GLENNVILLE, GA - Bland Farms, the nation’s leader in sweet onions, is teaming up with Weber to bring flavor and excitement to football season for this year's Gameday Sweetness promotion. Designed to engage shoppers, inspire game-day meals, and drive produce department traffic, this brand-new partnership is designed to help retailers score big sales.

The promotion gives shoppers a chance to win exciting prizes all season through Bland Farms’ social media accounts, by scanning QR codes on POS and display materials, or by visiting the Bland Farms website to enter the sweepstakes for the grand prize provided by Weber. The website also features a collection of exclusive game-day recipes showcasing Bland Farms Premium Sweet Onions and Sand Candy Sweet Potatoes. Gameday Sweetness concludes after the “Big Game” on February 9, 2026, with a Weber SPIRIT E-435 LP (MSRP $899) awarded courtesy of Weber.

Troy Bland, CEO of Bland Farms, added: This partnership brings energy and authenticity to the produce aisle. Weber shares our commitment to quality and flavor, making this a natural fit for football season.

Sloan Lott, Director of Sales at Bland Farms, noted that the company’s commitment to retailers goes beyond quality produce: Everything we do is about helping our retail partners succeed. From co-branded displays to turnkey promotions, we’re giving retailers the tools to connect with shoppers in meaningful ways and keep them coming back.

That commitment includes a full promotional toolkit with:

• Custom POS and display materials spotlighting the Gameday Sweetness theme
• QR code signage linking directly to sweepstakes and recipes
• Digital and social content to extend reach beyond the store
• Recipe and giveaway integration to spark shopper engagement

Bland Farms will be sharing more about the promotion at the New York Produce Show this week. Be sure to stop by Booth #335!

Retailers interested in participating can also contact their Bland Farms sales representative or visit www.blandfarms.com for more information.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - Weis Markets is expanding its investment in innovative retail technology by partnering with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions and successfully implementing ELERA® Security Suite to enhance loss prevention measures and improve the overall customer experience.

ELERA® Security Suite is now operational across self-checkout lanes in all 199 Weis locations, with plans to extend the technology to dual-use and cashier lanes. ELERA® Security Suite – which includes ELERA® Loss Prevention and ELERA® Produce Recognition offers a comprehensive solution that delivers key benefits for security and checkout experiences.

“Our goal is to upgrade our technology stack and invest in ELERA® Security Suite to provide a frictionless experience for our customers. Our customers have embraced produce recognition, with over 94% selecting to use it at self-checkout,” said Greg Zeh, CIO and SVP of Weis Markets, in the recent release. “We are one of the first retail chains with ELERA® Security Suite across our stores, ensuring speed, privacy, and performance. It is already strengthening real-time loss prevention.”

Effective loss prevention solutions must include dynamic human factors, speed, and data. Empowered by edge AI, ELERA® Security Suite enables real-time, on-device processing at self-checkout stations to automatically identify produce items and proactively correct loss-related behaviors. Unlike systems that only detect incidents after they happen, the suite prompts immediate action with minimal customer disruption.

“Weis Markets has been a trusted partner for over two decades, and we’re thrilled to support their continued innovation. By understanding the real-world complexities of shrink, we designed a system that helps retailers like Weis Markets to enhance the shopping experience and empower associates,” said Yevgeni Tsirulnik, SVP Portfolio Management at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “ELERA® Security Suite represents a significant leap forward in self-checkout solutions. Its edge AI operates locally at checkout, shifting loss prevention from reactive detection to proactive influence and built to evolve with changing business needs.”

The implementation is part of Weis Markets’ ongoing ELERA® journey with Toshiba. The scalable solution boosts operational performance and reduces store costs through serverless, energy-efficient edge processing, providing Weis Markets with powerful, real-time insights. Its modular design integrates seamlessly with existing store hardware and the ELERA® Commerce Platform POS used by Weis Markets, lowering infrastructure costs and complexity. With an integrated dashboard for loss prevention and produce recognition, Weis Markets can proactively manage and streamline store operations while driving meaningful cost savings. ELERA® also safely handles all customer and payment data across POS, self-service, mobile, loyalty, and payment systems to deliver a faster, more secure experience for shoppers.

Toshiba will showcase ELERA® Security Suite and other retail innovations across software, hardware, and services in their booth at the upcoming NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show in January.

MINOT, ND - FullTilt Marketing, a national leader in produce and food marketing, unveiled its Vegetable of the Year forecast, naming Broccolini as the official Vegetable of the Year for 2026. The recognition follows a comprehensive analysis of social conversations, consumer behavior, and emerging culinary sentiment utilizing Tastewise® food intelligence.

Vegetables as a whole continue to grow in cultural significance, representing 18% of all food and beverage social share with a +5.3% YoY increase in popularity, driven by consumer desires for health, comfort, flavor, and emotional connection. Within this surge, the data reveals a single vegetable gaining disproportionate cultural traction.

Why Broccolini Leads 2026

Broccolini has rapidly moved from a specialty item to a mainstream favorite, landing in the “trending” stage of the vegetable lifecycle with a +25% YoY increase in social discussions — one of the strongest growth rates among established vegetables.

Consumers gravitate toward broccolini for its mild flavor, approachable versatility, and its alignment with top-tier culinary and wellness trends. It blends seamlessly into comfort-forward recipes while also supporting global cuisine exploration.

Tastewise data shows that consumers increasingly associate vegetables with claims like hearty, comfort, cozy, and guilt-free, making broccolini a perfect match for the emotional and nourishing eating experiences shaping 2026 food culture.

