SUMMERLAND, BC – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada (HC) have approved the Arctic® Fuji, a non-browning Arctic apple by Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF). This apple is the third of OSF’s non-browning Arctic apple approved by the CFIA and HC.
“Canadian approval of the non-browning Arctic Fuji is great news for our company and even more exciting for families looking to add another favorite apple variety to their healthy diets and lifestyles,” explained Neal Carter, President of OSF in a press release. “There has been very strong interest from retailers as we launched our first product—fresh, preservative free Arctic Golden slices—and we look forward to introducing additional Arctic non-browning varieties into Canada and U.S. markets soon.”
The Arctic apples are biotechnologically engineered to resist browning—they lack the enzyme that typically causes the unfortunate reaction. This adaptation is both beneficial to consumers and retailers, reducing food waste at the industry level and increasing consumer-appeal.
“It’s an exciting time at OSF. For a very long time, apple lovers have been looking forward to enjoying non-browning Arctic apples as a convenient and healthy snack option. With this past fall’s U.S. launch, we were finally able to deliver just that,” Carter continued. “This latest announcement allows us to continue looking ahead toward providing new non-browning varieties and additional value-added fruits and vegetables. Arctic apples are just the beginning for OSF.”
The USDA and Plant Health Inspection Services approved the apple back in September of 2017, and Arctic apples will be available this fall in select U.S. cities, with availability set to increase in future years. To follow all apple innovations, keep reading AndKnowUKnow.
SEVILLA, SPAIN - Orange you glad you aren’t one of the citrus thieves from Sevilla, Spain? CNN reported that a short chase after two cars came to a close in the Sevilla town of Carmona, where police from the Delegation of Security, Mobility, and Major Festivities of Sevilla City Hall were stunned to find that the two vehicles were filled to the brim with none other than the coveted fruit found in our favorite sangria recipes.
According to Europa Press’s report on the crime, five people have been brought to justice after a ship carrying oranges in Carmona mysteriously "lost" its cargo and three cars were somehow loaded to the limit with oranges. The two vehicles initially pulled over included a couple, their adult son, and two brothers, in addition to the unaccountable sacks and bulks of oranges without proper documentation.
The tip-off for officers was the close proximity in which the first two cars were driving, and further, when Police tried to pull the cars over, the vehicles raced off before the short chase ended down a dirt road. It was at the closing of the chase when officers found the vehicles packed with oranges—and it wasn’t until later that police found a third vehicle, a truck, carrying oranges. The total amount of stolen oranges weighs in at over four tons, a whopping 8,818 pounds (4.4 tons). That’s a whole new reason to pucker our lips when biting into juicy, tart orange stories!
What criminal antics are waiting in the wings, and what unexpected journeys will our produce take next? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you in-the-loop with the latest industry news.
IRVINE, CA – The California Avocado Commission (CAC) has announced a 2018 crop forecast of 374.6 million pounds. This exciting declaration—nearly double last year’s crop—comes despite the difficult weather, including wind and fire, that farmers faced over the growing season.
“The CAC 2018 pre-season crop estimate of 374.6 million pounds of California avocados means there will be solid volume for retailers and foodservice operators to work with,” said Tom Bellamore, President in a recent press release. “Despite some harsh blows from Mother Nature, California avocado growers are resilient, and the industry is expecting a good year.”
Despite the very recent Lilac and Thomas Fires, which ravaged Riverside, Ventura, and Santa Barbara County—the Thomas Fire was the largest wildfire in the recorded history of California—and mudslides in the growing region, California avocados emerged relatively unscathed.
“Many California avocado growers experienced loss, both personal and professional, and our hearts go out to them. Across the industry, though, only about five percent of the crop was damaged,” said Bellamore.
The CAC plans to continue marketing this hearty crop with the Made in California campaign, and to customize marketing for targeted customers. We look forward to seeing the avocado crop reach the market and hope you’ll stay with us at AndKnowUKnow.
CINCINNATI, OH - More breaking news has come out of Kroger’s wheelhouse, this time with the retailer’s divisional executives. Current President of the Fry's Food Stores division Steve McKinney has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Retail Divisions, while Corporate Vice President of Produce-Floral Merchandising Monica Garnes will succeed him. The move will be made effective on February 5th.
