CORAL GABLES, FL -  Del Monte Corporation, previously known as Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., one of the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, distributors and marketers of fresh and shelf-stable food products, will return to the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 15-16, with its first unified showcase of fresh and shelf-stable offerings since its acquisition of select Del Monte Foods assets. Building on the company’s longstanding presence at the show, this year’s exhibit marks a new chapter for the Del Monte® brand, reunited under one global owner for the first time in nearly 40 years. Attendees can explore the expanded portfolio and get an exclusive first look and taste of six new products at booth #1642.

“The Global Produce & Floral Show has long been an important platform for showcasing the strength of our fresh portfolio and deepening our customer relationships,” said Danny Dumas, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Product Management, North America, Fresh Division, Del Monte Corporation. “This year, we’re proud to build on that presence alongside our Foods colleagues, bringing customers a broader portfolio and a more coordinated approach to serving their needs. Our latest fresh innovations reflect that same customer focus, combining our expertise in premium fruit and fresh-cut products with convenient new ways for consumers to enjoy Del Monte throughout the day.”

“Our foods business brings longstanding retail relationships and products that generations of families have trusted in their kitchens,” said David Stis, Chief Commercial Officer, Foods Division, Del Monte Corporation. “Reuniting the Del Monte brand allows us to build on that foundation alongside our Fresh colleagues, giving customers a broader portfolio backed by a brand consumers already know and trust. At IFPA, we’re presenting that combined strength together and showing how our teams can help customers create new opportunities for growth by meeting consumers’ needs throughout the day, with convenient options that fit their lives at home and on the go.”

The company will debut six new products at the event:

• Del Monte Red & Green Chimichurri premium sauces are expertly crafted with fresh herbs and vegetables for a bright, authentic taste experience. Versatile and full of flavor, they can be used as marinades, toppings or dipping sauces to transform any meal.
• Del Monte Açaí Parfait is a vibrant blend of açaí, fresh fruit, creamy yogurt, and crunchy granola, conveniently packaged in a single-serve cup and packed with 6g of protein for satisfying, on-the-go snacking.
• Del Monte Fruit Kabobs are a fun, easy-to-eat kabob-style assortment of fresh-cut strawberries, pineapple, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and watermelon.
• Del Monte Watermelon Feta Salad includes juicy sliced watermelon and crisp cucumber paired with feta crumbles and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette for a refreshing, flavor-packed combo.
• Del Monte Premium Snack Fruit Trio Tray is designed for fruit lovers with chunks of our signature Honeyglow ® pineapple and premium Pinkglow ® pineapple, along with sweet cantaloupe in this ready-to-enjoy pack.
• Del Monte Medjool Dates are exceptionally large, soft, and naturally rich with a caramel-like sweetness. Hand-harvested at peak ripeness and grown in a premier region in the Jordan Valley, they’re designed to cultivate superior size, texture and flavor.

Beyond these fresh innovations, the company will highlight one of the first product collaborations between its Fresh and Foods teams: bringing its well-known Del Monte Gold Pineapple into convenient new formats. Building on a heritage of quality pineapple known for its consistent sweetness, taste, and freshness, the lineup features single-serve chunks and multi-serve chunks and spears in 100% juice, giving consumers more ways to enjoy the pineapple they know and trust at home, at work, and on the go.

Attendees of the Global Produce & Floral Show are invited to sample these retail-ready offerings at booth #1642. For product inquiries or additional information, please contact Ivan Brown at [email protected].

ZAANDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Ahold Delhaize announces that shareholders appointed Thierry Garnier, Claire Peters, and Margaret Versteden-Van Duijn as members of the Management Board during the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of Shareholders. During the Meeting, shareholders also appointed Edmond Mesrobian as a new member of the Supervisory Board.

With the appointment of Margaret and Claire, the Management Board of Ahold Delhaize now consists of President and CEO Frans Muller, CFO Jolanda Poots-Bijl, CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA Claire Peters, and CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia Margaret Versteden-Van Duijn. Thierry will start at Ahold Delhaize and succeed Frans as President and CEO, and member of the Management Board, in 2027. The exact date in 2027 will be determined by the Supervisory Board.

Wiebe Draijer, Chair of the Supervisory Board of Ahold Delhaize, said in the recent release: “The Supervisory Board is pleased that shareholders have approved Thierry’s appointment as President and CEO. Thierry is a seasoned leader with a strong track record in retail and digital transformation, deep international experience, and a clear focus on customers, associates, and the future of grocery retail. We are confident that he will build on Ahold Delhaize’s strong foundations and work closely with our brands and leadership teams. We look forward to welcoming Thierry.

We would like to thank Frans for his strong leadership and dedicated service to Ahold Delhaize. He played an instrumental role in the successful merger of Ahold and Delhaize Group. During his tenure, the company has strengthened its position as a leading international food retailer while maintaining its focus on customers, associates, and communities. We appreciate his continued leadership through the transition as the company progresses on its Growing Together trajectory.

