LOS ALAMITOS, CA - The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) just paid Frieda’s Specialty Produce a visit for its annual benchmark audit and its California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) organic audit, and the company is happy to report that it passed with flying colors.
“Food safety is of high importance here at Frieda’s, and this is validation that we are not only just in compliance, but at the top percentile of compliance,” Jackie Caplan Wiggins, Frieda’s Vice President and COO, said in a press release. “We also remain 100 percent compliant with the USDA National Organic Program. Everyone at Frieda’s is proud of these accomplishments. What that means for our customers is they know we have the strictest requirements for the suppliers we represent and for our own handling processes and procedures.”
Frieda’s improved upon its already high score of 99.35 percent last year to 99.62 percent this year.
These scores were tallied in April on the PrimusGFS Packinghouse Audit which is, according to the press release, the highest global standard.
As for the CCOF’s organic audit, which was performed in June, Frieda’s remains 100 percent compliant with the National Organic Program set up by the USDA.
The CCOF is one of the first organic certification associations and certifies more than 2,500 organic operations in 38 states and three foreign countries, while the GFSI seeks to uphold and improve food safety management systems for consumers worldwide.
NEW KENSINGTON, PA - The Power of Produce 2015, a recent research study sponsored by Yerecic Label and published by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), set out to answer the question that appears to be most prominent in sellers’ minds: how do you hook millennial buyers?
“Produce means business to the food retail community,” Rick Stein, FMI Vice President of Fresh Foods, said in a press release. “The Power of Produce explores behavior and demographic trends that are paramount for fresh executives, especially how Millennials are influencing the perimeter of the store.”
According to the release, millennials are the key targets for impulse buys at a 64 percent higher likelihood to do so than everyone else’s 57 percent and are prompting a lot of marketing attention.
“We are continuously looking for ways to interact with consumers to learn what our clients can do to engage the shopper,” Rich Thoma, VP of Sales and Marketing for Yerecic Label, said. “As Millennials will shortly become the largest buying power in North America, resonating with these shoppers is on the top of everyone’s mind.”
A large takeaway from The Power of Produce’s study is that the millennial generation sees produce differently than the buyers that have come before them. From pre-trip planning to in-store experiences and top decision making needs, these particular consumers are reportedly less concerned with the appearance and seasonality of produce and more interested in the required prep time, habit, and product information.
“Double digit differences in data by demographics always catch your eye,” Art Yerecic, Yerecic Label President, said. “While the Boomers are the solidifiers of the produce business, the Millennials are driving new growth through high interest in organic, value-added and smoothies amongst other things. This shows connecting with this generation is crucial to continued health and growth of the produce category.”
Another key difference, Yerecic Label notes, is the millennial craving for recipes and new items. According to the release, this generation of shoppers are more inclined to see suggestions by the produce staff as a part of the in-store experience, something quite different from the previous shopping generation.
The Power of Produce 2015 was conducted by 210 Analytics, LLC, and published by the FMI. Yerecic Label developed materials based on the findings from those that participated to shed light on the millennial generation's consumption habits and purchasing trends.
To access more of the Power of Produce 2015 information and findings, contact Yerecic label at [email protected].
To stay up to date on what continues to influence the industry, keep checking in with AndNowUKnow.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - More than 125 Midwest growers have been promised a $100 million investment from Meijer as part of its promise to support locally-grown produce.
“With today’s shoppers seeking more information about how their food is grown and produced, Meijer is vital in bringing consumers and farmers together to share knowledge and build trust and confidence in our food supply, while putting a face to the farmer,” Larry Alsum, Alsum Farms & Produce President and CEO, said, according to a press release. “As shoppers look to provide healthy choices for their families, locally grown and produced products provide that value.”
Jerry Suter, Vice President of Fresh Merchandising said that, as long as the quality meets the retailer's high standards, it has a longstanding commitment to buying locally-grown produce when available. “Not only is buying local produce the right thing to do, it’s what our customers want and deserve. We are currently one of the largest purchasers of local produce in the markets we serve.”
Meijer has bought local produce since its inception, according to the company, but has shown extra vigor in that commitment in recent years, with the web of local growers in the program increasing 25 percent over the last two years alone. E. Miedema & Sons, Inc.’s Dave Miedema, whose grandfather, Ralph Miedema, delivered cabbage and squash to Hendrik Meijer at the Greenville store almost eight decades ago, now operates the 1,500-acre farm and continues to work with and praise Meijer’s practice.
“Buying local is important to us because many of our friends and neighbors see our produce in our fields and wish to purchase it. They like to support us,” Miedema said in the release. “Meijer is a great partner.”
Thanks to its partnership with Mastronardi Produce, whose state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse in Coldwater, Michigan, gave the retail chain vine-ripened, Michigan-grown tomatoes year-round as of 2013, Meijer is able to stay within its commitment to local produce while still having it all year. In fact, the partnership expanded this year to sweet peppers is the colder months.
As we previously reported, Meijer has 11 new stores slated for the year. The retailer stated that it will continue to seek partnerships with local growers that meet the high standards it sets for its fresh produce as it continues to expand in the Midwest.
