Food Safety & Technology:
Natalie Dyenson, Vice President, Food Safety & Quality, Dole Food Groups
Government Relations:
Charles Wingard, Director of Field Operations, Walter P. Rawl & Sons
Produce Marketing & Merchandising:
Julie DeWolf, Director of Retail Marketing, Sunkist Growers
Supply Chain Logistics:
Kenny Lund, Vice President, Support Operations, ALC Logistics
“Thousands of individuals work hard every day to ensure the success of their companies and the broader produce industry,” said Tom Stenzel, President & CEO of United Fresh Produce Association. “This program will allow us to shine a spotlight on five individuals who have made a strong impact in critical areas for our industry.”
To learn more about United Fresh’s Expert Advisory Councils and to register to participate, visit www.unitedfresh.org.
For more produce industry news like this, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
AUSTIN, TX - Food safety might always be among our industry’s top priorities, but we are coming out of a year where its magnitude was felt more sharply than most. This year marks the 10th Annual CPS Research Symposium, a collection of panel discussions and opportunities to learn directly from CPS-funded scientists about the latest in produce food safety research.
“It’s at the CPS Symposium that you just might learn the next best practice in your food safety plans! We have brought together industry experts and practitioners that will lead the discussion throughout the symposium on how the new science findings can be used in all our businesses in the supply chain. CPS has worked hard to fill knowledge gaps with credible science,” Dave Corsi, Chair of the CPS Board of Directors and VP of Produce and Floral at Wegmans Food Markets tells me.
According to a letter he sent out to the industry, this year’s program will begin with a review of the recent romaine outbreak and perspectives from industry leaders on where the science is leading the produce industry.
Panel discussions with industry professionals from the entire produce supply chain, including PMA CEO Cathy Burns; Donna Lynn Browne of Naturipe Farms; Suresh DeCosta of Lipman Family Farms; De Ann Davis of Church Brothers Farms; and Walter Ram of Giumarra Companies; along with a number of experts from univerities all over the country, will present new information and discuss science-based solutions to advance food safety plans.
“This year, 34 research projects will be shared with the audience. In addition, we are taking the time to learn from the most recent outbreaks and hear from food safety executives how they adapt new science into their programs,” Dave explains.
The symposium’s Lightning Rounds are returning with a new even quicker format as well, along with the Poster Session and the popular Meet the Scientist program introduced last year.
It all takes place in one of the industry’s favorite cities, Austin, Texas, from June 18-19, 2019.
“I will be there, our food safety team will be there, and we hope to see you there!” Dave concludes.
Register here before it’s too late. For those interested in sponsoring, Symposium sponsors receive recognition among an influential audience of buyers and suppliers committed to ensuring a safe and secure food supply. Contact Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli for the various levels available.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - It’s been almost two weeks since Viva Fresh wrapped up, but we here at ANUK are still daydreaming about all that we learned and saw. One company that delighted us with news that we love to hear was Fyffes, a company that is going nowhere but up.
We chatted with Justin Heffernan, Vice President of Sales for Fyffes North America, to find out more about its growth plan and what categories are helping put this plan into action.
“We’ve focused a lot on growing our business, with a heavy emphasis on our bananas, also our plantains and pineapples, which are a huge portion of our business,” Justin began to tell us on the show floor. “We’re excited about our growth across the country, and we’ve really seen a lot of growth in the Houston market in particular, and the West Coast operation that we’ve had for the last years, as well as our business in the Southeast through Savannah. We’ve seen a lot of customers that we haven’t had conversations with in the past.”
One reason for this growth is the relationship that Fyffes has built with its customers. Justin revealed that the company has made an emphasis on diving in and looking at data in order to provide solutions to grow sales in categories that are booming. 
“Demand on a product like bananas has been steady. Pineapples have been on fire. Plantains continue to grow steadily across the country,” Justin continued, referring to those categories that are helping the company grow. “At Fyffes, we pride ourselves on offering a lot of different products. We can be a one-stop shop, especially on some of the smaller items where less products are needed on a weekly basis.”
To hear the entirety of our interview with Justin, watch our exclusive video above! And for more great produce news like this, stick around AndNowUKnow.