TORONTO, ON - Is there anything more daunting for perspective shoppers than holiday checkout lines? Just in time for the seasonal rush, Loblaw is piloting an app that could serve to take that hinderance off the table.
Introducing a new shop-and-scan technology that takes self-checkout to the mobile level, the retailer rolled the app out in five stores in the greater Toronto area, according to CTV News.
“We’ve heard from customers that they’re looking for a more convenient way to shop, and this allows them to use their own mobile device to check pricing and scan in their groceries,” Catherine Thomas, Senior Director, External Communication at Loblaw Companies Limited, wrote in an email to the news source. When it comes to how or if the app will affect cashier jobs, Thomas said that “at this point, we do not expect any changes in our workforce.”
When it comes to produce items such as fruits or vegetables, which are priced on weight, participating stores will provide digital scales, while items with barcodes can be scanned and placed into the shopping cart as consumers make their way through the store. All that is needed is an internet connection on a phone and the PC Express app.
Consumers won't see what Thomas explained as a “real-time total of their purchase” until they are ready to check out, when the app will create an item total barcode.
Here is where customers can choose a more or less traditional route: bringing the total barcode to either a traditional cashier lane, self-scan checkout, or at the new kiosks specially designed for the app. The long-term goal is to have the self-checkout line be bypassed completely, the source noted, with an in-app purchase system.
Current test locations include Queen Street and Portland Street, Leslie Street and Lakeshore Boulevard, Forest Hill, Maple Leaf Gardens, and Glen Erin in the GTA, with upcoming pilot locations in Ontario expected in Milton, Oakville, and on Argentia Road in Mississauga.
OHIO - William W. Haase has passed away at the age of 63 on October 25, 2018 after a long battle with health issues. He was born October 29, 1954 to Shirley Haase and William X. Haase in Bay Village, Ohio. He enjoyed skiing Whitefish Mountain, target shooting, riding his horse in the mountains, and spending time with his family and friends.
After graduating from Bay High School in 1973, he worked at U.S. Steel. He later became a sheriff’s deputy in Monroe County, Florida, starting as a janitor and climbing the ladder to Detective. On July 23, 1978, Haase married Mary Kerr in Plantation Key, Florida. He went on to graduate summa cum laude from Cleveland State University in 1983. After graduating college, he worked as a Sales Representative at U.S. Lines in Ohio and finished his career as Brazilian Sales Manager in 1987. He then joined the Del Monte Fresh sales team in Miami, Florida, rising the ranks to VP of North American Sales and Marketing. In 1994, he moved to Whitefish, Montana, and partnered with the True Value/Ben Franklin. In 1997, Haase took a CEO position at Sunsweet for three years and, in 2000, he became a partner in Delicious Foods, which owned Made in Nature and Del Monte brands for dried fruits and nuts.
“Bill Haase served as Sunsweet President from 1997 to 2000 during a difficult period of oversupply. Under his direction, Sunsweet increased advertising, modernized Sunsweet branding, launched multiple new products, opened a representative sales office in Japan, and upgraded its legacy IT systems to modern ERP SAP software,” Dane Lance, current President & CEO of Sunsweet shared. “After his departure from Sunsweet in 2000 for health reasons, Bill’s impact continued to be felt with two of the people he brought to Sunsweet, first Harold Schenker then Arthur Driscoll, each in turn very successfully leading Sunsweet as President and CEO for the next thirteen years.”
Haase is survived by his mother, Shirley Haase Heck; his wife, Mary K. Haase; son, Rick (Pam); daughter, Megan (Nathan); sister, Nancy (Mauricio); brother, Christian (Cathy); grandchildren, Hunter, Abby and Bryce; and numerous other family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter or All Saints Episcopal Church.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Haase family during this time.
UNITED STATES - The latest E. coli outbreak has rocked the romaine world, but relief could be on its way. This week, United Fresh issued a statement reporting that the FDA and CDC lifted their advisory for consumers not to eat any romaine lettuce, consequently allowing romaine to return to the marketplace.
The lift comes with the launch of a new voluntary labeling agreement, negotiated by a number of romaine grower/shipper/processors. Each of these companies have pledged to label their romaine products with the region grown and the approximate harvest date. According to a press release, this will allow the FDA to communicate to consumers that romaine products returning to store shelves are not related to the outbreak earlier this fall.