"Steve's nearly 37 years of Kroger experience and deep knowledge of food retail will help our divisions continue to execute with excellence," said Mike Donnelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, according to a press release. "Steve has always been passionate about creating uplifting associate and customer experiences. We look forward to him joining our senior leadership team as we continue to drive Restock Kroger."
McKinney began his career with the retailer as a clerk for its former banner, Florida Choice Supermarkets, in 1981. He moved his way up to roles like store manager, buyer, and field representative.
He later joined Fry’s in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1988, where he served in various leadership positions, before advancing to Vice President of Operations for Fry's in 1998. He has served in his current role since 2013.
Garnes launched her Kroger career in 1995 through the management training program in the Columbus division.
"Monica is a recognized leader in our business and across the industry," said Donnelly. "She combines a willingness to embrace fresh ideas with a keen business savvy that yields real results. As the company's first African-American division president, we are excited to have Monica drive and influence change in our company through her expertise and perspective, and we are eager for her to bring her passion for people and results to Fry's."
Garnes has been recognized in a number of ways, including as one of the "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink" by Fortune and Food & Wine magazines. She currently serves on the United Way of Greater Cincinnati Board of Directors, Mount St. Joseph University Board of Trustees, and Lucky's Market Board of Trustees, and has supported the community as a member of the United Way's Women of Tocqueville and Herbert R. Brown Society.
In her 23-year-long career with the retailer, her leadership roles have included produce buyer, store manager, public affairs manager, and district manager before advancing to produce-floral merchandiser in the division.
Garnes was promoted to Vice President of Merchandising for the Fry's division in 2013, and named to her current role in 2015.
As Donnelly stated above, these leadership promotions were made to support Restock Kroger, the latest among a slew of moves for growth including a possible partnership with Alibaba and new in-store technology.
Congratulations to both these leaders on their newest chapters with the team!
MCALLEN, TX – With 41 years of commitment to the citrus industry, Jud Flowers was welcomed into the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) Hall of Fame this week. Selected by a group of his peers, Flowers was recognized for his years of remarkable leadership at the helm of Lone Star Citrus—a strong, reliable, and efficient produce company built on the foundation of Flowers’ passion for the Texas citrus industry—and the accomplishment of owning one of the last independently-owned citrus operations in Texas.
“We built Lone Star with passion and determination to bring added value to the citrus buying customer while serving the independent grower,” said Jud Flowers, President, in a press release. “Those ideals are at the core of everything we do, and I am honored to be a part of this journey and to be recognized by TIPA as an inductee in the Hall of Fame.”
Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, Flowers started his career in 1977 as the Citrus Research & Demonstration Manager at Rio Farms. From there, he ventured to Pride O'Texas to take on the General Manager position during a time when the Texas citrus industry was struggling.
While rebuilding Pride O'Texas, Flowers was introduced to Healds Valley Farms and soon became the President and General Manager, where he served for 20 years. From there, not ready to slow down, Flowers began pursuing his dream of starting and building his own business within the citrus industry.
In 2007, he partnered with T.J. Flowers and Trent Bishop, successfully launching Lone Star Citrus that same year.
Honoring his hard work and perseverance throughout the years, TIPA has inducted him into the same Hall of Fame that has also recognized the contributions of past and present leaders in the Texas produce industry.
“My dad has built some amazing things in his life, and he’s not finished yet,” said T.J. Flowers, Vice President of Operations. “It is an honor to be his son and I look forward to the future as we continue to seek new opportunities to progress our business and ultimately the Texas citrus industry.”
The Lone Star Citrus team was in attendance at the event as Flowers and eight other inductees were welcomed into the TIPA Hall of Fame.
As Flowers is constantly building and seeking new opportunities, the Lone Star brand will continue to develop with his guidance and leadership. For more information about Lone Star Citrus and its growers, visit http://lonestarcitrus.com/.
Congratulations, Jud Flowers! For more produce industry accomplishments, keep checking back with AndNowUKnow for the latest.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Chinese e-commerce company JD.com is stepping into 2018 and onto new turf, as it looks for funds to bankroll a logistics build-up to support international expansion into Los Angeles, California. The Beijing-based company, which is worth a reported $68 billion, announced in December that it is ready to take its online sales platform into the U.S. market come the second half of 2018.
