GREAT BRITAIN - Kevin Hanley, Britain’s top drug smuggler, has been sentenced to 17 years and 4 months after smuggling about $8 million worth of cocaine in watermelons and pomegranates.
In 2012, Hanley’s drug ring was busted with police seizing about $4 million in cocaine and more than $3 million in cash, according to the Daily Mail.
Hanley escaped capture and went on the run with his girlfriend, Chrysi Minadaki, a Greek television presenter who provided the trucks and the fruits as a cover for the drug smuggling.
He was caught in Greece last July and eventually extradited back to Britain. Hanley plead guilty to drug smuggling conspiracy and was sentenced to prison yesterday, according to the Daily Mail.
The Guardian reports that the court learned during the hearing that Hanley was a key lieutenant of Brian Brendan Wright, a notorious drug kingpin known as the Milkman because 'he always delivered,' who is currently serving a 30-year jail sentence.
Minadaki and John Fowler, who acted as Hanley’s right-hand man, were also sentenced to 17 years and 16 years respectively. All three were convicted of plotting to supply heroin, amphetamines and cannabis, as well as money laundering.
CAMBRIDGE, UK - LINKFRESH is partnering with Business Intelligence (BI) provider Jet Reports to improve its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software suite.
LINKFRESH BI Powered by Jet Reports provides a full business intelligence and reporting suite within a few hours of implementation. Users will have pre-configured dashboards and reporting scenarios to deliver real time key performance analytics based on LINKFRESH data for Production, Inventory, and Consignment Profitability, according to a press release.
“Business intelligence can be used as a competitive tool to expose trends, opportunities, and issues that would otherwise be missed,” said Paul Hollcraft, Global Partner Manager for Jet Reports. “BI enables companies to maximize the value of their ERP data and exploit that data to make decisions that will drive the business forward.”
LINKFRESH Business Intelligence Powered by Jet Reports is available for the complete suite of Jet Reports solutions, including Jet Express, Jet Essentials, and Jet Enterprise solutions.
NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA - In the hyper competitive retail industry, Sobeys thinks that it has identified a way to get a leg up on the competition: celebrity cooking classes. According to the Financial Post, Sobeys has launched a new program through its very successful marketing partnership with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in order to teach the next generation of consumers how to cook.
It's no secret that good cooks, by and large, make better shoppers. Confidence in the kitchen translates into confidence at wielding a much wider range of fresh produce ingredients than your average Top Ramen munching college student might work with. Having been one just a short time ago, I can personally testify to the truth of this statement.
This is where Jamie Oliver, a staunch advocate for healthy school meals and comprehensive nutrition education for young kids, comes in. The new initiative designed with help from the Free the Children, Home Cook Heroes charity, teaches kids aged 12-17 basic cooking skills and nutritional literacy. Sobeys will also be making the program available to schools across Canada, and will be marketing it in nationwide Sobeys and Safeway locations.
“Clearly there are things we have done with Jamie that are showing up in our sales figures,” Marc Poulin, President and CEO of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys, shared during one of Jamie Oliver's cooking demonstrations. “We are improving sales of those products on a continuous basis — it shows up in the [merchandise] mix, and it shows up in our overall performance at stores. That is very encouraging.”
According to the Financial Post, the next phase of the program will bring parents into the mix, offering cooking classes for kids and adults at some Sobeys stores.
“We thought, let’s get kids cooking — they will probably teach their parents,” Marc laughed. “At the end of the day, [retailers] compete against one another, but we also compete against fast-food outlets, take-out windows, delivery. Our opportunity is to communicate to customers that we can help them make meals that are tasty and healthier.”
By teaching his students these basic cooking skills, be it how to chop an onion or wield a food processor like an Iron Chef, Jamie Oliver and Sobeys are helping to raise the next generation of avid produce consumers. Who knows, maybe one day one of these kids will be the one to come up with the next great prickly pear dish or jackfruit recipe. Where's my reservation?
RIO RICO, AZ – In preparation of the 2014 season, SunFed has hired Kevin Partida as part of its sales team.
“It is an honor to be working for Danny and Matt Mandel and joining such a strong team that they have put together. I cannot think of a better time to be joining SunFed. Their reputation for world-class quality in growing and packing is second to none…I look forward to being part of the SunFed future; it’s looking pretty bright,” Kevin said.
