OAK BROOK, IL - McDonald’s first exclusively Irish burger, the McMór, is also its first burger to offer baby kale instead of lettuce, just released last week.
The newly-launched item is a creation from the McDonald’s Ireland Chefs Council, which was originally pitched in May of 2014, according to the Irish Examiner. This item is supposed to bear the Golden Arches’ logo while offering a “real taste of home” to the company’s Irish consumers.
True to its roots, the McMór is reportedly an Irish beef burger, and includes:
- Ballymaloe relish
- Charleville cheese
- Shredded cabbage
- Bacon
- Baby leaf kale
That’s right, baby leaf kale. If you remember, we also recently reported that McDonald’s has introduced a Kale Breakfast McWrap, soon to be released in Canada.
So why is none of this happening here in McDonald’s home country? In March, we received reports that this could soon happen.
"One of our industry sources indicates that McDonald's U.S. plans to roll out kale as an ingredient in its restaurants at some point in the not-too-distant future," Janney Capital Markets, a Philadelphia-based restaurant analyst, wrote, according to WSBT 22.
The fast food chain did report in May that it was testing a few kale-incorporated items in southern California, but it has yet to touch one of its beloved burgers.
But while we wait here in the U.S. market, Ireland has a brief window to enjoy this signature item. The Irish Examiner reports that it will only be available for the next five weeks.
So enjoy it while you can, Ireland, and push for a more permanent installation.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Instacart, the grocery delivery service whose personal shoppers hand pick and deliver items from local stores, has announced a new partnership with H-E-B. Instacart customers in the Austin and Houston areas will now have access to a broader assortment of H-E-B items, all delivered in as soon as one hour.
"Don't have time to come to H-E-B? No problem. We'll bring H-E-B to you with Instacart," said Scott McClelland, President of H-E-B Houston Division. "Instacart's ability to deliver on-demand clearly matches our focus of making our customers' lives better. We are excited to offer a larger assortment of H-E-B items to customers in Austin and Houston."
Instacart also announced that it has expanded its Houston delivery area into the Katy and Woodlands areas, according to a press release. Houston area customers will have access to Whole Foods Market, Costco (no membership required), Petco, and H-E-B. For maps of Instacart delivery areas across the U.S. including Houston, visit https://www.instacart.com/locations.
"H-E-B epitomizes the kind of customer-focused retailer that Instacart loves to partner with, so that we can give our Texas customers access to a Texas favorite grocer," said Nilam Ganenthiran, Vice President of Business Development & Strategy for Instacart. "We're looking forward to continuing our work with H-E-B."
New customers can open an account at www.Instacart.com/heb, and get free delivery and $10 off their first order using promo code HEBLOVE through September 30th of this year. Instacart also offers Instacart Express -- an annual membership that eliminates delivery fees for all orders of $35 or more for a cost of $99 per year.
MOUNT MAUNGANUI, NEW ZEALAND - It’s that time again, kiwi lovers. The Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal judging panel is once again calling on the kiwifruit industry to nominate their finest leaders for the 2015 award.
“Our industry is set for strong growth and on track to double export revenue by 2020. We simply wouldn’t be in this position today without world-class people and the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal has been set up to acknowledge and celebrate our great people,” Industry Advisory Council (IAC) Chairman Paul Jones says. “We’re once again calling on our colleagues to nominate the people they think have made a defining contribution to the industry success we see today.”
Set up four years ago by the kiwifruit IAC, the Hayward Medal is designed to honor the people who have led the industry. One company that may be a success story, according to a press release, is New Zealand exporter Zespri Kiwifruit. According to Zespri, the company sold more than $1.57 billion worth of kiwifruit last year.
Takao Takeshige, President of award sponsor Fresh Carriers, says that when the company started carrying New Zealand’s kiwifruit to Japan about 30 years ago, not many people could have expected the industry to be as successful as it is today. “This success and the continuing growth is thanks to the great efforts of all the people working in the kiwifruit industry,” he says. “We are very honored to present the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal to the winner and are looking forward to meeting them at the Hayward Medal Dinner.”
