OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA - The International Sustainability Summit is coming up on April 26 in Vancouver, bringing a variety of unique insights into the global produce supply chain. With experts from Sobeys, Oppy, and more sharing their perspectives during the event, this summit is not to be missed!

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), the International Federation for Produce Standards, and the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce recently unveiled the following speakers set to speak at this year’s International Sustainability Summit.

These speakers include:

• Keynote speakers – A Globally Sustainable Fresh Produce Supply Chain: Challenges, Barriers, & Opportunities with Oppy’s John Anderson, Chairman, CEO, and Managing Partner, and Garland Perkins, Director of Innovation and Sustainability
• The State of Sustainability – Efforts Impacting Global Produce Supply Chains with Dr. Yogendra Chaudry, Vice President, Professional Services and Environmental, Social and Governance, SSCI/Eco Canada; Cheryl Sullivan, International Featured Standards (IFS) & PAC Next Consultant; and Joanna Nathanson, Policy Advisor International Affairs, Sustainability and Communications, Freshfel (European Fresh Produce Association)
• Aligning Global Produce Supply Chain Sustainability Practices with UNSDGs – Lessons to date with Jacob Lawes, Projects Manager, The AgriChain Centre, New Zealand, and Dr. Hans Maurer, Director of Strategy and Research for The AgriChain Centre, New Zealand
• Plenary Panel Session – Sustainability in Action with Tom Pierce, National Director of Produce Sourcing and Supplier Development, Sobeys; Matt Aronson, Chief Revenue Officer, Verdant Technologies; John Mesko, CEO, Potato Sustainability Alliance and Gerd Uitdewilligen, Director International Sales, COPELAND

Registration for this event is underway and 50 percent of the seating is sold out, according to a press release. Industry members are encouraged to register at their earliest convenience as space is limited.

Keep reading ANUK for word regarding the latest industry opportunities.

RALEIGH, NC - Volunteers from Wish Farms, Publix Super Markets, and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina collaborated on a pop-up market to distribute fresh produce—including a 26,880 lb load of Florida strawberries—and present a $10,000 check from the Wish Farms Family Foundation. The event directly helped 760 people, including 278 children and 130 seniors. Overall, the $10,000 donation will help provide an additional 106,740 meals.

“As a supplier of strawberries and pineberries to North Carolina Publix stores, we wanted to introduce ourselves in the local community by making a meaningful impact during the peak of the Florida strawberry season. This project is in perfect alignment with our company values, brand promise, and our family foundation’s vision of a hunger-free America,” said Wish Farms PR Manager Nick Wishnatzki.

In addition to the successful event, produce donations through the Food Bank now have a more efficient way to reach underserved families with the help of a mobile food pantry made possible by a $175,000 donation from Publix Super Markets Charities.

From the day he opened his first Publix, Founder George Jenkins made sure his associates, customers, and community were taken care of, a press release stated. In 1966, he established the charity foundation with the vision it would continue giving long after he was gone.

“Helping provide food to our neighbors in need is at the heart of who we are at Publix,” said Jared Glover, Media Relations Manager for Publix. “We’re thankful to Wish Farms for their support of hunger alleviation efforts in the areas we serve. We’re proud to do good, together.”

Wish Farms has also been supporting hunger relief organizations for many decades. Since 2019, its charitable foundation has made food security a main focus by donating over 1.63 million lbs of fresh berries to central Florida food banks and beyond and awarding over $750,000 in grants.

“We’re grateful to Publix and Wish Farms for their commitment to helping us nourish more neighbors in our 34-county service area,” said Ashley McCumber, President and Chief Executive Officer for the food bank.

Cheers to this philanthropic partnership!

LOS ANGELES, CA - With upcycling becoming a major focus for consumers, POM Wonderful’s latest product will be even more enticing. The supplier recently launched its new Pomegranate Fiber, which is upcycled from POM Wonderful pomegranate husks after juicing. It is a GRAS-certified, fiber-dense powder that can be used in a variety of food applications.

“We are thrilled to add another specialty ingredient to our lineup that is versatile and upholds our commitment to nourishing naturally,” said Jason Horvath, Sales Manager for POM Wonderful Specialty Ingredients. “With the Pomegranate Fiber, we are providing better-for-you options to the food and beverage industry while continuing our work toward a zero-waste future.”

Pomegranate Fiber is made under POM Wonderful’s growing Specialty Ingredients division, which provides raw ingredients to suppliers across the food and beverage industry. According to a press release, Pomegranate Fiber has numerous culinary benefits—it can help draw out flavor and color, and in baked goods, the powder enhances browning, which ultimately reduces cook times.

POM Wonderful uses a proprietary method to press whole pomegranates to create POM 100% Pomegranate Juice. After the initial press, the husks are then pressure extracted to create POMxL, a concentrated liquid extract that is also part of POM’s specialty ingredient lineup—the remaining pomegranate husk is dried and milled to create Pomegranate Fiber.

This news comes on the heels of POMxL’s Upcycled Certification, further underscoring POM Wonderful’s commitment to sustainability and product innovation. Other sustainability initiatives include the Innovation Challenge, the transition from 16 oz bottles of POM Wonderful juices to 100 percent rPET, and the completed work on its solar farm.

To date, The Wonderful Company and its owners, Stewart and Lynda Resnick, have invested more than $1.3 billion in environmental sustainability initiatives to help fight climate change. This commitment includes the historic $750 million gift from the Resnicks to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in support of the school’s environmental sustainability research.