According to Investors Business Daily (IBD), the company wants to raise $2 billion to take the leap, and JD is in the final stages of discussion with Tencent Holdings Ltd. and other investors, with the online retailer looking to sell 15 percent of its logistics unit, JDLogistics, to fund the international business endeavors. The deal with Tencent, which would give the investor about one-third of the shares on offer, is looking to be completed by the middle of February, according to Bloomberg’s interview with JD.com’s Founder and Chief Executive, Richard Liu. IBD reported the deal is worth $10.9 billion.
“JD’s rule is that once we decide to do something, we never limit the money,” Liu said in Davis, Switzerland, while attending the World Economic Forum. He then explained that the company is looking to gain half of its revenue from international business as the decade rolls out, and it wants to invest until the company accomplishes this goal.
The company, whose competition currently includes the likes of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., wants to move towards a logistics initial public offering in China or Hong Kong in about three years. To ease the transition into the U.S. market, the company will consider different strategies, such as potential partnerships with local companies.
Bloomberg reported that, as of January 25th at 11:10 a.m. in NYC, JD’s jumped 4.4 percent to $49.48, which resulted in a $707.7 billion market value.
“This year, Vietnam, India, Philippines, Malaysia—every Southeast Asian country—we will come by the end of this year. Our future is, we will invest in U.S. and build a warehouse fulfillment center in U.S. so you can get same-day delivery,” explained Liu in the Bloomberg article.
A dream team is responsible for brainstorming with Chinese brands like Xiaomi Corp. to take the platform global after looking to powerful backers to bring the ideas behind the expansion to life, according to Bloomberg. The expansion into the U.S. market might be a little tricky, as the company faces competitors like industry giant Amazon.
Will this expansion become an industry trend, sparking new international development and partnerships in all corners of the globe, and how will it shape the State-side sales growth? So many questions! But keep checking back with us at AndNowUKnow for the answers!
VENTURA, CA - The impact of California's wildfires this past year have affected many, and, as we move through the first part of 2018, a group has come together to address the impacts of one of our state's most severe and largest fires in the state's history—the Thomas Fire. Local community members and organizations in the region are uniting to bring the Thomas Fire Benefit Festival to Southern California, which will be held on February 3rd at Plaza Park in Downtown Ventura, California, according to festival information. The goal of this benefit is to raise funds to assist deserving fire victims as quickly and directly as possible, while also helping Ventura County recover from this disaster.
Produce companies are rallying for the cause and jumping on board to generate awareness for the event. 100 percent of proceeds from the Thomas Fire Benefit Festival will be put toward disaster recovery for the fire that had a reach of 281,893 acres, and charred over 1,000 structures, leaving hundreds without homes.
"Since Mission's home is in Ventura County, and the Thomas Fire had an impact on so many residents in the area—including many of our employees—we wanted to be a part of the upcoming benefit event," Steve Barnard, President & CEO of Mission Produce, and a sponsor, shares with me. "In times like these, it is important that we focus on our community and our people. The area is in recovery mode, and the benefit will help with financial recovery as well as pulling the community together for a good cause."
So, what can we expect from the event? The Thomas Fire Benefit Festival will kick-off with a VIP Chef Experience from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. where guests can wine and dine with local and Michelin starred chefs! According to the benefit's website, these VIP guests have access to an unlimited sampling of wine and craft beer and the chance to sample specialty dishes alongside World Central Kitchen Founder and Michelin-Rated Chef, José Andrés.
The benefit is also generating excitement with a high-caliber lineup of artists. General admission gates opening at 4 p.m. for the concert portion of the festival. Performances will include:
- Three-Time Golden Globe & Academy Award Winning Actor, Producer, Director, and Musician, Kevin Costner—and his band Kevin Costner and Modern West
- Four-Time Grammy Award Winning Singer/ Songwriter and Actress, Olivia Newton-John
- Grammy Award Winning Singer/ Songwriter, Colbie Caillat
- Ventura Local and Three-Time Platinum Hip Hop and Rap Artist, Super Duper KYLE
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, known for their hit songs "Go Daddy-O" and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit"
...and there is so much more to check out.
"We are very happy to be assisting the many great individuals that are organizing this community event," Alex Teague, Limoneira's COO, who additionally is a sponsor, tells me. "There is a great deal of talent and compassion in Ventura County and we are proud to take part."
