WASHINGTON, DC - The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has long supported the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), even launching its largest-ever ad campaign earlier this year in defense of the program. Now, the organization is commending lawmakers for approving full funding for WIC, including a $1 billion increase for fiscal year 2024.

"This bill is a huge victory for all the moms and families who depend on WIC and for all the hardworking members of our industry who support the fresh produce supply chain. We have spent years fighting for WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefit, and we are heartened to see it maintained at its current level,” said IFPA Chief Executive Officer Cathy Burns.

Earlier in March, the House of Representatives voted, clearing a path to provide supplemental benefits to mothers, infants, and children battling food insecurity, a release explained. This decision was welcomed by IFPA, as threats to the program arose as part of the arguments on federal spending.

Previous proposals would have cut the fruit and vegetable benefits by 70 percent for women and 56 percent for children. These cuts would have significant consequences for nutrition.

“We are thankful to the advocates, industry partners, and the Members of Congress who stood firm in protecting the fruit and vegetable benefit in WIC. The reality is that these essential benefits should not be put in jeopardy today or ever,” said Burns. "We deeply appreciate all IFPA members and industry leaders who responded to our call on this important nutrition issue, as it shows the power of our industry's voice and advocacy in action."

The produce industry faced an estimated loss of $1.2 billion in revenue each year from the reduction of fruits and vegetables that would typically be available to WIC participants. Now passed by the House, the appropriations bill will be sent to the Senate for consideration and then to the President’s desk for signature.

For additional information, click here.

To stay updated on WIC and other integral programs, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

WASHINGTON, DC - Social responsibility is the focus of Equitable Food Initiative’s (EFI) latest launch. The organization has announced new online training products designed to share core social responsibility concepts that build the capacity of workers and managers.

“These new offerings support EFI’s goal of meeting grower-shippers where they are,” Peter O’Driscoll, Executive Director of EFI, stated. “We aim to reach a larger segment of the produce industry, providing services that support implementation of the industry’s Ethical Charter by helping employers strengthen their management systems.”

Aligned with the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices, the trainings offer a variety of learning formats to suit individual needs and schedules, from a series of one-hour seminars to intensive customized courses.

The resources are designed to help managers, supervisors, and workers develop the skills and knowledge necessary to cultivate a more ethical and sustainable work environment. A press release stated that the trainings are also valuable to farming operations that have achieved or are seeking EFI or other third-party certification.

The trainings range from free webinars to affordable one-hour seminars to multi-session workshops. Currently, courses are scheduled for various dates from March through June, and registration is open here.

The online trainings cover a wide array of topics in English and Spanish, including:

• Improving communication and worker protections
• Preventing harassment and discrimination
• Developing management systems that support responsible labor practices
• Embracing continuous improvement
• Addressing sustainability needs to meet retailer requirements

One example of the new offerings is EFI’s Sustainability 101 course, which helps grower-shippers understand evolving retail requirements regarding climate and environmental reporting and introduces resources and tools for measuring impacts.

“We are excited to deliver on EFI’s strategy to diversify our work and support grower-shippers across the produce industry who are aiming to better align their practices with the Ethical Charter and create a safer, more equitable and sustainable food system,” O’Driscoll added.

For more from EFI and other industry organizations, stick with us.

NEW ZEALAND - Kiwifruit from New Zealand is setting out on open waters. Zespri™ recently announced that its first charter shipment of the 2024 New Zealand kiwifruit season has departed the Port of Tauranga bound for Shanghai, China.

“Every season we look forward to our shipping program getting underway and delivering our Zespri kiwifruit to our markets around the world and that’s especially true with such a big crop expected this year,” said Chief Operating Officer Jason Te Brake. “We’ve put a lot of focus on our season planning and how we manage this season’s increase in crop volume in a way that will allow the industry to deliver consistently good quality fruit to our customers and consumers throughout the season.”

The vessel Kowhai is carrying 700,000 trays, or around 2,500 tonnes, of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit, as well as 15 containers of Zespri RubyRed for customers in China. Both the Kowhai and the season’s second charter, the Solent Star, are expected to reach Shanghai at the end of March.

This is the first of 63 charter vessels Zespri expects to use this season to ship around half of the expected 193 million trays, or almost 695,000 tonnes, of Green, SunGold and RubyRed Kiwifruit to more than 50 countries. That’s up from the 51 charter vessels used last season, a press release noted.

“A key part of this is starting our season strongly and getting a good source of fruit to our customers so that we can capitalize on early sales opportunities and the strong consumer demand for our fruit, with our shipping program and our longstanding partners playing a critical role,” Te Brake continued. “The weather hasn’t entirely played ball and we’re a bit behind schedule but are confident we can deliver the season well.”