Last year, Zespri growers Paul Heywood and Leo Mangos were jointly awarded the Fresh Carriers Hayward Medal for their work in establishing the grower-owned structure of the industry. In 2013, the ex-chair of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board, John Palmer was awarded the Medal for his efforts to bring the kiwifruit industry through the fiscal crisis in the early 1990s. The inaugural award in 2012 went to Plant & Food Research Plant Breeder, Russell Lowe for developing and helping commercialize the gold kiwifruit variety Hort16A, adding over $3 billion to the industry and New Zealand.
Nominations close in three weeks on September 18th, and the winner will be announced and presented with the award at the Hayward Medal Dinner which follows the Kiwifruit Industry Symposium on October 29th.
CHICAGO, IL - At this year’s United Fresh conference in Chicago, IL, I joined The Wonderful Company’s Adam Cooper, Vice President of Marketing, to learn about how the company’s recent rebranding has been valuable for both customers and retailers alike.
“We’re really bringing all the brands together under one corporate identity that we think consumers will really be able to connect with, as well as our other trade partners under one healthy portfolio,” Adam tells me.
Originally Roll Global, the company is known for creating a variety of brands in many categories, such as Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds, Wonderful Halos, POM Wonderful, FIJI Water, and Teleflora, along with others. Among its many brands, one item the company has been focusing on is its Sweet Scarlett grapefruits.
“Wonderful Sweet Scarletts are a type of Texas red grapefruits,” explains Adam. “We think there’s a big opportunity to really re-engage the grapefruit business going forward.”
To learn more about The Wonderful Company’s rebranding and to see my full interview with Adam Cooper, watch the video above.
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - C.H. Robinson Europe, B.V. has named a new leader to accelerate growth in the European region.
European transportation professional Jeroen Eijsink has joined the company as President. He will report to President and CEO John Wiehoff.
“C.H. Robinson’s clear strategic focus on growth provides ample opportunities for strategic development in Europe,” Eijsink said in a press release. “A unique business model, corporate culture with a strong focus on people development, and global Navisphere® technology separate C.H. Robinson from others in the logistics industry.”
C.H. Robinson has added 18 offices in the European region over the past three years, adding up to a total of 52. Today, the company employs over 1,000.
Chief Executive John Wiehoff praised Eijsink for his expertise in the field.
“Jeroen is a focused and proven collaborative leader who brings extensive European transportation expertise and significant leadership experience to his new role with C.H. Robinson,” he said. “Europe is a critical part of our global growth strategy and a competitive differentiator for the company. Our business in the region is well positioned with a strong leadership team in place.”
Prior to joining C.H. Robinson, Eijsink served as CEO of DHL Freight Germany and as CEO of DHL Freight Benelux and United Kingdom.
WASHINGTON - The USDA announced that Gregory Hall, doing business as Chicago, Illinois-based Virtue Cider, satisfied a reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
As we previously reported, Virtue Cider failed to pay a $108,024 award in favor of a New Hampshire seller and was subsequently restricted from operating in the produce industry.
Now that the order reparation has been satisfied, the company can continue operating in the produce industry upon applying for and being issued a PACA license. Gregory Hall was listed as the sole proprietor of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.
The USDA is required to suspend the license or impose sanctions on an unlicensed business that fails to pay PACA reparations awarded against it as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business when the order is issued. Those individuals, including Sole Proprietors, Partners, Members, Managers, Officers, Directors, or major stockholders may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA-approval.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 4,250 PACA claims involving more than $77 million. USDA experts have also assisted more than 7,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $110 million. The Agricultural Marketing Service, PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses operating subject to PACA.
BENTONVILLE, AR - It looks like the pipes are working and several Wal-Mart stores will be back in business.
CNN Money reports that the retailer is reopening the five locations, two in Texas, one in California, one in Florida, and one in Oklahoma, that it closed in April due to plumbing issues.
"We thank the community for their patience as we work through these issues and are excited to give our customers a store that better reflects the shopping experience we are providing today in other markets across the country," Wal-Mart said in a statement, according to the report.
The closures came as a swift shock to the 2,200 employees working in the stores, who were given the federally mandated two months pay upon being laid off, as well as the option to transfer to a store nearby if the positions were available.
