LOS ANGELES, CA - The Long Beach and Los Angeles ports, a pair of the U.S.’s busiest points of transit, saw truck drivers striking yesterday, June 1st, in an effort be classified as full time employees instead of the current system of independent contractors.
With more than 800 complaints filed with the California Labor Commission against port-trucking companies in the last five years, and more than $35 million to drivers in that time, it is an issue that continues to effect the state’s transportation segment. The drivers’ argue the change could open the door to more opportunities and better treatment, while companies argue the proposed system wouldn’t be sustainable.
As the debate wages, the striking drivers have taken their stance to the ports that see as many as 25,000 short-haul trucks taking product to retail chains like that of Costco, Walmart, Target, and more, according to news source Marketplace.
The current system in place calls on drivers as independent contractors, leasing or owning their own trucks and equipment. For the 750+ trucking companies that operate out of the ports, that majority reportedly own less than 100 trucks to transport.
The reports have not yet released an estimated number of drivers on strike, nor have either of the respective ports said anything to the effect of the action disrupting transportation of fresh produce or any other goods coming through Los Angeles and Long Beach.
AndNowUKnow will continue to follow this and other events for effects they could have on the industry.
ORLANDO, FL - In collaboration with Nielsen-Perishables Group, the National Mango Board has released two category development reports helping both retailers and mango industry members understand the trends and opportunities in mango sales growth.
Both look to have good timing, as NMB just recently announced to retailers and suppliers that, due to high import volumes, now is the time to push mangos.
“Mangos make summertime sweeter for consumers and this is a great opportunity to entice them to take home this delicious superfruit,” stated Rachel Muñoz, Director of Marketing at the NMB, in a press release. “By setting up strong mango promotions and following best mango merchandising practices, retailers can have a sizzling summer mango season.”
The Performance Benchmark Report offers a breakdown of mango sales, volume, and pricing by quarter and sub-region. According to the board, it dives into both organic and fresh-cut trends, comparing 2015 mango scanner data to 2014 from registered FreshFacts data.
The second compilation, the Mango Market Development Index Reports, ranks the nine sub-regions and 48 ScanTrack markets by mango sales per capita using the same FreshFacts data.
This year’s later kickoff to the summer mango season has led to strong volumes, NMB said, which retailers can offer by the case to move big numbers at great prices.
Several mango varieties are currently available, with peak sizes listed as the following:
- Yellow mango through end of June: 18s, 20s, and 22s
- Round mangos through mid-June: 10s and 12s
- Round mangos mid-June through late July: 9s, 10s and 12s
The NMB recently found in its study that placing mangos with stone fruit resulted in increased volume and dollars by more than 40 percent compared to the previous year.
Retailers can find a number of tools and resources to help boost sales for this increasingly popular fruit at mango.org/retail, including POS materials, handling and merchandising tools, crop information, and more.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Two billion apple packs in twelve years.
That is the milestone that McDonald’s, fast food giant and purveyor of burgers, celebrated yesterday in its pursuit of offering more fruits and vegetables to its consumers, particularly the youngest ones.
"We are proud of being part of a growing trend through increased access to pre-sliced apple packages," said Steve Kerley, Vice President and General Manager of McDonald's in the Philadelphia Region, in a press release. "This milestone is a marker of McDonald's continuing to play an important role in every community and our ongoing efforts to help increase access to fruit and other nutritious food for children.”
The choice to serve the value-added fruit necessitated suppliers with the capacity to meet the offering, which McDonald’s said boosted pre-sliced apple package availability and, in turn, the impact of that industry on the next generation of consumers.
“The decision to serve real apple slices with Happy Meals more than a decade ago helped make it easier for parents to ensure that their children are getting wholesome options," Kerley stated.
McDonald’s made the addition to its kids menu in April of 2004, one of the first to successfully create a market for convenient, fresh-cut apple packs, with the U.S.’s children of today 12 and under never knowing a Happy Meal that didn’t have the option.
What will coming years hold as the chain continues to pursue its 2014 goal of doubling the amount of fruits and vegetables it sells? Keep checking in with AndNowUKnow as we look to find out.
WATSONVILLE, CA - Costco will now be stocking Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce's (A&W) GoodFarms brand of berries, which have just been certified by non-profit organization, Equitable Food Initiative (EFI). EFI certifies products that comply with its standards for improved working conditions, pest management, and food safety in the effort to produce safer, more responsibly grown fruits and vegetables.