To stay on top of the latest sustainability strategies in fresh produce, keep reading ANUK.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Transparency is a key point of focus as ProducePay sets out to support fresh produce marketers and retailers in bringing their produce shipments from the field to the shelves. To supply its partners with full supply chain transparency, the innovator has unveiled a creative new Visibility solution. 

“Delivering high-quality produce across global supply chains is fraught with challenges, leading to high rejection rates, frequent disputes, and disappointed customers—not to mention a staggering level of food and economic waste,” said Patrick McCullough, Chief Executive Officer of ProducePay. “We hear it from our customers all the time—more predictability means more profitability. By giving total visibility into quality and orders from farm to final destination, we’re bringing retailers surety of supply, empowering marketers to fulfill their commitments to deliver produce on time and in full, and giving growers greater confidence that their produce will be accepted after shipment. This is the definition of predictable commerce.”

A recent press release explained that the solution ensures buyers’ delivery of high-quality produce shipped from around the world and reduces rejection rates that undermine growers’ economic stability and lead to significant food waste.

Through the combination of best-in-class technology with on-the-ground agronomists, the newly debuted solution adds a critical capability to the company’s Predictable Commerce Programs, giving growers and buyers greater control of their businesses in a volatile and unpredictable fresh produce supply chain.

Some key features of the solution include:

• Real-time, comprehensive information on produce quality, quantity, shipment status, and more, captured by agronomists in the field and at shipment, ensuring high-quality produce deliveries are in full, on spec, and on time
• Real-time order tracking including order progress, shipping conditions, and location, as well as access to historical transaction data—unlocking greater transparency compared to the typical experience in conventional produce transactions
• End-to-end visibility that enables multiple stakeholders to efficiently manage order progress, including acceptance, adjustments, invoicing, and rejections—saving time and resources for more effective planning

In July 2023, the industry innovator forged a collaboration with Four Star Fruit to pilot the Predictable Commerce Program. Leveraging ProducePay’s Visibility solution, this cutting-edge alliance helped one of the nation’s leading retailers achieve less than 1 percent rejection rates in their table grape shipments, which is an 80 percent improvement compared to the standard rejection rate in traditional sourcing programs, the release noted.

“We’ve never experienced such a high level of quality assurance before,” said Jack Campbell, CEO of Four Star Fruit. “Providing our retail partners with enhanced transparency—giving them a line of sight into harvest and supply chain—empowers them with the confidence to bypass additional intermediaries to fulfill year-round supply of top-quality produce.”

To learn more about ProducePay’s newest launch, click here.

ANUK will continue to cover the latest industry innovations, so stick around.

MCALLEN, TX - Welcome Jensie Smith to Fox Packaging! The ace is joining the company’s team as Retail and Key Account Manager, where she will use her expertise to enhance customer service and support the sales team. She will report to Jen Doxey, Director of Sales.

"I am extremely proud to be joining Fox Packaging and continuing my passion for the industry. During the last 15 years, I have met so many incredible caring people that have deeply impacted me professionally and personally. Many customers have become friends and mentors that have supported me through life and work changes. The produce industry has so many hard-working people that motivate me to work extra hard to meet their needs. It is so fulfilling to watch a customer’s success turn into growth for everyone involved. Each season builds knowledge to benefit the next. I strive towards proactive communication and education to keep up with consumer and sustainability trends,” said Smith. “The retail side especially has grown over the last five years, and I have learned so much to help the retailer and packer work through the new packaging process efficiently.”

In her role, she will manage a portfolio of key accounts, oversee communication, streamline artwork changes, and guide packaging programs, a release explained. Smith will work closely with the internal team, including Doxey, Marketing and Brand Manager, Victoria Lopez, and the manufacturing teams.

Smith will support the sales team by generating new opportunities in the produce and non-produce sectors.

Her role encompasses developing strong customer contacts and ensuring positive relationships across various levels of customer management, a release explained.

“I am excited about the diverse packaging options at Fox Packaging and look forward to working with many companies I already know and being introduced to new accounts as well,” added Smith. “I am eager to leverage this experience to enhance customer service and support the sales team, contributing to the company's commitment to excellence and successful account management."

In her proactive approach, Smith will engage customers based on past sales history and facilitate Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) and blanket order (BO) stocking programs in collaboration with Doxey.

"Jensie's addition to the Fox Packaging team is a significant step forward in our commitment to serving our customers with excellence. Having worked very closely with Jensie at Giro, I look forward to leveraging her reputation for actively nurturing client relationships and ensuring customer satisfaction through seamless project management," Doxey noted. "At Fox Packaging, it's not just about delivering products; it's about being true partners in our customers' packaging portfolios. We understand the importance of clear communication and realistic timelines that align with our operations and production schedules."

Doxey went on to further note how Smith's role folds into the greater operation.

"Our goal is to facilitate timely order intake, ensure competitive lead times, and deliver quality packaging. Jensie's role is pivotal in achieving this objective,” she explained. “By streamlining processes and leveraging her extensive industry experience, we aim to enhance our overall customer satisfaction. We take pride in our current team's outstanding performance, and as we navigate our strategic sales plans, our focus is on nurturing and building our team. This approach is crucial as we seek to expand our capacity for growth and foster partnerships across all facets of packaging and automation opportunities. Together, we are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and customer satisfaction, solidifying Fox Packaging as a leader in the industry."

Best wishes to Jensie Smith as she enters this role!