WASHINGTON, D.C. - The USDA has cited Allens Inc., also known as Veg Liquidation Inc., for failure to pay for nearly $10 million worth of produce under PACA.
According to a USDA press release, the Siloam Springs, AR-based company failed to pay $9,759,843 to 40 produce sellers for 2,312 lots of produce, a violation of PACA. As a result of these actions, Allens Inc. cannot operate in the produce industry until December 2, 2017, at which time it may apply for a PACA license, the USDA says.
The company’s principals, have challenged their responsibly connected status.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses operating subject to PACA, which includes buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry. All oversight of actions related to PACA are conducted by AMS, an agency within USDA.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. USDA 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.
LOS ALAMITOS, CA - When it comes to which foods will be trending in 2016, it looks like all signs are pointing to the produce department. According to Frieda’s Specialty Produce, consumers can look forward to a great vegetable revolution this year. Check out the company’s list below for four trending categories that retailers can push for 2016!
1) Clean Eating Movement
Say goodbye to processed foods and artificial ingredients this year. Shoppers are welcoming more fresh foods into their diets then ever before. Frieda’s suggests one way retailers can take advantage of this trend and keep shoppers coming back for more is to consistently stock produce departments with a variety of nutrient-dense vegetables. A few products could include Sunchokes® and Stokes Purple™ Sweet Potatoes, as well as flavor boosters like ginger, fresh chile peppers, and various onions.
2) Veg-centric
It’s finally the year to start putting produce at the center of the plate, it seems. With the Meatless Monday movement continuing to gain popularity and vegetable spiralizers flying off the shelf, Frieda’s has noticed that vegetables are gaining ground as the star players in restaurants, as well as at home. The company says that colored carrot and zucchini ribbons are nudging out actual pasta, and roasted root vegetables like celery root and colorful beet varieties are taking over more plate space at dinner time.
3) Turmeric
Did you know there was already a “Spice of the Year “named for 2016? The recent Baum+Whiteman report named this year’s spice turmeric. Used to flavor food and to give a health boost in fresh juices and more, this yellow root has been gaining popularity in recent years with the clean-eating set as an immunity booster.
4) Flavorful Heat
Home food preservation continues to be a trend that millennial shoppers are putting their support behind, including homemade hot and chile sauces. While Ghost and Trinidad Scorpion Peppers remain popular, foodies are, Frieda’s says, “burned out” on pure heat and are seeking a pepper that provides more flavor than punch. Peppers like Habanero, Serrano, and Poblano, along with Hatch Peppers from New Mexico are providing the tastes that are bringing consumers back for more.
To learn more about Frieda’s food trend picks for 2016, interested retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice distributors can check out www.friedas.com, and see other trending products, as well as gain access to Frieda’s extensive product information, high resolution images, and recipe database.
USA - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released its registration requirements and program for drones in the U.S., including price and methods to attach names to the growing tech trend.
While the new program does encompass all drone practices, TechCrunch reports that it is more a system of accountability to “hobbyists” who otherwise might not have reason to heed the FAA’s restrictions on drone flying.
“Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said, TechCrunch reports. “Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their unmanned aircraft safely. I’m excited to welcome these new aviators into the culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation.”
The FAA is making registration free for the first 30 days, after which there will be a $5 fee. Those who already own drones have until February 19, 2016 to register, which can be done either online or paper-based. Any who purchase their drones after December 21, 2015 have to register before their first flight.
This new system applies to all drones weighing at or under 55 pounds, including everything on board or attached. When flying, the pilot or whoever is using the pilot’s drone has to carry a copy of the registration. Penalties and fines for not complying were not addressed.
According to the FAA, sales for 2015 indicate that “1.6 million small unmanned aircraft intended to be used as model aircraft are expected to be sold this year,” including about 50 percent of that total during the fourth quarter of 2015.
Click here to see the full official FAA document regarding the new registration requirements, which go into effect on December 21st. Once enacted, you can register your drone at www.faa.gov/uas/registration.
OXNARD, CA – Freska Produce is continuing to expand its avocado program with the acquisition of Oceanside, California-based Harvest Time Produce.
The acquisition will substantially increase Freska’s overall avocado activity and provide customers with more value added choices with its new packing plant in Oceanside. The company will continue packing avocados in its flagship Freska label.
Together with its already established Mexican avocado program, this entry into the California avocado business will also help truly enable Freska to ship avocados year round.
“We see Freska’s acquisition of Harvest Time not only as the perfect fit to our already year round mango program and Mexican avocado program, but also as a way to fill a void with California avocados,” Gary Clevenger, Freska’s Managing Member and Partner, tells me. “We see California avocados as necessary to give our customers choices in our year round programs.”
