ANTIOCH, CA - IFCO is releasing a free new downloadable booklet detailing the top 5 things growers and retailers should know about RPCs and Food Safety.
To download the book for yourself, fill out the form on IFCO's website here for access to the PDF.
“IFCO food safety standards are leading the reusable plastic container (RPC) industry, providing a food safe solution that optimizes the fresh supply chain,” the company shared on its website.
By signing up online and downloading the “IFCO RPCs and Food Safety Book,” readers will have access to:
- 5 must-know facts on how RPCs affect food safety
- A detailed look at IFCO's SmartCycle wash process for RPCs
- Detailed analysis for how IFCO's wash process destroys bacteria
- Information on how IFCO regularly meets and exceeds safety standards in third-party audits and regularly scheduled test programs
- Much more!
I'd reccomend that all produce and retail professionals give this invaluable resource a look over. It's certainly a great asset to the industry.
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA – The Allen Lund Company has announced that it will be undertaking a major expansion of its Charlotte, NC office space.
"We are currently in an expansion mode with anticipated growth of 25-30% in the coming year," stated Manager Jim McGuire. "With our inbound freight growth, as well as the natural growth of our existing customers, we will be doubling our staff in the next few years. Adding additional sales and business development personnel will be key to our success."
"We are experiencing growth in many regions of the country,” seconded Eddie Lund, Vice President of Sales and Branch Operations. “Our Charlotte office is a specific example of our plan to expand organically where we have excellent leadership in place."
According to a press release, the Charlotte office has been open since 1998.
Congratulations on the impressive expansion, Allen Lund!
MILWAUKEE, WI – Roundy's has announced that it will be divesting itself of three Wisconsin Pick 'n Save locations. Two of the stores, one in Milwaukee and one in West Allis, will be closed outright, and the third Saukville location will be sold to Piggly Wiggly.
"Roundy's signed a definitive sale agreement with Piggly Wiggly that we believe will provide better stewardship for this store and the community it serves," said James Hyland, Roundy's Vice President of Investor Relations. "We believe that under the new ownership, this store and their employees will prosper."
Regarding the two store closures, which the company has announced will go into effect on November 5th, 2014, Hyland said that it was just a part of the normal business cycle.
"The opening, closing and sale of stores are part of our normal course of business and we make these decisions based on results and the level of consumer demand in the market," he commented. "Despite our initiatives to remain competitive in these two locations, we have made the strategic decision to close these two stores."
Piggly Wiggly has announced that it will be relocating its own store in Saukville across the street into the much larger Pick 'n Save it will be acquiring from Roundy's.
"It's an exciting thing for our organization and all our team members," said Pat Fox, President of Fox Bros.
Regarding the motivation behind the sale, Fox shared with the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel that it was a move that made sense for all parties.
"If you look at the Milwaukee market, there are certain areas that are just over-stored. There's no other way to say that and this would be an example of that,” he said. "It was a natural consolidation in the marketplace.”
According to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, Fox plans on adding as many former Pick 'n Save employees to the Piggly Wiggly staff as possible during the transition process.
IRWINDALE, CA - Ready Pac Foods has announced the hiring of Jay Ellis as its new Chief Sales Officer. In his new role, Jay will be responsible for utilizing best practices in order to meet Ready Pac's sales targets and ensure top quality customer service for the company's clients and partners.
“Jay is an accomplished sales professional with over 25 years of experience driving extraordinary revenue growth and profit growth within world-class companies,” said Tony Sarsam, Chief Executive Officer for Ready Pac. “He has played a pivotal role in developing those companies’ business strategy and training the professionals responsible for execution.”
Before joining Ready Pac, Jay held important positions at Nestle USA, Gillette Company, Oral-B Laboratories, and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Inc., according to a press release. Most recently he managed the $1.8 billion Nestle Frozen Business at Walmart for Nestle.
He graduated with a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from San Diego State University.
Congratulations on the new position, Jay!
NEW YORK, NY - Just the other night, I was flipping through the TV channels and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It looked as if it was raining grapes on David Letterman’s head! See Dave’s “Grape Break” for yourself…
It starts out innocent enough with Paul Shaffer and the rest of the Late Show band playing an admittedly catchy ditty, but it only gets even more bizarre after that. When was the last time you saw someone eating grapes from a fishing line?! Hopefully they were from California!
We should all have our own grape break at least once a day – just be careful if someone tries lowering one by fishing line!
I’ve seen my fair share of absurd segments on Letterman’s show, but this one takes the grape.
LOS ALAMITOS, CA - Frieda's is encouraging its retail partners to get a jump on the fall season with its wide variety of hard-shelled winter squashes like the well-known Butternut and the foodie’s darling Delicata.
“Winter squashes are not just for show. Shoppers love them because they are delicious and full of nutrients,” said Karen Caplan, President and CEO of Frieda’s Inc. “These winter squashes are easy to prepare, healthy, and filling, as well as beautiful as home décor. They are winners—any way you slice them!”
According to a press release, Frieda's already has its Butternut, Delicata, Kabocha, Acorn, Spaghetti, Gold Nugget, Sweet Dumpling, Carnival, Hubbard, and Turban Squashes available for produce aisles.