In his statement regarding the romaine lift, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb outlined romaine grown and harvested out of the desert region of Arizona in and around Yuma, Florida, and Mexico as okay to consume.
"At this time, the FDA has no information to suggest any of these growing areas are involved in the current outbreak, which began well before any romaine lettuce from these winter growing locations was available for harvest," Gottlieb said. He did, however, note that the vast majority of the romaine on the market at the time of the outbreak was being grown in the Central Coast region of California.
The industry and the FDA have also agreed to continue to improve the tracking and tracing of romaine lettuce through the supply chain, particularly through improved data capturing at all supply chain points and technology.
Produce associations from around our industry have also lent their support for this initiative, encouraging all industry members throughout the supply chain to abide by this labeling program.
In anticipation of many “how to” questions, United Fresh and PMA posted Questions & Answers, offering additional details and clarification. In its press release, United Fresh noted that all involved with the new labeling agreement recognize that the industry will need to gain real-world experience as companies develop the most workable approach in different situations.
To read the entirety of United Fresh’s statement, click here.
COALDALE, ALBERTA - The Star Group’s Inspired Greens brand recently invested $60 million into innovative greenhouse technology in order to breathe life into the fundamental premise: clean means clean. Food safety is playing a major role in produce these days, and Inspired Greens is upping the stakes with its greenhouse-grown lettuce varieties thanks to growing with triple-filtrated water in a closed safe and secure environment.
“Retailers and consumers have a heightened awareness of food safety, quality, and taste,” said David Karwacki, Chief Executive Officer of The Star Group of Companies, which built the Inspired Greens greenhouses. “We invested in this cutting-edge clean technology to ensure we can unequivocally deliver clean, fresh, healthy lettuce with no concerns about contamination.”
Officially opened June of 2017 in Coaldale, Alberta, the Inspired Greens greenhouses can produce up to 12 million heads annually. According to a press release, it is the first North American greenhouse to use this advanced technology, with plants untouched by human hands from seed to harvest. After almost a year in business, Inspired Greens then announced plans in April 2018 to double its production capacity based on strong industry and consumer demand.
Inspired Greens and Inspired Leaves branded products are available in grocery stores across Western Canada and in select markets in the western United States.
Where will food safety lead our industry next? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you updated on the latest and safest fresh fruit and veg.
WASHINGTON, DC - The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on its top ten priorities to help increase the integrity of the organic market. As the USDA continues to shape its upcoming National Organic Program (NOP) rules for spring 2019, the OTA submitted its comments, feedback, and priorities, which included such topics as organic fraud and organic certification. NOP’s called these new rules “Strengthening Organic Enforcement,” and also said the finished product will be “one of the largest pieces of single rulemaking in the history of NOP.”
"The USDA, organic certifiers, and organic businesses all have a shared role in protecting the integrity of the Organic seal, and our members have stepped up to be a part of the solution," said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association. "Today's organic market is a global market, and fraud anywhere in the global chain impacts all of us. The integrity of organic is the lifeblood of the organic industry, and we are committed to preserving and strengthening the trust in organic held by consumers all over the world."
The OTA urged the NOP to take "timely action" on its list of ten priorities, saying that each issue is "extremely important" to increase organic integrity. According to a press release, OTA’s list of identified areas was created with input from a member task force formed earlier this year with the following goals:
- Engaging early with the NOP
- Answer a set of enforcement related questions that NOP distributed to the organic industry
- Help craft a fair and effective final rule that will protect organic trade and the USDA Organic label
In total, OTA’s top ten enforcement priorities are as follows:
Excluded Operations:
Require certification of each producer, handler, and handling operation in the organic supply chain with very limited exceptions.Organic Integrity Database:
Require at least annual reporting to the Organic Integrity Database from accredited organic certifiers on aggregate organic production area by crop and location.Complaint & Alert System:
Upgrade the process to prioritize complaints, improve the National Organic Program complaint system, and develop a public alert system.Organic Identification:
Boost organic identification requirements to include in documentation with certified products and with all non-retail containers and packaging containing organic.Testing:
Update the NOP’s Guidance on Residue Testing and increase required use of testing for imports and other high-risk products and/or regions.Grower Groups:
Formally respond to the National Organic Standards Board Recommendations and conduct rulemaking to ensure consistent oversight and enforcement of group operations.Inspector and Certifier Oversight (including Satellite Offices):
Develop more robust auditing of Accredited Certifying Agencies including annual audits of satellite offices domestically as well as in foreign countries.Equivalency and Recognition Arrangements:
Prioritize oversight and data transparency in arrangements, improve communications with the trade partner, and do appropriate follow-up.Inspectors (Qualifications, Training and Field Evaluations):
Improve qualifications and training of inspectors to detect fraud, and set minimum requirements for qualifications/training.Import Certificates:
Put in place a system that collects more data, including tracing the original product to its origin, and improve online access to electronic import certificate system.