While Wal-Mart is hiring for the locations’ reopening, CNN Money reports that it has not guaranteed the former employees they will be rehired. They are, however, invited to re-apply to their old stores and will receive the same rate of pay or higher if they are rehired for the same job. Wal-Mart also said it will honor the original hiring dates as an employee’s anniversary.
The chain is already in the process of notifying those who were laid off or who transferred to other locations that they can now re-apply to those stores that were closed.
CORAL GABLES, FL - Del Monte Fresh is going bananas for Halloween with its latest campaign to encourage consumption.
The fourth annual “Go Bananas! Halloween Costume Giveaway” offers consumers a chance to win a Del Monte-branded banana costume to wear to their next Halloween party.
The giveaway also extends to social media, where 1,000 Del Monte fans will be randomly selected to win a banana costume as well. Consumers can enter the giveaway on www.freshhalloween.com and submit a photo of themselves as a banana using a template provided on the website to obtain additional entry, according to a press release.
Dennis Christou, Vice President of Marketing for North America, said that consumers have responded favorably to the promotion and that the company is excited to bring it back for another year.
“Consumers love dressing up as bananas and it is a great opportunity to reward our loyal fans while at the same time promotion healthy Halloween treats,” he said. “We haven’t seen anyone turn down a Del Monte banana costume yet, or the chance to pose in one!”
The promotion is available for U.S. and Canadian retailers. Del Monte will provide secondary banana stickers, POS material to liven up banana displays for Halloween, and in-store life-sized banana photo opportunities.
The three-week promotion will begin on September 9th, 2015 and end on September 30th, 2015 in order to guarantee delivery in time for Halloween.
LEAMINGTON, ON - Orangeline Farms, the growers of Zing! Healthy Foods, is taking a refreshing look at the most basic of lessons this September, with its new ABCs campaign.
Just in time for back to school, Zing! Healthy Foods is helping parents pack a crunch in their kids’ lunch boxes. The company’s Sweet Mini Peppers provide an exciting flavor and texture to entice young learners while offering them up a high dose of essential vitamins. According to a press release, medical research has shown the following as the ABCs of vitamins: Vitamin A is for Vision; Vitamin B6 is for healthy mood and healthy brain; Vitamin C is for a healthy immune system.
“Our Zing! Sweet Mini Peppers provide a healthy boost to the body in many ways,” says Jordan Kniaziew, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We all know Vitamin C helps the body fight off a cold, but our Sweet Mini Peppers are an excellent source of B6 which boosts our mood and brain. And we can’t lose sight of Vitamin A. It’s important in supporting healthy eyes and vision. All critical factors in a child’s success.”
Orangeline Farms says it is excited about the continued growth in the specialty pepper market. The company’s contribution to the popularity of peppers has helped fueled the grower’s energy in developing even more innovative products. According to Kniaziew, “It’s important to anticipate what people will want. Giving them a healthy, tasty alternative to the everyday is at the heart of Zing! Healthy Foods.”
Perfect for lunch boxes, on sandwiches, and more, kids are sure to learn their ABCs this school year with Orangeline Farms’ Sweet Mini Peppers.
BOISE, ID - Though the gloves have not completely come off, it looks as though temperatures between Haggen and Albertsons are beginning to scale upwards.
As we previously reported, Haggen announced yesterday that it has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the retail chain it acquired several stores from in January of this year. Now the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that Albertsons has come back to clarify that it will not sit quietly as these allegations are made.
“The allegations contained in the Haggen complaint are completely without merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves in court,” Albertsons said, according to the report. “Albertsons has not engaged in anticompetitive or inappropriate practices as alleged by Haggen. The divestiture of stores to Haggen followed the process determined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) order.”
Albertsons’ statement continues by attributing the claims Haggen has made to Albertsons’ lawsuit filed last month, in which it was seeking just over $40 million for inventory it said Haggen had never paid. As we previously reported, Haggen stated at the time that it had additional grievances it would be countering that lawsuit with.
“Rather than paying the amounts owing, Haggen responded by filing this lawsuit against us in an attempt to deflect attention from their failure to comply with basic contractual obligations,” the company stated, according to the report.
Neither side’s claims have been proven as both cases are in their beginning stages, so it remains unclear whether one or both are in the right.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on this story as it develops.