Formed in 1985, Harvest Time Produce was one of the original 13 handlers of California Hass avocados and one of the original avocado packinghouses in the state, according to a press release. As popularity continued to flourish for this item, Harvest Time made a number of investments for its program to meet the growing demand. Some of these ventures included a mobile sizing machine, which would be used to field pack Hass avocados, and a permanent sizing machine.
In more recent years, Harvest Time installed a larger packing line and bagging equipment to continue offering premium California avocados to customers.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Already a worldwide distributor and an industry leader in mangos, Freska’s newly expanded avocado program is expected to give retailers even more ways to diversify their produce aisles.
Look forward to seeing more Freska avocados with this expanded year round program!
DEERFIELD BEACH, FL - In the latest in a string of expansions in Southern Florida, Publix has announced the purchase of a grocery-anchored shopping center for $45 million.
The Deerfield Beach, FL-based Hillsboro Square shopping center is 138,572-square-feet, and includes a 126,042-square-foot main shopping center with space leased to Office Depot and Five Guys, a 1,674-square-foot Starbucks building, a 9,792-square-foot SunTrust Bank branch/office, and a 1,064-square-foot retail building behind Publix. This deal equates to around $325 per square foot, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
Publix has been taking many steps to expand in Florida over the past few months, particularly when it comes to buying shopping centers where it is the anchor tenant. Recent purchases include a $53 million 13-acre shopping center in Wellington, and a similarly sized shopping strip in Hollywood for $39 million, according to real estate news source The Real Deal. The South Florida Business Journal also names a $19 million acquisition of Sea Plum Town Center, a $12.5 million purchase of Pine Lake Plaza, and the $24 million deal for Crosstown Plaza.
As we’ve previously reported, Publix had earmarked $1.3 billion for new store development in 2015.
“Publix has deep pockets, so they can really afford to do this,” explained Stan Rutstein, a Commercial Specialist with Re/Max Alliance Group in Bradenton in March. “It protects their competitive position. It dramatically lowers their occupancy costs over time. It's an opportunity to lease out the smaller shop space and have some additional income from that.”
For more on Publix and its continued growth and investments, check back with AndNowUKnow.
BALTIMORE, MD - Baltimore is looking to eliminate its food deserts by offering grocers a tempting tax break: 80 percent off what they would pay for their cash registers, freezers and other equipment.
Grocers name a number of barriers operating in the city, Equities News reports, including high property tax rates and the need for large tracts of land with thin profit margins.
"I anticipate this being helpful in bridging that gap and bringing investors to some of our struggling communities by making it a more feasible, more profitable experience for them," Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said, according to the report.
The tax breaks were passed unanimously by the city late last week, and are set to run for the next ten years.
Based on the size and value of the store, the breaks Baltimore will now provide can be worth more than $100,000 in annual savings. It is available only to stores selling perishables including:
- Fresh produce
- Meat
- Dairy
- Seafood
- Packaged food
The store has to be in an area at least a quarter of a mile from a food desert, which Baltimore’s standards state have high levels of poverty and about a third of residents without a vehicle.
William H. Cole IV, President and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corp., said grocery stores draw in a volume of consumers that can serve as "stable anchors," to a community. "A quality grocery store can transform a neighborhood faster than anything," Cole told Equities.
In addition to the new personal property tax credit, Cole added that grocery stores are eligible for enterprise zone tax credits.
Some existing stores in the qualifying areas that are undergoing significant renovations can also qualify.
The plan is not just for traditional supermarkets either. Equities reports that it also includes a 90 percent tax credit for urban farms and "virtual supermarkets" that allow public housing residents, including the elderly and disabled, to order groceries online using food stamps. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the moves to ease personal property taxes is worth spurring investment to get produce and healthy foods to the areas it’s needed most.
As we previously reported, Renaissance Food Group and Tessemae’s Natural All Natural recently held a large Crop Circles event at a local Baltimore school, handing out more than 40,000 pounds of fresh produce to the community.
AndNowUKnow will continue to follow the efforts of the produce industry on both the buy-side and supply-side as they seek to eliminate food deserts.
FOWLER, CA – Joe Berberian, Salesman at Bee Sweet Citrus, recently joined AndNowUKnow for an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the company’s facility in Fowler, CA, its expanded organic citrus line, and much more.
The family-owned company has grown its organic citrus line to include more than just lemons. Bee Sweet Citrus has now added navel oranges, grapefruit, and mandarins to further diversify its portfolio and meet the ever-evolving needs of its retail partners.
“Each year, we’re going to continue to grow [our organic] program,” Berberian tells us.
The "one-stop-shop" citrus grower also offers several conventional varieties from December through February, as well as specialty citrus items starting in November through February.
Earlier this year, the company donated $50,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) for the second consecutive year, raising a total of $100,000. Bee Sweet’s Sweetheart Mandarins and Satsuma bags proudly display the BCRF’s logo to promote breast cancer awareness.