In addition to its top ten priority areas, the OTA also provided guidance on five other key areas in organics where improvements are needed. To read the full comments, click here. And as more information on the USDA and NOP’s rules are released, AndNowUKnow will keep you updated.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - H-E-B is making moves to develop San Antonio’s East Side, turning 871 acres into a grocery supply-chain paradise. Construction on its latest 1.6 million-square-foot warehouse has officially begun and marks the retailer’s largest investment into its manufacturing and supply-chain division. The warehouse, titled the San Antonio Regional Grocery Warehouse, is slated to be up and running in 2020.
“As San Antonio grows, we’ve been honored to grow with it, expanding our footprint of stores and digital retail offerings to serve more Texans,” said Carson Landsgard, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Logistics. “More than anything, the construction of our newest warehouse facility supports H-E-B’s future and ongoing commitment to be the best in-store and digital retailer in Texas.”
According to a company press release, the warehouse will provide additional space for dry goods and other grocery products, in addition to supplying volume relief at H-E-B’s other facilities in San Antonio and San Marcos. The facility will hold more than 17,000 grocery items. With 200 loading docks, the retailer noted that 180 trailers will make outbound deliveries from the facility each day. In addition, the warehouse will incorporate solar power solutions and a centralized HVAC system, making it the most energy-efficient facility in the company’s network.
H-E-B plans to continue developing the site by putting a campus at the location, which will include operations such as manufacturing, warehouse, and transportation.
As the retailer continues to break ground on upcoming projects, AndNowUKnow will be here to report.
UNITED STATES - The midwestern United States is facing blizzard conditions, with heavy snowfall and destructive winds sweeping through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas and heading toward Wisconsin and Michigan today, according to AccuWeather. As a result, over 10 million people have been issued a blizzard warning.
“The combination of increasing winds, heavy snow, and poor visibility will create localized blizzard conditions at times,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
CNN reports that travel has halted in the region. Snow and ice have grounded over 700 flights at major airports and snow-packed roads and wind-caused low visibility have shut down major highways on one of the busiest travel days of the year. The Illinois State Police District 14 Macomb posted on Facebook that “at this point every road in District 14 is impassable.”
So far, over a foot of snow has settled in the Midwest, with the snow expected to cease later this morning, according to NBC News.
The National Weather Service forecasts blizzard-less days are in sight for the region between the Mississippi Valley and the Upper Great Lakes as the storm approaches the eastern portions of the southeast states, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast later today with rainfall in tow.
How will the delayed transportation affect those traveling with fresh produce? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep an eye on the weather as we head deeper into winter.
FRESNO, CA - While our industry is fresh produce, there is so much that goes on behind the scenes to get fruit and vegetables from the field and into consumers’ carts. One company that has been working hard to streamline the logistics and technology of our industry since the 1950s is Volm Companies.
I had the chance to catch up with Daniel Mueller, President and CEO, at PMA Fresh Summit to get the inside scoop on Volm Companies, its history of innovations, and where the company is heading in the near future.
“Volm Companies was started in the 1950s as a general store by my grandfather, and customers would come to him to buy used burlap bags. And from that we came to where we are today. We are the supplier for both packaging and equipment for fresh produce; it’s our specialty,” Daniel said to me.
Daniel noted that Volm first offered equipment solutions about 20 years ago after noticing its customers’ need for a more efficient way of filling their bags.
Since developing more efficient solutions two decades ago, the company has kept innovating, Daniel explained, with much of what the company is working on showcased at this year’s PMA Fresh Summit.