We are also delighted that Claire and Margaret, who have already started in their new roles leading Ahold Delhaize USA and Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia, respectively, have been appointed to the Management Board. Furthermore, we warmly welcome experienced technology and digital leader Edmond to the Supervisory Board.”

Frans added: “I am pleased to welcome Claire and Margaret to the Management Board. Claire brings deep experience in omnichannel grocery and business transformation, combined with strong operational, customer-focused and people-first leadership. Margaret’s appointment marks the next step in her leadership journey at Ahold Delhaize, during which she has built a strong track record leading customer-focused, purpose-led businesses since joining the company more than ten years ago. I also warmly welcome Thierry, who will build on Ahold Delhaize's strengths and help shape our company’s next chapter.”

During the EGM, Thierry said: “I have spent most of my 30-year career in this industry. I love retail, the spirit of the teams in stores and serving customers on a daily basis. I have long admired Ahold Delhaize and have a lot of respect for what the teams have achieved so far. I look forward to joining the team.“

During the EGM, Claire said: “It is a distinct honor and privilege to be nominated as CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA. I have long admired the company for the strength of its local brands and the important role they play in customers’ everyday lives. Since joining in September, that admiration has only grown. Our teams across the U.S. are at the heart of what makes our brands special, together with their strong heritages, deep community roots and unwavering focus on serving customers with excellence. Together, we will build on our strong foundation and continue to deliver sustainable value for associates, customers, communities and shareholders.”

During the EGM, Margaret said: “I am deeply honored to be nominated for this role. Having spent more than 10 years at the company at bol, Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall, I have seen firsthand what makes Ahold Delhaize unique: great local brands, talented associates, combined with the scale and capabilities of the Ahold Delhaize Group. I look forward to building on the strong foundation and continuing to create value for our customers, associates, communities, and our shareholders.”

Growing Together 

The appointments support the continued execution of Ahold Delhaize's Growing Together strategy. This strategy is anchored in strong local brands, customer-centric innovation, digital transformation, operational excellence, and disciplined capital allocation. With a deep bench of leadership talent and a clear strategic direction, Ahold Delhaize remains well positioned to continue delivering sustainable growth and long-term value creation.

MCALLEN, TX - Small costs can often add up, turning quickly into sizable losses. With a look at the losses that often go under the radar, Noah Fox, Project Manager at Fox Solutions, recently offered some insight into how hidden costs can affect packers’ bottom lines.

These costs stay hidden because they never show up as a single number: Weigher giveaway is buried in product yield, changeover downtime is buried in labor, and a failed pack gets split across packaging, freight, and customer credits.

"Individually, these costs can look nominal," explains Noah. "It's not until a packer looks at them together that they see the real effect on the bottom line."

And because produce margins are thin, these small losses add up quickly.

"To make the numbers work in this industry, packers have to pack in large quantities," Noah says. "That means every hidden cost has a multiplier, and that multiplier is usually in the thousands."

Weigher giveaway is one of the easiest losses to overlook, Noah tells me.

"On one 40,000-lb truckload, if a packer averages half a pound overweight on 5-lb bags, they're giving away about 4,000 lbs of product per load," he shares. "If the average overweight stays the same but the pack size gets smaller, like a 2 lb bag, the amount of product given away goes up."

Changeovers, when the line switches bag sizes, film or SKUs, can be another steady source of loss.

"There will be changeovers every workday. They're unavoidable," Noah says. "But operating costs don't stop during a changeover. There's zero production, and the packer is still paying for the time to be operational. Depending on how many bags per minute a line runs, that downtime can mean a lot of unpacked bags."

To mitigate these losses, Fox Solutions advises packers to treat the pack line as one system.

"Pack lines operate as one cohesive system. Each component is synced together, and the system has to communicate from beginning to end to run as effectively and efficiently as possible," Noah explains. "You can incorporate components from multiple vendors, but when one vendor is responsible for all of them, that communication from loose commodity to finished good is much more reliable. With the help of our partners, Fox can be that turnkey provider."

From there, packers need to know where the losses are coming from.

"Track three things: giveaway at the weigher, changeover downtime, and reject rates. Then ask why each one is happening," Noah continues. "Packers will see their losses coming from the places where their equipment is bottlenecking and slowing down production. The idea is to make each piece of the line operate as close to capacity as possible. If you have a bagger that can only pack 30 bags per minute, there's no reason to pair it with a weigher that can do 80. The bagger will never go fast enough, and the weigher will constantly be waiting for the signal to send product."

Fox's structure gives its partners a strategic advantage in this area, as Fox Solutions manufactures, distributes, and supports packing equipment, including weighers, baggers and case packers, with single source sales and support for best-in-class brands.