In addition to working with the community, Bee Sweet has launched a go-green initiative that includes the installation of 4.5 acres of solar on the facility’s rooftop, as well as a recycling system for water.
For the latest on Bee Sweet Citrus and to see the company’s facility in motion, check out our brief two minute video with Joe Berberian at the top of the page.
IRVING, TX – With fresh produce always keeping the industry on its toes, many of us learn quickly that having a plan—or three—in place for when to market your product is a crucial part of turning a profit.
To help make this process a little easier, fresh produce marketing agency DMA Solutions continues to launch its comprehensive Produce Marketer’s Calendar, with 2016 now available to be downloaded for free.
“We’ve committed as an agency to provide helpful tools and resources for the industry, and the Produce Marketer’s Calendar has continued to be DMA Solutions’ most downloaded tool every year, solidifying our efforts,” Dan’l Mackey Almy, CEO of DMA Solutions, Inc., said in a press release. “Our hope is that both resources will allow for marketers to spend less time researching and more time strategizing and executing based on the work that we’ve already done to support their efforts.”
The calendar provides a month-by-month breakdown of important events and activities, including promotion opportunities, and can be downloaded for free from DMA Solutions’ blog, The Core.
Along with saving fresh produce markets time when planning their 2016 calendar, the company said that it hopes to share some of the company’s best year-long planning practices and helpful resources that its team uses.
DMA also recently released its 2016 Social Media Calendar in November, which combined with the Produce Marketer’s Calendar gives fresh produce marketers:
- Important industry events
- Holidays
- Tips
- Trends
The two calendars combined can provide many resources for both those seeking to expand their efforts, as well as those already utilizing year-long planning tools.
RANCHO CORDOVA, CA – Crop Circles is at it again, having brought its pop-up style Farmers Market to conquer the food deserts of Baltimore for another visit on Saturday, November 21st.
“Heading into our third Crop Circles event, we have seen the increasing need for fresh fruit and vegetables in ‘food desert’ communities,” Nelia Alamo, Renaissance Food Group’s Director of Marketing, said in a press release. For this particular event, RFG’s Garden Highway™ brand teamed up with Tessemae’s All Natural to deliver an estimated 40,000 pounds of commodity fruit and vegetables and 3,000 LBS of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables.
“Our goal is to help residents in these communities understand the importance of living healthy lifestyles. Crop Circles is dedicated to making a positive impact and bringing a healthy food and lifestyle awareness to the food desert communities we serve with this great event,” Alamo added.
Crop Circles, a national event designed to bring fresh fruit and vegetables and an awareness of living a healthy life to food deserts across America, has previously held successful events in both Compton, CA and Englewood, Chicago, IL, with this Baltimore visit being one of its largest yet. About 4,000 attendees came to collect donated fruit and vegetables in anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the release.
Those who attended stood in line at Baltimore’s New Hope Academy where the whole thing took place, waiting to receive Garden Highway™ cut fruit and vegetables while Tessemae’s distributed bottles of clean salad dressing and marinade, were treated to more than just produce.
As we previously reported, the event also included an appearance by NFL star Ed Reed, a live DJ, a competition-style cook-off, and a variety of booths featuring wellness-based companies.
Helping hands included a team of volunteers from the United Fresh Produce Association and regional fresh-cut processor F&S Produce Company, Inc.,who helped secure 40,000 pounds of donated produce, donated transportation for all the products, and provided volunteer supporters.
OXNARD, CA - The mango, one of the world’s favorite fruits, is also a fruit of opportunity this holiday season according to Freska’s Managing Member and Partner Gary Clevenger.
“There will be good supplies of smaller fruit 10’s-14’s to promote through the month of December,” Gary shared with me. “This will be a good opportunity to promote some multiples that have been missing on the shelves the past few months.”
Now growing in Ecuador, mangos just saw their peak in that region, meaning we can expect a wave of new arrivals next week.
“Ecuador as a country will slowly go down and end mid January,” Gary tells me, adding that it looks like the season is going to be missing El Niño and shipping a lot more volume up front before any rains have a chance to affect fruit quality. “Mango quality has been very good this year out of Ecuador, Tommy Atkins have been looking and arriving very nice this year.”
With promotable volumes coming through the season, and harvest looking to wrap up before the El Niño rains really get started, mangos look to be poised to meet hungry consumers with a want for that tropical bite.
Freska ships mangos year around, so just because the Ecuador season wraps up next month doesn’t mean the product will.
“Peru has begun shipping and will peak mid-to-late January,” Gary said. “Ecuador will continue to ship through middle of January.”
And, for those who haven’t heard, Freska has also added avocados to its offerings just in time for Super Bowl party season, so stay tuned for more availability and offerings to fill your holiday and football displays.