UNITED STATES - As the government shutdown continues, several federal agencies are scrambling to maintain services. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is no different. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be compensating for the shutdown by providing recipients with their SNAP benefits early. This, of course, leads retailers to wonder what to do about the upcoming increased demand.
The USDA requires states to issue February’s SNAP benefits by January 20th, as reported by Politico, though many states will be issuing benefits before the deadline. The nearly month-early distribution comes with a catch, as the USDA cannot guarantee when March’s benefits will be issued. As a result, retailers are anticipating an increase in demand for food staples. Retailers such as Weis Markets and H-E-B have responded by urging SNAP recipients to ration their benefits wisely and have adjusted delivery schedules.
“As a result of the shutdown, customers who use SNAP to purchase their groceries will receive their February benefits this week—essentially two to three weeks ahead of schedule,” said Kurt Schertle, Chief Operating Officer of Weis Markets in a press release. “To meet this early demand, we have moved up our delivery schedules to ensure that we are in stock for our customers. We are doubly prepared for this increase in demand due to predictions of snow in many of our markets.”
The nearly 39 million SNAP recipients are in a precarious position, and some retailers are preparing accordingly. “As a company that supplies its own stores and operates its own dairy, our procurement and distribution teams are able to respond quickly and adjust to meet this early demand,” continued Schertle.
H-E-B released a similar statement to its shoppers.
“Due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has instructed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to issue February SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits early,” H-E-B stated. “SNAP benefits for February will be loaded on Lone Star EBT cards on January 20. To meet their food needs, SNAP customers are encouraged to use these benefits as they normally would next month since additional food dollars will not be issued in February.”
AndNowUKnow will continue to report updates on the shutdown as it relates to the agricultural and retail industries.
STOCKTON, CA - This year marks a decade since Concord Foods and Chiquita came together to launch a banana bread mix that would grow to outpace some of the biggest names in the baking game. Now, ten years later, the partnership and product are still going strong.
“It has been a pleasure to work with Chiquita for the last decade on innovative products that help shoppers eat healthier and save time,” Samantha McCaul, Marketing Manager at Concord Foods, shares with me. “Chiquita™ Banana Bread Mix has consistently been one of the best-selling bread mixes for the last ten years and we look forward to what the next season holds with brand partners like Chiquita.”
A point of pride for Concord Foods is that all products require the use of fresh produce—in the case of the bread mix two ripe bananas are required, making Chiquita a perfect partner to pair with.
“Partnering with Concord Foods was a natural choice for us and over the last ten years has continued to prove a valuable investment for our brand,” said Carlos Flores, President at Chiquita Brands. “Together, we created an outstanding product and we value the innovation they bring to companies like ours and the fresh produce department.”
In the past, Chiquita and Concord have done a variety of co-promotions, such as coupon offers and sweepstakes, and, Samantha said, they are currently looking to expand their partnered product line soon.
She noted that moves like teaming up with Chiquita are a key strategy in Concord Foods’ growth as it continues to form strong, smart partnerships, combined with merchandising that helps boost the consumption of fresh produce. Past fresh produce partnerships also include Mariani, California Walnut, and Sunmaid Raisin, all of which have recipes on ConcordFoods.com.
Congratulations to Concord Foods and Chiquita on ten years of success! Chiquita™ Banana Bread Mix is currently available at retail chains like Kroger, Safeway and Albertsons, Walmart, Publix, Hy-Vee, Meijer, Wegmans, and more for a suggested retail price of $2.79.
VENTURA, CA - There’s no time like the present to improve food safety and traceability in the produce industry and beyond, and no one believes this more than LINKFRESH. With 2019 just underway, LINKFRESH is already jumping into the future with what it believes could be the ticket to streamlining grower-to-retailer traceability. This week, the supply chain solutions provider announced its LINKFRESH365 solution is available and supports integration to IBM’s Food Trust platform.