"Fox Packaging and Fox Solutions can uniquely meet a packer's needs for both packaging materials and packing equipment," Noah concludes. "That means we can make sure the packaging is designed for the machinery, and the machinery for the packaging. Most issues take longer to resolve because the material supplier says it's the equipment and the equipment supplier says it's the material. With Fox Packaging and Fox Solutions supplying both, there's less time spent assigning fault and more time finding the fix."

With its advantageous structure and in-depth industry expertise, Fox Solutions continues to create cost-saving benefits for its partners.

Keep reading AndNowUKnow as we bring you more exclusive insights like this.

BAKERSFIELD, CA - A deep passion for understanding the world of fresh produce, being part of its legacy, and contributing to its continued success drives many industry professionals to experience multiple sides of the value chain—from the retailer or foodservice operator to the grower, packer, and shipper. Having a foot in both worlds can cultivate a unique perspective on the needs, challenges, and opportunities that connect the supply chain, including for Brian Porter, the new Business Development Manager for Bako Sweet®.

Prior to joining Bako Sweet, Brian was an Assistant Sales Manager for Safeway NorCal, a position he held for 10 years. In this role, the industry veteran generated double-digit annual sales and volume growth in many of the categories he managed.

“I have really enjoyed the change to the grower side of the business. Learning the different aspects of growing sweet potatoes and managing customer programs has been exciting and interesting,” Brian begins, drawing on the fresh experience for his next reflection. “I believe my understanding of retail has been a big win for our entire Bako Team, as I am able to share the different aspects of merchandising and the challenges around shrink that our retailer partners face.”

Prior to joining Bako Sweet, Brian was an Assistant Sales Manager for Safeway NorCal, a position he held for 10 years. In this role, the industry veteran generated double-digit annual sales and volume growth.

At Safeway, Brian substantially increased department sales and profits by collaborating with senior management to develop and execute innovative programs and improve policies.

“Sharing my extensive retail knowledge with our entire team has been very rewarding,” Brian shares with me. “Since I joined Bako Sweet in early spring 2026, I have been surprised and so impressed by the cross-functional effort it takes to bring programs to life. The planning, management, and precision required to make sure we have the right quality, sizing, and quantities to meet all of our retail partners' needs—this is where the magic happens.”

This is so true; consumers take for granted that products showed up as ordered and still don’t fully appreciate what grower teams do to execute such a feat. The best programs come when customers joint business plan with Bako Sweet as a partner and are willing to try new things, whether it be new SKUs, unique promotions, changes to merchandising schematics, or other new ideas to reach shoppers and inspire consumers.

“Growth in the category is coming from convenience packs, and Bako Sweet is taking the lead to evolve in ways to grow the category by bringing in new shoppers and showing them how sweet potatoes can fit into their everyday lives,” Brian continues. “Our motto is Sweeten Your Everyday™, which fits in with our customer partnerships as well as the growing love consumers have for sweet potatoes across the country.”

As a top-growing vegetable in the U.S. in 2025, with no sign of a slowdown, this is one category that has earned the love.

Heading into the fall, Bako Sweet is doing what it does best, bringing unique, turnkey, and tailored programs to retail partners. With a great-looking 2026 crop being harvested right now, the team prides itself on growing best-in-class sweet potatoes for customers to bring to consumers.

“Our ultimate goal is for every consumer of Bako Sweet sweet potatoes to have an outstanding at-home eating experience with our products,” Brian describes. “That gets me up in the morning, every day.”

With Brian’s retail expertise now on the grower side, Bako Sweet is strengthening the connection between field-level execution and retail success.

THERMAL, CA - North Shore Greenhouses, LLC announces the appointment of Alex Sanchez as President, bringing more than three decades of agricultural and operational leadership to the grower of the nation’s top-selling Living Herb brand, North Shore Living Herbs & Greens.

Sanchez joins North Shore after more than 20 years with Grimmway Farms/Cal-Organic Farms. Most recently serving as Ranch Unit Director, he led large-scale organic farming operations across the Desert Southwest, overseeing a program of 65 vegetable crops.

“Alex brings an incredible combination of agricultural knowledge, operational expertise, and leadership,” said Leo Overgaag, CEO of North Shore Greenhouses, in the recent release. “As North Shore enters its next chapter, his experience and perspective will help us build on what our family and team have created over the past 40 years.”

Coachella Valley agricultural community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Coachella Valley Water District and in leadership roles with regional agricultural organizations.

“We’re excited to have Alex join our team because of who he is behind all that experience,” said Suzette Overgaag, Co-Founder and Vice President. “He shares the values that have shaped North Shore for nearly 40 years: a passion for growing, doing things the right way, and believing in our people. We’re excited to continue our mission of category innovation and see what we can all build together!”

Sanchez joins North Shore at an important moment in the company’s evolution, as it continues to invest in its people, advance innovation, steward the earth’s resources responsibly, build on its leadership, and shape the future of fresh at North Shore.