“This year at PMA, we’re very excited about the labor savings that we’re showing off,” continued Daniel. “We’ve been doing robotic palletizing, but we’ve solved the problem of doing consumer packaging into bins. We’ve had some customers save anywhere from 14 people on their palletizing line because of the solutions that we can offer with that.”
For the full details on Volm Companies, check out our brief video above.
U.S. and CANADA - After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an outbreak of E. coli “likely linked to romaine lettuce” on Tuesday November 20, the produce industry came out in full force to share their concerns and comments. And whereas the CDC and the FDA have recommended that all romaine be taken out of circulation, many in produce are calling for an investigation that would identify a specific place of origin for the outbreak and free up unaffected product for consumption.
“Our hearts go out to individuals and families impacted by the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine, and our romaine growers and handlers are cooperating fully with federal and state health agencies to identify the source of the contamination,” Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif commented in a statement. “In the meantime, it is important to acknowledge that a number of regions in current production were not harvesting or shipping romaine at the onset of the outbreak and, consequently, could not be the source of the specific E. coli strain identified in the illnesses.”
Nassif went on to urge government health agencies to work quickly, narrow the scope of the investigation, and to “remove these regions from the comprehensive advisory as soon as the safety of the public can be ensured.”
The United Fresh Produce Association echoed Nassif’s comments in a statement of its own.
“Despite our urging that industry could clearly identify some sources of romaine coming onto the market as not related to the outbreak, CDC and FDA also are requesting the voluntarily withdrawal of romaine lettuce before it enters commerce,” the statement noted. “The best way to limit the impact of this outbreak is to solve it quickly. We are working aggressively with stakeholders to try to narrow the source of the outbreak so that FDA can withdraw this comprehensive advisory.”
The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement’s Marketing Director April Ward also released a statement on the outbreak.
“A group of food safety experts from the produce industry is coming together as quickly as possible to closely examine information that may help pinpoint the specific source of the outbreak utilizing the extensive traceback information maintained by leafy greens producers,” Ward said. “No one wants to get to the bottom of how these outbreaks are occurring faster than the producers of leafy greens. We absolutely must do everything possible to stop recurring outbreaks. We owe this to those whose lives have been tragically impacted by this outbreak and to all our consumers who trust us to grow safe food for their families.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) found similar cases of E. coli in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, according to a press release, and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) stated it would be working closely with the agency and its U.S. counterparts to update its members as any new developments are known.
The source of the outbreak is still under investigation by the FDA and the CDC. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. posted a tweet on Thursday, November 22nd, that stated his agency believes the outbreak is “related to lettuce harvested from California,” but there has been no confirmation of this allegation as of yet.
AndNowUKnow will update you on the latest as more information rolls in.
FOWLER, CA - 'Tis the season, and not just for merriment and cheer, but for citrus of all kinds! Bee Sweet Citrus announced that several specialty varieties are back in time for holiday meals, and helping push consumers into a healthy new year.
“Not only do our specialty citrus varieties offer a multitude of nutritional benefits, their diverse flavor profiles make them a perfect addition to many holiday meals and desserts,” said Director of Communications Monique Bienvenue, who also noted that there are many ways consumers can introduce citrus into those family meals.
From appetizers to salad dressing, Monique said in a press release that the category is a perfect way to lighten the meal while not compromising on taste.
“Over the next few weeks, buyers can expect a surge in demand for citrus fruits,” she continued. “While the holiday season provides families with various opportunities to utilize citrus in their meals, it’s also a time for families to stock up on immunity-boosting foods.”
With the holiday season officially here, the Bee Sweet Citrus sales team reported that there is enough volume to support seasonal promotions and consumer demand, including ample supply of Navel oranges, lemons, and Satsuma mandarins.
“With healthy food trends on the rise, incorporating citrus into holiday meals is a no-brainer,” Monique said. “Whether they prefer the classic taste of Navel oranges or the unique flavor of Minneola Tangelos, our citrus can help our consumers kick off the festive season on a healthy note.”
Over the next few weeks, consumers can also look forward to the return of Cara Cara Navels, Blood Oranges, and Minneola Tangelos. Eating one Navel orange or two Satsuma mandarins can help men and women meet over half the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. The same can be said for Cara Cara Navels and Minneola Tangelos, which are expected to be available to consumers by mid-December.