PELION, SC - WP Rawl has ramped up its web presence with a newly renovated website.
“We are very pleased with our new website,” Ashley Rawl, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Development, said in a press release. “We realized that if we wanted to continue as a leader in the category, we needed a better platform from which to offer our recipes and products to consumers. We had the recipes and the products, but now we have that platform to showcase both of which we are proud.”
Featuring a vibrant, visually stimulating format with improved functionality, the website is now much more recipe-centric to cultivate the needed platform Ashley addressed.
As WP Rawl celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, the company stated that it continues to value its past while still looking to the future. The design for the new website conveys this by showcasing its conventional and organic offerings, featuring products and brand partners like Monique Coleman and the “Eat Mo Greens” campaign running through fall 2015, while also providing improved navigation and incorporating consumer feedback.
Other updates include:
- Improved search engine optimization capabilities
- Beautiful photography to highlight products
- Being mobile-friendly
- Social sharing functionality
- A new content management system
- Easier access to the company’s monthly Leaflet newsletter
The company also emphasized that product development is an integral part of its efforts for all Nature’s Greens, Versatile Veggies and Rawl lines, which the new website provides a good channel to showcase.
OXNARD, CA - With record mango volumes out of Mexico this year, now is the ideal time to promote the category as the summer months get underway. Warm temperatures inspire consumers to seek out cooler food options and Freska Produce International is bringing its best tasting fruit to retail with promotable pricing and large sized fruit.
"Now is the best time of year to be eating mangos," Gary Clevenger, Managing Member and Partner at Freska, tells me. “Currently we are supplying the Kent and Keitt variety which offer consumers a creamy, dessert-like texture with excellent eating quality and flavor.”
Building big displays using Freska mangos and bins has always been a huge draw at retail and mango demos can be utilized to spread the word on differing flavor profiles and mango features as well as their many health attributes.
Mexico is currently 8 million cases ahead of last year’s volume with plenty more to address the growing demand in the mango category. Freska Produce is continuing to supply its fruit from its Northern growing regions in Sinaloa and moving to Los Mochis where the company is seeing large sizing across the board.
Offered in the larger 4.5 kilo box (10 lb), a majority of Freska’s mangos are in the 7,8, and 9, range with 4, 5, and 6’s expected as the company moves into Los Mochis and begins harvesting Keitts.
“Right now, it’s about educating the consumers and the retail produce buyers on the Kent and Keitt varieties to help drive buying behaviors. Kents and Keitts are green to orange-yellow as they ripen, with low blush, and offer firm flesh with a piney sweetness and minimal fiber surrounding the seed area,” Gary tells me. “It is a different eating experience that we find consumers love and ask for year after year.”
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to keep track of the mango season.
VERO BEACH, FL - Seald Sweet is launching a new Kiddie Clems™ line of packaging for its easy-to-peel clementines.
The Kiddie Clems™ packaging is for conventional varieties of clementines, which are currently much higher in volume within the easy-peel mandarin and clementine category, according to a press release.
“Consumption of this fruit continues to increase every year,” said Peter Anderson, Seald Sweet’s Imported Citrus Category Manager. “Retailers continue to grow their clementine business and many have responded very favorably to this new label. It is bright, colorful and attractive, and it stands out on the shelf at the store level.”
The new high-graphic packaging, which features colorful, kid-friendly graphics, was designed to follow up the success of the company’s Mandarina’s™ brand of sweet mandarins packaging. As such, both the Kiddie Clems™ and Mandarina’s™ label feature the Mandarina character in an effort to appeal to children and ultimately increase their fresh produce consumption.
“The Kiddie Clem™ label has a ‘Tiny Treats for Tiny Sweets’ tag line, making it the perfect packaging for smaller-sized fruit,” continued Anderson. “Our customers have specifically mentioned how they really like that aspect of the packaging.”
The new packaging will be available through September, while Mandarina’s™ sweet mandarins packaging will be available from August through October. Both labels are also available during Seald Sweet’s winter easy-peeler programs as well, from November through April.
AUSTIN, TX - Whole Foods has been in the line of fire in recent days for some overpricing issues that took place in its New York City locations. As a retailer with a reputation for its honesty and working with the industry, Co-Founder John Mackey and Co-CEO Walter Robb wasted no time in releasing a face-to-face video addressing the issue as blatantly as possible.
“Straight up, we made some mistakes and we want to own it and tell you what we’re doing about it,” Robb says immediately after introducing himself.
The executives attribute the issues in overpricing to the weighing system and labeling being handled by individual employees rather than machine, meaning that it was kept to the fresh sector of the company’s inventory.
So what exactly are they going to do about these issues? Now identified, they are implementing measures like a third party auditing system and a public report on the progress Whole Foods has made in improving its fresh pricing system in the coming weeks.
“Most importantly,” Mackey emphasized, “we’re going to increase our training- in our New York stores and around the country.”
To see the Co-CEO and Co-Founder’s entire message, watch the short video below.