GoodFarms™ will debut its craft blueberries, craft strawberries, and organic strawberries from EFI-certified farms at Costco locations on the West Coast, Northeast, and in Hawaii. According to a press release, GoodFarms™ believes in using sustainable growing practices, farmworker empowerment and affordable access to fresh, healthy food.
“When workers participate in EFI’s leadership team training, they better understand their role in the value chain and become more engaged,” shared Ernie Farley, Partner at A&W GoodFarms, adding that EFI’s workforce development has been integral to the successful certification of the farms. “That engagement benefits all of us – from the grower to the farmworker, all the way to the consumer.”
GoodFarms™ and Costco’s product availability is now as follows:
- Craft blueberries from an EFI-certified farm in Oxnard, California, will be stocked by Hawaiian Costco locations
- Craft strawberries and organic strawberries from EFI-certified farms in Watsonville, California will be in California, Arizona, Oregon, some of the Hawaiian Islands, and the Northeastern United States Costco locations
The company says that it already has plans to increase this distribution even further.
"Andrew & Williamson was a real pioneer in the development of the Equitable Food Initiative. We're excited to see their commitment to their workers and to consumers reflected in their GoodFarms™ brand," added Peter O'Driscoll, EFI’s Executive Director. "This effort to educate consumers should increase demand for produce that is responsibly grown and farmworker assured. More retail sales generate a premium so that growers can reward workers for their hard work. Together, EFI and GoodFarms™ create value for workers, growers, retailers and consumers alike."
Those who want to learn more about EFI certification can visit http://www.equitablefood.org/, and be sure to check back with AndNowUKnow for even more coverage on responsible growing practices.
Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce GoodFarms™ Equitable Food Initiative
BENTONVILLE, AR – Debuting the latest in its strategic utilization of recent technology, Walmart unleashed the newest member of its team; a drone.
Featuring a custom-built camera that takes 30 pictures a second, the drone is being tested in a distribution center near the company’s headquarters in Arkansas. Walmart is currently testing the effectiveness of the drone in roles which can be dangerous and more time-consuming for its human counterparts.
Shekar Natarajan, Walmart Vice President of Emerging Sciences and Strategy & Planning, said in a statement to Bloomberg that the drone is still in its testing stages, and is expected to remain there for the next six to nine months.
The drone flies, pilot-free, amongst shelves of merchandise and takes pictures of every item, making sure that each product is placed in the correct spot so it can quickly be found when needed. If the drone finds an incorrectly placed item, an employee manning the “air traffic control” center will be notified in real-time of the improperly located item's location on a computerized map. From there, a worker can move and correct the item.
The company reported that this task usually takes two people at least one month to perform manually, and can be dangerous as it requires them to ride a lift several stories above the distribution center floor to reach high shelves. The drone, however, can complete this task with ease within an hour.
The company eventually hopes to use drones as part of its logistics network of over 100 distribution centers and 4,500 U.S. stores. Walmart also has interest in using the drones to assist with tracking merchandise and trailers outside of its distribution filings, according to a filing with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Last year, Bloomberg reported that Walmart asked the FAA for a waiver to test its drones outdoors so the company could eventually use them to deliver products straight to consumers, similar to moves seen by Amazon and Alphabet Inc.
Consumers, however, will have to continue to wait until the FAA finalizes its regulations before they can expect the arrival of product-laden drones at their doors.
As the buy-side continues to look towards technology innovations to keep ahead of the competition, keep up the buzz with AndNowUKnow.
WENATCHEE, WA - There’s never a dull moment in the orchard of a cherry grower, and as CMI's Jack Raines can tell you, it’s those differences from year to year that keep him going.
The company recently released a “Meet the Grower” video starring Raines and his orchard, to show CMI consumers an orchard in harvest and hear what motivates its growers.
“The biggest joy I get out of the orcharding, is the challenge. The challenge to try to create something better than it was, create bigger fruit than we used to have,” says Raines in the video. “I guess my joy comes more from the achievement of getting out here and trying to make something better.”
In the video, viewers can watch Raines sort through his crop and work amongst the trees, as he gives a more personal meaning to the labor behind the fruit. Raines is a cherry grower from the Northwest, and as the company said in a statement, is one of the top and best growers for CMI.
To learn more about CMI’s “unsung heroes of the harvest,” and to find out what keeps Jack Raines in the field at 80 years-old, watch the video above!
GILROY, CA - It’s been a strong start for Uesugi Farms’ bell pepper season, kicking off its Coachella season harvest last month, and shipping green, red, and yellow peppers. Located in the Southern California desert, Coachella provides what Uesugi refers to as superior pepper production growing conditions, especially during April to June and October to December, when peppers can’t usually be grown many places elsewhere in California.