Frieda's says that the best course of action for retailers is to take advantage of this diverse product offering with a variety squash display. These displays, together with signs showing shoppers that the products are “totally edible” and some halved samples highlighting the color contrast between skin and flesh, can add a rustic and bountiful feel to produce aisles.
Squash is an excellent source of vitamin A and C and can be included as an easy component for one-dish meals. For example, Frieda's recommends halving or quartering the squash, scooping out the seeds, and roasting, baking, or steaming the delicious vegetable with the skin on.
Frieda's is also making its product information, high resolution images, and extensive recipe database available to retailers. Interested parties can contact a Frieda's representative for access to these resources as well as to pre-book product for fall promotions.
BAJA PENINSULA - With Hurricane Norbert winding its way along the Baja Peninsula, weather forecasters like Rich Thompson with the National Weather Service are warning of 90mph winds, 20-40% chances of rain, thunderstorms, and the threat of flooding.
Any hurricane of this magnitude is of course a cause for concern for the plethora of growers responsible for Baja's asparagus, bell pepper, cucumbers, green onion, squash, strawberry, and tomato crops.
The Weather Channel is however reporting that the 35 mile wide center of the storm is unlikely to make landfall if it maintains its current path. Together with the likelihood that cooler water temperatures will weaken the storm over the course of the weekend, this makes for some great news for growers.
This will hopefully ensure that Southern California's growers in areas such as Imperial County, Coachella Valley, and San Diego County will remain largely unaffected by the course of the storm.
One thing I do know is that my thoughts will be with the people of the Baja Peninsula and the California coast this weekend as this event plays out.
In another optimistic piece of news, when asked to compare the strength of Hurricane Norbert to Hurricane Marie which affected the coast of Malibu, CA last week, Thompson confidently told the LA Times that "Hurricane Norbert is definitely much weaker than Marie.” With any luck, Hurricane Norbert will pass by North America's West Coast without doing major damage to residents or growers.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any further news on Hurricane Norbert and other important weather updates.
NEWARK, NJ - John R. Moritz, a former SVP of Marketing at The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P), has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Fox Business reports that U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty also ordered Moritz to pay $3.2 million in restitution.
Moritz plead guilty in federal court in March for fraudulently using company funds to buy tickets to high-priced events including the 2011 Super Bowl, Lady Gaga concerts, Yankees playoff games, Broadway shows and more. The tickets were supposed to be used to reward A&P employees for good work, but instead Moritz allegedly resold more than 7,000 tickets over the internet, pocketing more than $1.2 million.
Moritz admitted in court that he used the money he made from the scheme to make mortgage payments on multiple homes and buy jewelry, airplane flights, hotel stays and groceries.
NJ.com reports that Moritz served as the company’s Senior Vice President of Marketing for only 10 months before he was fired in October 2011 after the company uncovered the fraud and notified federal officials.
The scheme allegedly occurred from 2010 to 2011. This was an especially difficult time for the company financially. In 2010, A&P declared bankruptcy, and emerged from bankruptcy in 2012. In 2011, A&P told workers that the company would not survive without reducing wages. The unions, which represented the workers agreed to 3-6% wage cuts, a 5-year wage freeze, and reductions in vacation and sick time.
DELANO, CA – Columbine Vineyards has a stylish new line of bags to complement its high quality table grapes as well as the grower's overall commitment to excellence. According to a press release, Columbine Vineyards chose the innovative stand-up design and vibrant color profile in order to draw in the consumers' eye, as well as to facilitate easier storage.
In addition, the bags use 6.5% less plastic than Columbine's previous line, meaning a more environmentally conscious choice for consumers. The grower accomplished this by doing away with the tear-away seam at the top and inserting holes along the bag to allow for more efficient packaging.
“We are evaluating new technologies that include smarter packaging that reduces plastic to serve a greater purpose by being environmentally friendly,” said Lauren Olcott, Columbine Vineyards’ Marketing Representative.
According to a press release, the new line of bags will still feature Columbine's Holiday® and Black Globe® proprietary grapes. There will also be a new Milano® bag starting in 2015.
Congratulations on the new packaging line, Columbine Vineyards!
ORLANDO, FL – The National Mango Board has appointed Manuel Michel as new Executive Director of the NMB. William Watson will remain active Executive Director until December 31, 2014 working with Manuel as he becomes integrated into the new role.
“I feel confident that Manuel Michel will take this role to the next level and make an important and meaningful impact as he guides the Board through the new phases of growth that the mango industry will face in coming years,” stated Bill Vogel, Chairman of the NMB.
Vogel added, “On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank William Watson for his unparalleled contribution to the NMB and dedicated work for the success of the industry."
Most recently, Manuel provided regulatory oversight to several federal government commodity programs as a Marketing Order Specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Marketing Order and Agreement Division, according to a press release. Before that, he managed quality assurance and food safety programs for L&J Farms and Jackpot in the Salinas Valley of California.
Manuel has been a member of the Texas State Bar since 2008 and is also a Managing Associate Attorney with the Whittenburg Law Firm in Texas.
He received a Bachelor of Science in agricultural business management and a Bachelor of Arts in international studies in agriculture with a minor in crop science from Oregon State University. He also received a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University School of Law.
Congratulations on the new position, Manuel!