“The market has been shaken by the Walmart announcement that any supplier of leafy greens must adopt IBM Food Trust Blockchain technology, and we are now seeing a number of fresh produce companies actively adopting the solution and seeking a ‘Blockchain-read’ FRESH ERP solution,” said company CEO Andy Makeham. “Food safety remains at the top of the agenda, with the romaine lettuce withdrawal late last year further fueling interest in the topic.”
According to a press release, the LINKFRESH365 solution represents a leap forward in enabling users to securely share their traceability data throughout the fresh produce supply chain by providing customers a secure way of publishing traceability data through a trusted provider and helping them meet retailer’s evolving requirements for blockchain traceability.
“LINKFRESH is actively involved in the Blockchain movement and are at the forefront of the dialogue,” Makeham continued. “We are in discussion with our larger customers, and their requirements will greatly influence our product development to support Blockchain for the industry. We also sit on the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) ‘Blockchain Task Force,’ actively contributing to and learning from the industry dialogue, and that too influences our thinking.”
The LINKFRESH365 solution operates on the Microsoft D365 platform, which is centered around Interoperability and provides the connectivity options required to support other blockchain providers.
In addition to LINKFRESH365, LINKFRESH also has made strides in GTIN adoption and PTI compliance.
As more in our industry clean up food safety standards and technology, AndNowUKnow will continue to be lead the pack in bringing you the details.
BAKERSFIELD, CA - Private investment firm Arable Capital Partners has announced a new acquisition to add to its portfolio of food and agriculture businesses. US Irrigation, a Bakersfield, California-based irrigation design and rental service company, will join Arable’s newly formed Laurel Agriculture + Water Solutions platform and extend the companies’ reach throughout California and Arizona.
“It’s an exciting time at Laurel Ag as we welcome Jon Tkac and the rest of the US Irrigation team into the fold,” said Derek Yurosek, Managing Director of Arable Capital. “Not only do they bring their years of experience, they bring an exciting energy to what can be done as we grow together. Irrigation rental services were an element we knew we needed to have within Laurel Ag, and we are excited to provide that throughout Laurel Ag and for our customers.”
With its focus on irrigation design capabilities and diversification of irrigation pipe rental services, US Irrigation is expected to become a key component of the Laurel Ag platform, according to a press release. US Irrigation Founder Jon Tkac will be joining the existing Laurel Ag executive team which consists of Jeremy Yurosek, Bill Loflin, Steve Borra Jr., and Jon Thomas.
“We are excited to join the Arable and Laurel Ag team,” commented Tkac. “This new organization is filled with the top leaders of this industry, and we are honored to bring what we have at US Irrigation to the table to better serve our customers in new ways.”
Congratulations to Arable Capital on this strategic acquisition and the growth of the new Laurel Ag platform.
Arable Capital Partners US Irrigation Laurel Agriculture + Water Solutions
CALIFORNIA - I am not going to lie—as much as California needs to build up its snow pack as an essential natural water reservoir for the state, I also can’t help but feel a sigh of relief and tinge of joy for a few more feet of fresh powder to carve my snowboard through this winter. Mother Nature has been finicky these past years, so I will take all the rain and snow we can get—for land, crops...and sport, of course.
As we move into the deeper parts of the season, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning in the Sierra Nevada region from Yosemite to Kings Canyon and Tulare County Mountains.
The warning remains in effect from 4 p.m. PST today (January, 16th) till 10 p.m. PST on Thursday with heavy snow above elevations of 7,000 feet—and rain throughout the state as well.
The service adds that total snow accumulations of up to four feet are expected. With winds gusting as high as 85 mph and with storms like this in general, it is never all fun and games as we have experienced power outages, downed trees, devastating mudslides and floods, and more.
According to AccuWeather, Los Angeles received over 1.75 inches of rain on Monday and Tuesday, and San Diego picked up just over 0.55 of an inch of rain. The Los Angeles basin could potentially receive between two and four more inches of rain starting tonight and lasting through Thursday night, so we may be looking at a total of up to five or more inches. Areas north of L.A. could get four to eight inches.
In addition, areas around Paradise in Northern California could receive more than eight inches of rain. With the region hard hit by the wildfires, we keep everyone in our thoughts.
