PHOENIX, AZ - Don’t want to eat vegan? Don’t break the law. That’s what toughest sheriff in town Joe Arpaio has to say when it comes to the decision to change Maricopa County’s prison menu to a much more produce-conducive diet.
“They may not like the food, but if they don’t, the other alternative is to not go to jail,” Sheriff Arpaio said in a Phoenix Business Journal report.
And if that doesn’t work, bring in PETA spokeswoman and celebrity Pamela Anderson to dish the food.
The Baywatch star and animal advocate stopped by to serve lunches and promote the change, sadly without a hairnet, expressing her hope that other facilities would follow Mariposa’s example.
“We're saving a lot of lives and I think it's very helpful and encouraging to get people to eat compassionately and make non-violent choices,” Anderson said, according to the Kansas City Star.
From the business aspect, Sheriff Arpaio told the Phoenix Business Journal that the produce-charged vegan menu is not only a healthier option, it saves the county an additional $200,000 a year in food cost.
The jail system began the shift in diet provisions in 2013 with a focus on vegetarian, however the county contract still permits meat purchases, according to a Yahoo report from the time. Those contracts will expire in May of 2017, and whether or not they will be renewed is still a debate that continues.
While there appears to be local controversy with the county’s food suppliers and those advocating on behalf of inmates who do not necessarily want to be vegan, one thing is for sure; being served by the Baywatch star certainly helped the inmates eat their veggies.
Losing your smartphone can happen to the best of us. Sometimes it’s hiding in our cars, our homes, or in the deepest, darkest cavities of our sofas. Luckily, Google and Apple have developed ways to help keep those misplaced phones in their proper place.
The next time you lose your phone, check out these apps to help you find it. Sometimes finding your phone is just a click away.
Android
The latest version of the Google app allows you to find your lost phone from your desktop.
1) Make sure you’re logged into the same Google account on your PC and your phone. This will only work if you’re using the latest version of the Google app, which can be downloaded here.
2) Type the phrase “find my phone” into Google’s search engine on your PC. Google will display a map that will eventually indicate the location of your phone.
3) From here, you can tell Google to ring your phone for you if it’s nearby, lock your phone, or erase its data.
iPhone
If you haven’t downloaded or heard of it already, check out the Find My iPhone app by clicking here. Using your iCloud account, you can track your iPhone’s location, ring your phone, lock it, or erase its data.
1) Make sure you’re logged into the same iCloud account on your PC and your phone. You can check your iCloud settings on your iPhone by going to Settings > iCloud.
2) Find your iPhone via your iCloud account by clicking here.
3) After a few moments, a map will indicate where your phone is currently located and let you ring your phone, lock it, or erase its data.
Note: Your GPS on your smartphone must be turned on.
To turn on your GPS, follow these steps.
Android: Settings > Location > Switch "Location" on
iPhone: Settings > Privacy > Turn "Location Services" on
These same steps also work for Android tablets and the iPad as well. Now when your smartphone goes incognito, you’ll be better prepared to track it down.
SOUTH BEND, IN - Martin’s Supermarkets is opening a new Express store that will reflect the small-format feel that appears to be growing in popularity.
The 26,200-square-foot store will be the first of the company’s Express buildings to embrace the smaller scale, though it will still have a salad bar, Starbucks coffee kiosk, butcher and seafood shops, sandwiches, and a Side Door Deli Café, according to the Goshen News.
“It’s been a team effort to focus the best of what Martin’s offers into a smaller footprint,” Phil Plummer, Vice President of Martin’s Supermarkets Sales and Marketing, told Goshen. “At Martin’s Express, we’ve assembled a group of specialists who will be dedicated from day one to presenting the best, freshest and highest quality favorites shoppers have asked us to offer.”
The new store is due to open on Thursday, May 7, with opening promotions scheduled throughout the month.
The calendar for the company’s small-format debut will look something like this:
- Tuesday, May 12, from 1 to 3 p.m.: Hoosier Lottery Wheel Spin, where each $5 lottery purchase will earn a spin on the wheel for prizes.
- Wednesday, May 13, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.: Free Eat Smart Be Well store tours hosted by Martin’s dietitian Kristin Humes.
- Thursday, May 14, from 5 to 8 p.m.: Sip & Sample wine and deli tasting (21 or older), featuring harpist Meg Rodgers.
- Friday, May 15, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Meet the Chef as Martin’s new Executive Chef Melissa Bradley will host a free sampling event featuring Martin’s Kitchen Fresh favorites.
- Saturday, May 16, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Kids Club Day featuring free activities for children and their guardians.