Also a sponsor of the Thomas Fire Benefit Concert, Gary Clevenger, Managing Principal of Freska Produce, shares that the company's thoughts go out to all those impacted by California's wildfires and the Freska team saw this benefit as an opportunity to do their part.
"We are proud to be a part of this benefit concert, and hope others in our industry will rally around such a good and necessary cause as well," Gary says. "We wanted to extend our hand of help to the community in hopes that we can change the lives of those affected."
According to the festival information, all fire victims will be able to register for a one-time monetary gift, the amount depending on the total money raised. The Festival is partnering the Ventura County Human Services Agency, the Ventura County Community Foundation, Ventura Education Partnership, Ventura College Foundation, Help of Ojai, Downtown Ventura Organization and the World Central Kitchen to achieve this incredible gesture. The website also noted that The WCK, who provided thousands of meals to first responders, are now assisting the relief effort in and around Montecito.
To learn more about the sold out event and how you can donate, please make this your next click of the day.
CALIFORNIA - If you are growing out of California, chances are things got a little steamy early this week. Temperature records throughout the state were broken on Monday, as Santa Ana winds and a high pressure ridge brought a surprising burst of winter heat.
According to the Los Angeles Times, numerous spots around Southern California hit new high temperatures on Monday, including Long Beach at 91 degrees, LAX and UCLA at 89, Santa Ana at 88, Newport Beach at 85, and Vista at 90. The source also reported that California was home to the hottest location in all of the U.S. for the day—Lake Forest at 93 degrees.
"It's very dry—far below normal for this time of year, but it's also kind of typical with a Santa Ana winds condition," said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the NWS in Oxnard.
As wind speeds hit upwards of 50 mph around the southern half of the state, a red flag fire warning was in place last weekend from 10 p.m. Saturday through 3 p.m. Monday. And, according to reporting by the Associated Press, firefighters were deployed to put out a small fire in Malibu on Monday.
The heat wave is showing no signs of stopping, either. The NWS reported that in Southwestern California, including Los Angeles and Oxnard, above normal temperatures will continue at least through Friday.
BENTONVILLE, AR – The battle for grocery domination rages on with Walmart ramping up efforts to stay on the top of its game with new inventory plans. On Tuesday, Walmart announced it will share more data with suppliers in order to replenish out-of-stock items faster and expects suppliers to deliver goods on time at higher frequencies.
“We have reduced inventory in stores in order to have the right amount of stock and have made significant progress in the past few years,” said Steve Bratspies, Chief Merchandizing Officer, according to a Reuters report. “We want to focus on improving that even more.”
Once only accessible within the company, Walmart now plans to share its On Shelf Customer Availability (OSCA) data at the Supplier Growth Forum, a two-day event held this week at Walmart headquarters.
The retailer also is bolstering its inventory goals by increasing order delivery demands after it announced last year that it wanted orders delivered on time 95 percent of the time in an effort to add $1 billion to revenue and improve produce availability at stores. Starting in April, according to Reuters, Walmart will now require large suppliers to deliver full orders within a specified delivery window 85 percent of the time, previously 75 percent, while smaller suppliers will move to 50 percent of the time, previously 33 percent. All suppliers will face a fine if not fulfilled.
Will Walmart’s stricter inventory plans keep the grocer ahead of competitors? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest.
OTTAWA, ON – The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has announced its satisfaction with progress made during Round 6 of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations this week. Negotiations concluded this week in Montreal, Canada, and CPMA expressed its admiration for Canadian negotiators who have worked to ensure that the renewed NAFTA will protect industry supply chains across the continent, support growth, and adhere to principles of free and fair trade.
“We have been working closely with Canadian negotiators and industry partners throughout round six and remain committed to achieving a win-win- win outcome for all three countries,” said CPMA President Ron Lemaire, in a press release. “As we prepare for round seven in Mexico, CPMA will continue to support the negotiating process to help achieve the best outcome for the fresh produce industry, especially on key issues such as the seasonal trade remedy proposal, dispute settlement, and the sunset clause.”
The association noted its optimism in regards to the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Chapter, as well as the biotechnology provisions in the Agriculture Chapter, and noted that it hopes that these will build off of the recent success of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Given how developed all three of the nations involved are, the association noted, NAFTA negotiations provide a unique opportunity to establish a new world-class standard in trade agreements for both of these areas.
For more fresh produce news, stay up-to-date with AndNowUKnow.