So, please be safe out there on the roads and in your homes, Californians!
BROOKLYN, NY - To give retailers that extra edge that might be the difference between lifelong shoppers and “That store with the long lines,” tech company Caper offers an AI grocery cart that looks to streamline not just the shopper’s experience, but the store's work in integrating the accommodation.
“Caper's AI-powered shopping cart is a plug-and-play solution—no installation is required and no operational restructuring is needed. Store owners can put Caper carts in their stores and enable an automated checkout experience that complements their existing business,” the company said in a press release.
Caper acknowledged that there have been a number of innovations in physical retail, specifically in automating the checkout experience, but that many of these require major store overhaul.
Rather than face operational and infrastructural change, forward-thinking grocers might consider a route that lets consumers skip grocery lines and even find more items, making the store experience as convenient and frictionless as possible.
“Caper is the first AI-powered shopping cart that, using computer vision, lets grocery shoppers skip checkout lines. Shoppers can simply throw items into their Caper cart, and built-in sensors identify the items and tally a virtual basket. During the shopping journey, Caper helps shoppers discover in-store deals with its interactive screen. Once done, they can conveniently pay on the cart and leave the store,” the statement explains. “In its launched stores, Caper has been able to increase average basket size by 18% by giving customers exposure to products they may overlook or are unable to find.”
Caper’s carts are live in two grocery chains with plans to roll out to 150 more store locations this year. To date, the company has raised about $3.5 million from First Round Capital, Y Combinator, and notable grocery industry names like Nick Taranto, Co-Founder of Plated, and Max Mullen, Co-Founder of Instacart. To find out more about how this grocery technology works, watch the video above!
ZAANDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Despite revolutionary advances in online ordering and shopping over the past several years, we in the fresh produce industry keep hearing one complaint over and over: Consumers won’t want to buy fruits and vegetables without seeing them first. Now, hoping it has found a solution to that pervasive problem is Ahold Delhaize’s Stop & Shop banner, which today announced it will launch new driverless produce vehicles in the greater Boston area this spring.
“This is one way in which we’re leveraging new technology to make shopping easier for our customers—by essentially bringing the store to them,” explained Mark McGowan, Stop & Shop President. “We also recognize that many of our customers want the opportunity to make their own choices when it comes to fresh produce, and we're proud to be the first retailer to engage with Robomart to address our customers’ needs with their cutting-edge solution.”
The new vehicles are part of a partnership with San Francisco-based startup Robomart and were created exactly with the aforementioned problem in mind. Stop & Shop shoppers in the Boston area will be able to summon a Robomart vehicle with a smartphone app then unlock it to personally select fruits, vegetables, and other products including meal kits and convenience items. When finished, shoppers simply close the vehicle’s doors and send it off to the next! Equipped with RFID and computer vision technology, each vehicle can automatically record what customers select and provide a checkout-free experience.
“For decades, consumers had the convenience of their local greengrocer and milkman coming door to door, and we believe that by leveraging driverless technology we can recreate that level of convenience and accessibility,” said Robomart Founder and CEO Ali Ahmed. “We’re extremely excited to bring our vision to life with Stop & Shop, one of the most pioneering and forward-thinking grocery chains in the world.”
Will Stop & Shop’s pilot program be the answer to the produce industry’s online grocery woes? When AndNowUKnow finds out, you’ll be the first to know.
GRAND FORKS, ND - It’s one thing to know that modern shoppers want the stories behind their products; it’s another thing entirely to successfully deliver them. Leah Halverson is bringing a lifetime and lineage of experience to the table to ensure that message is delivered loud and clear via new venture Ten Acre Marketing.
“There’s an entrepreneurial spirit in my DNA that I can’t ignore. I’m really eager to help other companies find success through their own unique ag story,” Leah said. “After having an idea in my head for a few years that wouldn’t go away, a desire in my heart, and the support of my family—I’m excited to get going on this new adventure.”