- Friday, May 22, 4 to 5:30 p.m.: Roofsit Cookout Fundraiser and U93 live broadcast with proceeds benefiting child abuse prevention. There will be $2 donation requested for food. Register to win a 2015 car from Jordan Automotive.
For all the latest in the produce industry, keep checking in with AndNowUKnow.
AUSTIN, TX - Steve Zaccardi, Senior Sales Associate at Mucci Farms, joined AndNowUKnow to share the latest news on the company’s Hot Shots and Blended Flavours products.
Hot Shots, a medley of exotic hot peppers, is getting a new addition this summer – the Carolina Reaper, the Guinness World Record’s hottest pepper of 2013.
Blended Flavours, available now, include five specific varieties of bite-sized tomatoes that were selected by a taste test panel.
To learn more about these two products, check out our interview with Steve Zaccardi above.
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - C.H. Robinson and the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) have joined forces to develop more effective ways to measure carbon emissions in Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) shipments.
“LTL is a significant and growing business, worth $35 billion in the United States alone,” Greg West, Vice President of North America LTL at C.H. Robinson, said in a press release. “And, as global retailing continues to grow, it will be more and more important to understand the implications of LTL carbon emissions.”
C.H. Robinson commissioned the research into these emission measurements as a MIT CTL master’s thesis project, according to the release, which resulted in the ability to create models showing a starting point for analyzing existing methods to calculate carbon emissions at the LTL shipment level. This information could lead to developing more accurate approaches in measuring, as well as help shape future regulations, for emissions.
“We set out to better quantify emissions from LTL shipments and identify flaws in the current methods used,” Steve Raetz, Director of Research and Market Intelligence at C.H. Robinson, commented.
The newly completed white paper stated that developing a more precise analysis of carbon output in LTLs makes good business sense, emphasizing that a greener supply chain is more efficient. Operating on the data that reductions in carbon emissions could very well be linked to reduced operation costs, C.H. Robinson is optimistic that these models can help the industry to create a more precise account of LTL carbon emissions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Surprise, China is no longer the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries.
Japan now owns more U.S. government debt above all other countries, beating China’s six year record, according to data released by the Treasury Department. The news comes as Japan’s central bank embarks on an aggressive effort to combat deflation and boost the country’s money supply, ultimately resulting in more money to invest overseas.
On Wednesday, the Treasury Department revealed that Japan owned $1.2244 trillion worth of U.S. government securities versus China’s $1.2237 trillion as of February. It should be noted, however, that transactions carried out by other nations on behalf of China and Japan aren’t included, CNN reports.
In recent years, the Obama administration has pressured China to allow the yuan to rise in value against the dollar.
“Economic growth and export growth are slowing in China and as a result China has less money to invest overseas, while Japan’s central bank is pursuing policies that will keep the Japanese yen weaker against the dollar and thus make dollar investments more attractive to Japanese investors,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at the Smith School of Business at California State University, Channel Islands, according to the Associated Press.
Japan’s U.S. debt holdings are $13.6 billion higher over the past year, while China’s holdings are $49.2 billion higher.
“The dynamic between Japan and China has shifted, in part due to foreign-exchange-reserve needs and the currency dynamics between the two countries,” said Edward Acton, a U.S. government-bond strategist at RBS Securities Inc. in Stamford, Connecticut, a primary dealer, according to Bloomberg. “It’s a global-macro investing signpost.”
Given this data from the Treasury Department and current economic trends in Japan and China, foreign buying is expected to continue to suppress long-term rates in the U.S., said Russ Koesterich, BlackRock’s Global Chief Investment Strategist, according to MarketWatch.
In comparison, the Federal Reserve is another major buyer of U.S. Debt. CNN reports that the central bank owned nearly $2.5 trillion worth of Treasuries, up from $800 billion at the end of 2007.
Salinas native, farmer’s daughter, family business enthusiast, NCHA World Champion finalist, dedicated wife, and dog mommy, Caitlin Antle Wilson embodies all the attributes of a real working woman in the produce world. As she stepped into her new role as Director of Sales and Marketing at Tanimura & Antle this year, we wanted to know: what are some of her favorite things?
Check out the full article in The Snack by clicking here, or continue reading the full piece below.
Caitlin Antle Wilson, Sales & Marketing Director, Tanimura & Antle: My Favorite Things
1.) Instagram
“My escape from reality. National Geographic and Fashion Dads are my favorite!”
2.) The Bench, Pebble Beach
The Bench at Pebble Beach
3.) Soul Cycle
“The most intense big city destination workout.”