Kevin, who joined the team on August 25, will be giving SunFed its first California office. According to a press release, his Southern California location will allow him to work closely with West Coast retailers, wholesalers and foodservice operators.
Matt Mandel, who works in SunFed’s sales department, said that as acreage and the Perfect Produce® lineup continues to expand, the company is looking for experienced sales people to compliment the existing staff and opportunities to be closer to the customer.
“Kevin was an easy choice given his history in produce and his impressive record of accomplishments building customer programs. We are extremely excited to have him join SunFed,” Matt says.
Kevin will be bringing close to 20 years of experience to the team. SunFed now has offices in Rio Rico, AZ, Southern California and New Jersey.
Congratulations on the new position, Kevin!
CANADA - In a landmark move by the USDA, Canadian growers will no longer receive the privileged status under PACA laws which they have historically enjoyed.
“We have determined that Canada does not have a dispute resolution system that is comparable to the U.S. system established pursuant to the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA),” read an email by Deputy Administrator Charles W. Parrott to industry officials. “Therefore, Canadian complainants filing formal reparation complaints against U.S. respondents must be treated the same as other foreign complainants utilizing PACA's reparation services...[and] must provide a surety bond prior to acceptance of the formal complain for adjudication.”
As AndNowUKnow reported in a previous story, these bonding requirements can be costly, placing a serious burden on many growers. This is especially true for smaller farming operations with tight budget requirements.
When reports first emerged of the Canadian government's inaction, the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association's President Mike Stuart expressed his disappointment and concern for growers in both countries.
“The inability of the Canadian government to resolve such a longstanding issue – one it committed to resolving – is a missed opportunity and extremely discouraging to U.S. exporters,” Mike said. “We need leadership from Canada to find a path forward to a solution. Producers in both countries depend on it.”
Matt McInerney, Executive Vice President of Western Growers, wholeheartedly seconded Mike's conclusion, revealing in a press release that, “Protections afforded under PACA may seem less than sexy and may appear insignificant – until you don’t get paid. Then they become one of the most valuable protections afforded to a family farmer.”
Going forward, Canadian growers will sadly have to trade without these protections to fall back on. There does remain hope however for a positive resolution to this situation, Matt makes clear.
“This is of course a sad day in US/Canadian trade relations,” he shared with me. “Western Growers is still very optimistic however for reaching a workable solution to this situation. The privileged status Canada's growers have long enjoyed can still be reinstated, provided that the Canadian Parliament chooses to enact the priority protections for all growers and shippers selling fresh produce to buyers within Canada.”
“We applaud the members of Canada's produce industry who have worked tirelessly on attempting to create these protections and self help tools,” Matt continued. “The U.S. industry will look forward to continuing collaboration in the future in order to achieve comparable outcomes for growers in both countries.”
How the Canadian government and growers will respond to this ruling has yet to be seen. Industry members can only hope that the Canadian and American governments can facilitate the establishment of a system for Canada which will best support the growers of both nations.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any future updates on this situation.
Some foods are made to be paired together. The fusion of flavors that results when you mix Sun-Maid® Raisins and Chiquita® Banana Bread are the perfect combination! Whether it’s a simple banana raisin bread or banana-raisin chicken curry, banana bread and raisins are simply sweeter together.
Sun-Maid® Raisins and Concord Foods are partnering on an exciting promotion, Sweeter Together. From October through December, a range of delicious recipes featuring Sun-Maid® Raisins and Chiquita® Banana Bread Mix will be available to consumers online at Sweeter-Together.com. In addition, instant redeemable coupons (IRC) for $0.55 off the purchase of Sun-Maid Raisins (12 oz or larger) and Chiquita® Banana Bread Mix will be available. Coupons can be found on packs of both products in supermarkets nationwide.
Recipes and promotional information will be shared with Sun-Maid’s Facebook and Twitter fans and Concord Foods’ Facebook and Pinterest fans. In addition, bloggers will be invited to develop recipes of their own. Displays of Chiquita® Banana Bread Mix will contain themed header cards and on-pack coupons. Look for these displays in the fresh produce department of major food retailers next to bananas. Chiquita® Banana Bread is an easy-to-make bread that simply requires two ripe bananas, water and an egg. When prepared, the banana bread has 0 trans fats and is preservative free. Because it requires fresh bananas, the bread has a moist texture and natural flavor. Concord Foods has a licensing agreement with Chiquita Brands L.L.C. to manufacture and market this product. Chiquita® Banana Bread Mix is available in 12 unit cartons and 48 unit floor display shippers. For more information about Concord Foods, visit www.concordfoods.com.