Based out of Grand Forks, North Dakota, Ten Acre Marketing will support companies involved in the field-to-plate journey through brand development, strategic marketing planning, creative and digital development, social media management, public relations, and event planning, a press release noted. Leah herself began her produce and ag promotions career over 13 years ago before rejoining her family’s business, Black Gold Farms. Throughout her career she’s helped build company brands, led industry organizations, and has been an advocate for farming and food.
“Leah is always looking for a different and creative way to add value and fun to whatever she’s doing. She’s developed a system to strategically tell the Black Gold Farms story that has allowed us to grow, yet still be our authentic self,” Gregg Halverson, President of Black Gold Farms and Leah’s father, said. “Today, agriculture needs to tell their stories—not only to consumers who are so far removed from the farm, but also to our customers. At the end of the day—farming is a business, and Black Gold Farms is a brand. Leah has always understood that. I’m excited for her to be able to help others like she has our family’s farm.”
Even the name of her new company, Ten Acres, showcases that creative passion—her family farm started on 10 acres of potatoes in 1928.
“Hallie Halverson, my great-grandfather, was creative and used what he knew about the market, the environment and consumer trends to do something different,” Leah said. “And that set the stage for where we are now and where we are going—that sentiment has lasted for more than 90 years.”
Leah’s Ten Acre Marketing is up and ready to elevate field-to-plate stories as a marketing partner who will deal with the details of telling your story and help grow business. To find out more, click here.
KOKNESE, LATVIA - A whole new year means a different kind of resolution than what we might have had in mind for the country of Latvia and five of its citizens that hoped to bring in a record amount of cocaine under the guise of harmless bananas.
Yes, five Latvians were reportedly arrested Monday in the central town of Koknese for attempting to smuggle over two tons of Ecuadorian cocaine in the fruit packages, according to news source Business Standard.
"This coke shipment was most certainly destined for some other country, presumably to drug dealers in Scandinavia," Latvian Police Chief of the Criminal Division Andrejs Grisins told reporters. "We confiscated 2,195 bricks of 80 percent pure cocaine that were packed into 42 banana boxes."
While an exact street value wasn’t given, Chief Grisins said the confiscated drugs had a potential street value of up to a billion euros (over $1.1 billion US dollars).
Luckily, officials were able to seize the cocaine and apprehend the smugglers—a joint effort between Latvian and Ecuadoran police, as well as the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, Latvian police chief Ints Kuzis said.
As for those captured? Up to 15 years in prison for what is being called the largest drug bust in Latvian history.
MORGAN HILL, CA - Supporting a stronger future for the produce industry, Sakata Seed America’s Sakata Gives program has pledged a two-year donation of $15,000 per year to support the Produce Marketing Association’s Center for Growing Talent.
“We’re honored to be a supporter of PMA’s Center for Growing Talent. Contributing to building future talent to ensure a stronger, smarter global supply chain is a top priority for Sakata and the industry as a whole. We hope to demonstrate our commitment to the future of our industry through our partnership with Center for Growing Talent,” Dave Armstrong, President and CEO, stated.
The Sakata Gives program is spearheading the company’s charitable giving while ensuring opportunities that support the program’s pillars and company mission, according to a press release.
“The Sakata Gives Program is the cornerstone of Sakata’s corporate social responsibilities initiative,” said Jamie Kitz of Program Development for Sakata Gives. “We strive for a program that is responsive and inclusive, both for our community and industry, as well in support of our Sakata colleagues striving to be the corporate good citizens they choose to be. We are thrilled to partner with The Center for Growing Talent, an organization that is driving such positive results for our industry. Stay tuned—this is just the beginning for Sakata Gives!”
The Center for Growing Talent, which was founded in 2005, includes leadership programs and events such as Career Pathways, designed to attract the best and brightest university students to careers in the fresh produce and floral industry, and the Emerging Leaders Program, which helps prepare high-potential leaders to embrace increasing levels or responsibility and challenges for future leadership roles.
Its mission? To provide industry-specific solutions to attract, develop, and retain talent for all aspects of our business. Dependent upon charitable giving, sponsorships, and in-kind gifts while supporting industry talent and growth, I think it’s safe to say this is one program we can all get behind.