“In Coachella, the weather is a little more harsh and unpredictable, hence the shorter growing season than that of Gilroy and our other northern areas,” explained Pete Aiello, General Manager of Uesugi Farms. “But the weather during the two aforementioned windows is good, and the soils are very light – mostly sand. While these Coachella soils aren’t packed with as many nutrients as soils up here are, their light nature means better drainage and less disease. And these are good things.”
Uesugi Farms has been farming for more than seven decades, established itself as one of the leading pepper grower/packer/shippers in the country, according to a press release. Over the years, the company has expanded its pepper farming to nine regions, including:
- Six California regions
- One Arizona region
- Two Mexican regions
Prospects are promising for the company’s year-round pepper operation, Uesugi says, and the company is still growing, recently starting red, orange, and yellow mini-bells (not to be confused with mini-sweets) on a trial basis.
Uesugi's Coachella Valley/Southern California pepper harvest season began last month in April, and will continue to run through July. Expect Central Valley and South Coast harvests to kick off in June, with Northern California harvest starting in July.
Looks like there will be plenty of peppers to go around all year if Uesugi Farms has anything to say about it, so stay tuned as we continue to update you on the season’s to come!
OVIEDO, FL – Duda Farm Fresh Foods is enjoying positive feedback since the launch of its new snacking line in January. Sammy Duda, the company’s Vice President of Western Operations, took the time to tell me a bit more about the company’s moves to grow in the snacking category.
“There is a wide variety of what we are introducing, which goes right into the snacking category, which is the fastest growing category in the produce section,” Sammy tells me.
The line includes both packs and cups of celery, with various dip options like peanut butter and ranch.
“We think it highlights our proprietary varieties,” Sammy says of the new line, including the sweetness and crunch of its celery with less stringiness.
Duda is also offering Grab and Go Citrines®, further pushing its presence in snacking for fresh produce. “We are trying to fulfill that segment, and we’re excited about what we have to offer.”
Sammy adds that, while these products have not yet been launched in Canada, the company has been assessing the interest and received positive feedback, as well as being widely well received in the U.S.
To see my full interview with Sammy, see the brief video exclusive above.
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on two produce businesses for failure to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry, according to a recent USDA press release:
- Gaia Produce & Mexican Quality Products USA LLC, operating out of McAllen, TX, for failing to pay a $36,426 award in favor of a California seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Luz Maria Calderon and Jaime Simon Zamora were listed as the members of the business.
- Ancor Fresh Produce LLC, operating out of Miami, FL, for failing to pay a $24,585 award in favor of a Florida seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Raul Angulo and Ricardo Molinotti were listed as the members of the business.
The USDA is required to suspend the license or impose sanctions on an unlicensed business that fails to pay PACA reparations awarded against it as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business when the order is issued. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA-approval.
In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
CINCINNATI, OH - Russ Dispense, President of the Kroger branch King Soopers, has announced his plan to retire July 1st of this year.
Dispense has been with King Soopers for 51 years, joining as a courtesy clerk in 1965 and working his way up to help lead the company in various roles for the last five decades, and serving his current role for the last 15 years.
"Throughout his distinguished career, Russ has always been known for his passion for the community, King Soopers and for people,” Rodney McMullen, Kroger's Chairman and CEO, said in a press release. “His desire to see those who work with him grow and develop has changed the lives of our associates and touched the lives of our customers.”
A successor has not yet been named, though Kroger did note that would be addressed at a later date.
"Under Russ's leadership, King Soopers has grown significantly while remaining Colorado's favorite grocery store in a highly-competitive market,” McMullen continued. “Russ will end his incredible career as our longest-serving King Soopers President. We are grateful for his many years of exceptional service and leadership, and wish him, Debbie and their family all the best in retirement.”
During his tenure with King Soopers, Dispense has served in the following roles:
- Vice President of Retail Operations and Merchandising for the King Soopers Division (1983)
- Vice President of Real Estate
- President of Smith's Food and Drug Stores in Salt Lake City (1999)
- President of King Soopers/City Market Division (2001)
Not only has he served in various leadership roles throughout stores, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and administrative offices, but Dispense is also a member on the Board of Directors for Western Association of Food Chains and has previously served as Past Chairman of the Board for the Better Business Bureau, the Board of Directors for the Mountain States Employers Council, and the Rocky Mountain Food Dealers Association, as well as the State of Colorado Governor's Advisory Council.
A Colorado native and married to his wife Debbie for 46 years, Dispense has two children and five grandchildren.
Congratulations to Mr. Dispense on this newest chapter and a successful career in the industry.