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.

MEXICO CITY - From its new food court concept to the acquisition of VIZIO, Walmart has been making large expansion moves in the United States, and the same can be said for its Mexican division Walmex. This year, the retailer is set to invest about 34.5 billion pesos ($2.05 billion) for growth measures.

This investment is a 19 percent increase from the year prior, according to reporting from Reuters. Nearly 45 percent of the money will be used for remodeling and maintenance work on existing stores, while another 29 percent will be allocated for new openings and expansions.

15 percent of the investment will benefit the company's supply chain, while the remaining 11 percent will be used to boost e-commerce and the implementation of new technologies.

Guilherme Loureiro, the Mexican retailer's CEO, said last month that the company was in a position to continue growing its footprint in Latin America's No. 2 economy after 2023 marked its fastest year for adding new stores in a decade.

Will this international growth affect Walmart’s expansion in the U.S.? Stay tuned to ANUK for updates.

MEXICO - As we have reported many times here on AndNowUKnow, sustainability continues to take precedence for companies across the produce industry, and GLC Cerritos is no different. To boost its efforts, the avocado supplier hired Armando Garcia to serve as its Director of Sustainability.

“Cerritos has shown a strong commitment for its sustainable development over the years, which makes it a very unique company within the Mexican avocado sector; therefore, I am very excited to undertake this new position and work to strengthen Cerritos' sustainability program,” said Garcia. “Cerritos is known throughout the industry for its sustainability efforts. They strive to live up to their mission ‘To inspire agribusiness with sustainability by producing healthy food for the world.’”

The newly created role will evaluate current sustainability initiatives within the company and outline a strategy for future projects.

Before joining GLC Cerritos, Garcia worked as Managing Director of the Jalisco Avocado Growers and Exporters Association (APEAJAL), where he was originally hired to develop its sustainability department. According to a release, he introduced projects with Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, the Business Alliance for Climate, Stronger Together, and has worked on the reforestation program, and other green initiatives that APEAJAL has sponsored.

GLC Cerritos currently farms 3,000 acres of avocados, all of which are certified by GlobalG.A.P. and Rainforest Alliance. The company is currently working to secure Fair Trade certification in preparation for the 2024/25 Mexico avocado season.

“There is so much good that the Mexican avocado industry brings to the communities where we work. Mr. Garcia is a great addition to the team to help define our sustainability strategies and share the message of these efforts with the rest of the industry,” commented Giovanni Cavaletto, U.S. Division President.

Congratulations to Armando Garcia on his new position!

WOODLAND, CA - Today marks an important announcement from Syngenta Vegetable Seeds, as the company revealed it will be changing its distribution model for its active greenhouse business. The provider will now sell directly to growers in the United States and Canada, effective immediately, giving its customers increased access to the company’s technical experts.

“Our goal is to help our active greenhouse partners in maximizing productivity, quality, and consistency,” says Ernesto Hagelsieb, Sales Manager for Active Greenhouse Crops. “Selling directly to growers will only improve our collaborative efforts and build long-term solutions with our customers.”

Active greenhouse growers looking for information about products can connect with their local Syngenta representative, a release stated. They can also explore the company’s website to find and request details. This platform allows growers to specify their region and crop concern, ensuring that the inquiry is directed to a representative with the right expertise.

In addition to this new business model, Syngenta is rolling out high-quality tomatoes with ToBRFV resistance across different segments. This includes grape tomatoes in various colors and tomato-on-the-vine varieties. To help greenhouse growers against ToBRFV, Syngenta recently launched four baby plum tomato varieties—Crystelle, Emyelle, Sicybelle, and Adorelle—as well.

New active greenhouse offerings in cucumber and lettuce are currently in development and will be available soon. These offerings are set to deliver maximum productivity, quality, consistency, and flavor in varieties delivered to these markets.

Syngenta researchers are taking the current resistant germplasm and introgressing it into new varieties and kinds of tomatoes. Research is ongoing to discover new resistance mechanisms to continue to provide active greenhouse growers with options.

“We're introducing comprehensive products that boast resistance to ToBRFV while also maintaining the superior flavor, size, and shelf life that our customers expect,” said Hans Van Haeff, Product Development Specialist Senior for Active Greenhouse Crops. “Our extensive portfolio brings the highest qualities expected by Syngenta, with ToBRFV resistance on top of it all.”

To read more about what Syngenta has in store, click here.

Stick with AndNowUKnow for variety updates and development.