4.) Up Band
“I keep myself on track with the UP system by Jawbone.”
5.) Telluride, CO
“My favorite vacation spot.”
6.) Patrick Lencioni’s books
“My favorite leadership guru!”
7.) The Chop & Pop Salad from Proof
“My guilty pleasure.”
8.) Old Gringo Boots
9.) Juby True Juice, Scottsdale, AZ
“A salad I can sip!”
UNITED STATES - The organic train continues across the continent, full steam ahead.
The organic industry reported that the category made an 11.3 percent leap, and the trend is not restricted to any particular region.
“[Organic] doesn’t have any demographic boundaries," Organic Trade Association (OTA) Chief Executive Laura Batcha said, according to the Washington Business Journal. "This additional new data [shows] it doesn’t have regional or partisan boundaries."
And produce remains at the head of the rapidly rising market. Organic fruits and vegetables reigned in about $13 billion last year, making up more than 36 percent of all organic food sales.
USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack commented that the growth spurt has prompted the department to create a new database to make it possible for consumers to track companies’ organic certifications, while anticipating a positive impact on agriculture.
"The more diverse type of operations and the more growing market sectors we have in American agriculture, the better off our country's rural economy will be," Vilsack said, according to The Times-Picayune.
The OCT also found that organic produce in stores has doubled in the last decade, now occupying 12 percent of all produce available in the aisles. This could be in direct response to demand, as the association also reported that the majority of American households nationwide now endeavor to make organic food purchases while shopping retail, the Washington Business Journal reports.
The overall organic industry is currently valued at $39.1 billion, organic food being by far the largest within the industry at $35.9 billion, which Batcha felt definitely kicks it out of the “niche" category.
It seems that the organic engine isn’t slowing, so stay tuned as AndNowUKnow continues to keep you up to date on what is happening within the industry.
SEATTLE, WA - Amazon appears to be making headway in its push to become part of the everyday lives of grocery shoppers.
The multi-faceted online shopping and delivery company is officially the most affordable delivery method for groceries in a place where delivery is key: New York City.
“We believe that price, convenience, selection, and service will dictate who wins, but believe Amazon is currently very well positioned,” Robert Drbul, an analyst at Nomura, the company that conducted the pricing study, wrote in the report, according to Bloomberg Business.
Bloomberg reported that of the competitors the company tried, Amazon came in at $20 lower than the closest competitor. Tip included.
Other business recorded in the study included:
- Instacart Inc.
- Peapod Inc.
- Fresh Direct Holdings Inc.
Peapod is currently the online grocery leader, however Research Farm’s Online Grocery Report 2015 - U.S.A. posed the possibility that Amazon could be poised to “control online grocery,” which has grown to a $10.9 billion industry that is expected to grow almost 10 percent annually over the next 5 years, according to IbisWorld.
With big name competitors like Wal-Mart and Safeway investing in this market, as well as Loblaw’s recent team-up with Uber to drive online orders, this is definitely something to keep an eye on.
Keep checking in with AndNowUKnow as we do just that.
ONTARIO, CA - Beginning with a lucky twist of fate and many years of hard work, Cardenas Markets is becoming one of California’s fastest growing independent grocers, and all signs point to even more growth for the company.
In 1957, Founder Jesus Cardenas arrived from Jalisco, Mexico to work as part of the "bracero" work program. Years of working in the fields led him to different locations all over the state of California, from Riverside, Oxnard, to the Coachella Valley. All three of these areas would later become prime locations for Cardenas Markets.
With his wife, Luz, Cardenas built the foundation of his success by selling pork, poultry, chorizo, and cheeses, as well as traditional Jalisco dishes from Mrs. Cardenas' home.
The rest is history. Cardenas Markets has over 30 stores in Southern California and Las Vegas, and employs more than 3,000 workers total.
Cardenas specializes in flavors from Latin America, but the company also prides itself on its unique shopping experience. The goal, according to Marco Robles, Public Affairs Director for Cardenas Markets, is to give customers the feeling they are shopping in an outdoor plaza environment.
“It’s a combination of Disneyland, New York, New York approach,” Robles told The Valley Business Journal.
The festive interior mixes traditional Latin style with modern market décor. As you walk through the store, you feel as if you were in an outdoor plaza. The sights, music, and smell of the fresh merchandise are a unique part of the shopping experience. Cardenas provides a familiar environment for families to feel comfortable and engage with the store as much as the items they are purchasing.
With recent expansions in Murrieta, Las Vegas, and a $55 million acquisition of Anaheim-based Pro’s Ranch Markets, the future looks bright for the Latin-style market.