He continued, stating, "With the first charter shipment now on its way, there’s a lot of excitement about the season ahead and we look forward to seeing both charter and container ships continue to set sail from the Port of Tauranga to our more than 50 markets including Europe, China, Japan, and others over the coming weeks and months.”

We look forward to seeing these beloved kiwifruit brands land on shelves Stateside.

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Sun World International has achieved four major wins over the past few months as Italian courts have ruled in favor of the supplier in litigation the company filed against unlicensed growers unlawfully producing and selling its grape varieties.

“Sun World works vigorously worldwide to enforce its intellectual property,” said Michael Stimson, General Counsel and Vice President of Intellectual Property at Sun World International. "We continually monitor table grape growing regions and table grapes in consumer markets around the globe for potential infringement cases. As a result, through private and court-ordered investigations, we identified Sun World’s proprietary vines in four fields owned by unlicensed growers and, after a thorough investigation, pursued groundbreaking litigation against them.” 

In each of the four cases, Sun World investigated, tracked, and pursued legal action against the growers, demonstrating its commitment to its intellectual property (IP) and the interest of its licensed grower. According to a release, Sun World has more than 200 table grape patents and PVRs worldwide, along with proprietary offerings in stonefruits, cherries, and mangos. Its varieties are licensed to growers in 22 countries.

Sun World filed four separate infringement lawsuits in the Italian courts against the four unlicensed growers. Some of the outcomes include:

• One defendant was ordered to allow Sun World to conduct an audit of the defendants’ financial records
• One defendant was barred from entering his own vineyard to prevent harvesting the infringing grapes
• Courts ordered vine removal by the defendants, and settlement agreements with Sun World also required the removal of infringing vines

“We make significant investments in the development of each of our unique and proprietary varieties, taking more than a decade and significant financial resources to develop a new variety, and we are pleased with the courts’ decisions to uphold our IP,” added Stimson. “Sun World follows a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against infringement, pursuing each and every case it becomes aware of. So, while each of these infringing plantings were relatively small, the largest no more than 10 hectares, Sun World nonetheless pursued these cases to completion, through removal of the infringing plants. We hope these decisions send a clear message to any grower who infringes upon our IP: We will find you; we will pursue legal action against you, and we will prevail.”

To read more about these cases, click here.

Keep reading AndNowUKnow for more produce industry news.

OVIEDO, FL - Bring on the snacking! For the month of March, Duda Farm Fresh Foods is celebrating National Celery Month with its sixth annual consumer sweepstakes focused on healthier, fresh-forward snacking. The supplier will use the promotion to highlight its Dandy® brand at retail and will share ways celery can be enjoyed in a variety of meal and snacking applications.

“Our goal was to use this monthlong holiday as an opportunity to showcase the versatility of celery and to engage shoppers with a fun giveaway. The promotion design reflects that festive spirit,” said Nichole Towell, Senior Director of Marketing and Packaging Procurement at Duda Farm Fresh Foods. “Spring is the perfect time to promote fresh recipes as people are transitioning out of colder weather comfort food to lighter, fresh-forward dishes. Through this promotion, we’ll share unique ideas on how to do just that while also adding fresh vegetables, particularly Dandy celery, to consumers’ shopping list.”

Now through March 29, your shoppers are encouraged to enter the National Celery Month Sweepstakes for a chance to win kitchen-inspired, three-tiered prize packs, a release detailed. They can also take home gift cards to a well-known grocery ordering and delivering service, as well as free Dandy samples.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods will employ a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote the sweepstakes, which will include regional TV segments, public relations efforts, influencer support, celery use and application inspiration, online advertising, and email and social media campaigns to increase sweepstakes entries and drive demand for the product in stores.

“Not only are we offering consumers a chance to win some great prizes, but we are using our platforms and brand to increase consumption of celery during the celebratory month of March!” added Towell. “We are coming off of peak season with the holidays and football when celery usage is high, so with this promotion, we are looking to keep celery top of mind among shoppers for a longer period of time.”

Celery is a hydrating vegetable that can help with digestion, a source of Vitamin K that can support cardiovascular wellness, and it is a versatile ingredient that can enhance snacks and meals.

Dandy celery is available in whole stalk, one and two-count hearts, and a variety of fresh-cut options to meet each shopper’s needs, including the new petite 2-inch celery dippers™.

Help your shoppers get their snack on this March by stalking Duda celery products in your produce department.