Founded in 1912, Sun-Maid Growers of California is the world’s largest producer and processor of raisins and other premium quality dried fruits. Located in Kingsburg, California, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley’s raisin producing district, Sun-Maid products are distributed throughout the United States and in more than 50 countries around the world. For more information about Sun-Maid, visit www.sunmaid.com.
This text was copied verbatim from a press release.
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL - Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. has been named as a finalist for the 2014 PMA Impact Awards in Excellence in Packaging for its new packaging design.
The increased demand for single-serve, portion-control foods in grab-and-go packaging inspired the development of a new line of snap-apart cut fruit cups. Clear Lam developed the packaging based on the success of multi-pack yogurt cups, extending the concept to the produce aisle. Consumers find the packaging adds convenience and is easy to use for snacking on multiple occasions.
The packaging is available for products offered as 4 packs, 6 packs or other serving sizes to support grocery retail, club store or c-store distribution channels. Country Fresh is pioneering the concept with its Snack Fresh branded products. Seven SKUs are offered today with more to come.
OXNARD, CA – San Miguel Produce, Inc.™ sponsored the second annual National Kale Day celebration in a big way by giving away thousands of bunches of kale on major street corners in Southern California.
Check out a video of the crew in action below:
San Miguel Produce and over 30 company employees took to the streets of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties in pairs to give away free kale to raise awareness of kale and healthy eating in general, according to a press release.
Stationed at major intersections during morning commute times of 6:30-9:00, the teams gave away over 3,000 free bunches of kale. The San Miguel team covered 11 locations in 8 cities:
- Ventura
- Oxnard
- Camarillo
- Thousand Oaks
- Malibu Canyon
- Pacific Coast Hwy
- Downtown Los Angeles
- Santa Monica
National Kale Day is the first Wednesday in October and celebrates kale’s health benefits, highlights its culinary versatility and promotes eating, growing and sharing kale throughout America.
Maybe next October, you’ll see kale on the streets of a town near you.
MORGAN HILL, CA – Sakata Seed America is sponsoring cyclist Ron Cramer in the Tour de Fresh. The 4-day, 275 mile, cycling ride along the California coast benefits United Fresh Foundation’s Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign.
The goal of Tour de Fresh, as well as its participants, is to raise $120,000 to privately finance 40 new salad bars in school districts, according to a press release. Cramer will be riding for Rosemead School District in Los Angeles County.
"The chance to cycle the beautiful California coast, while at the same time helping to provide fresh vegetables and fruits to school children, was simply impossible to pass up,” said Ron Cramer, former Sakata employee and consultant. “I am inspired to take this step forward and hope to also be able to have direct participation in Rosemead’s implementation of their salad bar.”
Dave Armstrong, President and CEO of Sakata Seed America, said, “Our commitment to building healthier communities through events like this is extremely important to Sakata, allowing us to help provide an empowering nutritional experience for those with limited access to fresh produce.”
Striving to have a positive, healthy and sustainable impact on people, communities and food, Sakata is also sponsoring and participating in the American Heart Association’s National Eating Healthy Day on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014.
PELION, SC - WP Rawl and High School Musical actress Monique Coleman are joining forces this Fall to promote the company’s Nature’s Greens line of processed leafy greens.
The partnership includes promotional videos, healthy eating tips, and recipe content, along with an increased social media presence with contests and Twitter parties, according to a press release. Monique, who actually grew up near the WP Rawl headquarters, will be featured on specially-marked Nature’s Greens Collard Green bags along with recipes she created as well.
“When we made the connection with Monique and discovered her passion for eating greens in a healthy way, and then learned that she had grown up nearby and still has family ties in the area, we knew we had to find a way to partner with her,” said Ashley Rawl, Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Product Development at WP Rawl. “We believe that our goals are perfectly aligned and can’t wait to spread this excitement to our customers.”
The partnership will run until October 2015. Those who wish to follow WP Rawl’s journey with Monique can visit www.rawl.net/eatmogreens or use #eatmogreens on social media.