In addition to the public statement, the retailer issued a little more detail on the mistakes made and the measure addressed in a press release attached to the video.
The main emphasis the company conveys is that any and all mistakes made were unintentional.
“Any errors were unintentional, and any claim that we are 'systematically overcharging' customers is completely inaccurate,” the release stated. “The New York DCA found errors that were not in favor of customers as well as errors that were benefitting customers. Even errors in customers’ favor are considered a violation.”
While Whole Foods did make a clear apology for the mistakes made and wanting to take a hands on approach to fix it, it maintains its pride for using actual people.
“This is who we are and how we deliver the freshest products to customers, but this also means there will be some unintentional human errors,” it said of its measuring and packing system.
Mackey and Robb concluded their message with a request for consumers to say something to cashiers if they feel an error has occurred, giving shoppers a guarantee that the company will give them that item for free if an error is found.
MADERA, CA - Welcome to Behind the Greens.
Bari Produce has officially welcomed its early season California Apricots. Apricots are one of the last, truly seasonal items and as such, they tend to be a hot impulse buy in the produce section. Timing for Bari Produce is typically the end of April, all the way through the middle of June.
Specializing in larger type fruit, Bari’s varieties include Kylece, Poppycot, Coral-cot and Giant Lorna. This year, the company unveiled a new label specifically for larger sizes, called CRAZY APES. All the company’s apricots are grown by one family grower ranch, which is Global GAP certified for both Harvest and Packing.
Besides having unique, and large varieties, another reason the Bari Produce program shines is its fruit is hand packed. Bari recently upgraded its packing facility to accommodate three belt type lines to handle the increasing volume. First, the fruit is gently placed on a belt from the picking totes and then that fruit is manually sorted and graded by hand, minimizing fruit rolling around and bouncing around on a typical mechanical sorter or sizer. The end result is a cleaner piece of fruit that ends up in the box.
Thank you for watching Behind the Greens.
MCFARLAND, CA - Sunlight International has started shipping its green and red seedless grape varieties; although they’re early, the company says they are exceptional.
“What else makes high quality table grapes happier than sunny, warm and dry conditions?” George Galloway, Sales for Sunlight International, said in a press release. “Between the unusual warm weather trend, harvest being a few days earlier than last year and new vineyards in the Maricopa, California area, we are beyond excited about this strong start to the season and can’t wait for consumers to see our beautiful grapes in our one-of-a-kind retail promotional bins and bags.”
Sunlight is calling it a “vintage year,” with high brix levels that are expected to continue to increase, good size, and strong flavor. The company said in its release that it “averted what Mother Nature threw their way” and is now seeing ideal growing conditions despite the drought.
As of June 24th, Sunlight has been shipping an ample supply of Flame Seedless from the Maricopa, California region, testing at 19 brix at harvest. In the coming days the company is also due to harvest Lucky Red, placing orders for the variety in the first weeks of this month.
Early Sweet, the new green seedless variety, measured at 21 brix upon harvest, which began on June 22nd. Sunlight is also phasing into its new Sweet Sixteen variety in the next week, followed closely by its Esteem Green Seedless.
According to the release, the company will have a steady supply of a variety of red and green seedless throughout the season, with black varieties due mid-July. All will be under Sunlight’s Pretty Lady for the Summer promotion. The promotional resources for the campaign, plus its Green Emerald Program, include full color display bins and posters available upon request to catch consumer eyes when passing grapes in the retail aisles.
CINCINNATI, OH - In a sudden announcement, Mike Ellis, Kroger’s President and Chief Operating Officer, has retired.
Ellis, a faithful company employee for forty years, was appointed to his current position in January 2014. A news release issued on Tuesday did not indicate his official reason for leaving, though a report from the Cincinnati Business Courier claims Ellis had retired for “personal reasons,” according to Kroger spokesman Keith Dailey. Dailey would not go into more detail about the personal reasons regarding Ellis’ departure, though he noted that as a result of his retirement he would be closer to his family living in Portland.
“We’re very grateful to Mike for his contributions over the past 40 years, and we wish him all the best in retirement,” said Rodney McMullen, Chairman and CEO. “We have long taken a team approach to leadership and together our highly-experienced team of operators and merchandisers is focused on delivering on our aggressive growth goals.”
According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday, Ellis and Kroger have reached an agreement that calls for his “fulfillment of certain confidentiality, cooperation, and other restrictions,” according to the Cincinnati Business Courier. The agreement calls for Ellis’ granted but unvested stock options to be vested. Those options are exercisable in two years.
Ellis started his career as a 16-year-old working as a parcel clerk at Fred Meyer. He went on to serve various operations and merchandising leadership positions, division management, and as a corporate officer, according to a press release. He was named Vice President of Fred Meyer’s food group before joining The Kroger Co. as a Senior Officer in 2004. In 2006, he returned to Fred Meyer to lead as President. By 2012, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Retail Divisions, leading five operating divisions, as well as Kroger’s jewelry and convenience store businesses.
Until Ellis’ successor is named at a later date, McMullen will assume the role of President and Principal Operating Officer on an interim basis.