Its rapid climb also corresponds with the rising demand for vegetables that are functional, plant-forward, and easy for home cooks to incorporate into everyday meals without complexity in prep or cooking.

“Broccolini is having a moment, and that moment is turning into a movement,” said Melinda Goodman, Founder & Principal of FullTilt Marketing, in the recent release. “Its growth is being driven by consumers who want foods that feel comforting and wholesome but also fresh, modern, and globally inspired. Broccolini checks every box.”

Honorable Mention: Sweetpotatoes

While broccolini leaves its veggie counterparts green with envy, sweetpotatoes undeniably earned a place on the podium, ranking as one of the most consistently rising vegetables with a +16% YoY increase in social conversation.

Sweetpotato performance ties into dominant wellness themes, including hormone balance, anti-bloat, polyphenols, and electrolytes underscoring the importance of the functional food movement making sweetpotatoes both emotionally comforting and nutritionally compelling.

Expect sweetpotatoes’ broad usage across meals, snacks, bakery items, and beverages to make them a continual growth engine for retailers and foodservice alike.

Vegetables to Watch for 2026–2027

While the trending vegetables get all the attention, FullTilt’s research identified two strong emerging contenders that deserve attention and should be watched throughout the coming year in the emerging conversation category – kabocha and endive.

Both are rising stars in the “emerging” stage of trend adoption and will see more experimentation from restaurants and culinary creators that could have us see them break into trending use by late 2026 and gain cultural traction in 2027.

Goodman commented, “Social media has changed the conversation about how we see and use food, particularly fruits and vegetables. It will be exciting to watch these trending and emerging vegetables reflect the accelerating consumer desire for produce that is functional, aesthetically unique, and globally inspired.”

What Consumers Want from Vegetables in 2026

In addition to our vegetable of the year, Tastewise intelligence reveals several powerful trend drivers shaping produce consumption including emotional eating, functional foods and culinary exploration.

Broccolini, sweetpotatoes, kabocha, and endive each intersect multiple high-growth consumer needs giving produce marketers and growers a roadmap for relevance in 2026.

“The insights are clear and brands that lean into these trends now will shape category leadership for years to come,” remarked Goodman. “Trend intelligence is a powerful tool for growers and brands who want to elevate demand and strengthen their category story. Understanding the nuances of how consumers talk about vegetables unlocks smarter promotional campaigns, more compelling storytelling, and better alignment with what shoppers value most.”

FullTilt Marketing invites produce organizations to email [email protected] and connect for custom trend analysis, social listening reports, and strategic planning based on Tastewise consumer content intelligence.

SANTA MARIA, CA - The Bonipak Family of Companies (including Bonita Packing Co., Betteravia Farms, and Alco Harvesting), is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Cruciger as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Scott brings over 20 years of experience in the ingredients industry across food & beverage, industrial, pharmaceutical, and agricultural markets. He has held leadership roles in multiple business sectors including operations, supply chain, commercial, and strategic management.

Reflecting on his appointment in the recent release, "I am honored to join Bonipak and lead this incredible organization. I look forward to building on the strong foundation established and working with the talented team to drive continued innovation and growth," says Scott.

“As a family-owned company with nearly a century of history, we’re proud to welcome Scott into the Bonipak family,” said Mitch Ardantz, Managing Partner of Bonipak Produce. “His forward-thinking mindset and proven leadership will strengthen our ability to adapt, grow, and serve our customers with the same excellence that has defined Bonipak for over 90 years.”

With Scott’s leadership, Bonipak looks forward to building upon the foundation established by generations of hard work and dedication. Guided by our commitment to integrity, innovation, and quality, we remain focused on growing responsibly, supporting our people, and delivering the freshness our customers deserve; today and for generations to come.

ST. LOUIS, MO - Schnuck Markets, Inc. in partnership with Foodshed.io, is expanding a farm direct to store concept - increasing the number and types of farms their customers experience, all with the goal of increasing flavor and freshness.

This pilot program began in fall 2024 with one farm supplying multiple Schnucks locations across the St. Louis metropolitan region. Following its success, Schnucks has expanded the program in 2025 to include additional farmers and more store locations.

“This program is a natural next step in our mission to strengthen our local food economy and provide our customers with the freshest possible products,” said Michael Tipton, VP of Produce & Floral, Schnucks, in the recent release. “By working with “hyper-local” farms located just miles from our stores, we’re able to reduce transportation time and deliver produce to our shelves just hours after it’s been harvested from the fields.”

Ozark Forest Mushroom - the original farm partner in this program - has played a key role in its success. Operating in the heart of St. Louis in the city’s Fox Park neighborhood, the farm specializes in a line of gourmet mushrooms and now supplies more than thirteen Schnucks locations each week, year-round. Their proximity to Schnucks stores enables the farm to handle last-minute orders and efficient delivery.

“Throughout our tenure, we’ve been connected with smaller family-owned farms that were meeting food safety compliance, producing high-quality fruits and vegetables, but just couldn’t meet the volume commitments necessary to make a delivery to a distribution center worthwhile,” said Dan Beckmann, CEO at Foodshed.io. “This program solves a gap in the local food supply chain, matching growers with Schnucks store locations that match their volume capabilities.”

This year, Schnucks expanded their “Hyper Local” program to their Evansville, Indiana market, offering a variety of local produce items, including sweet corn from Family Tradition Farm, blackberries from Stoll’s Greenhouse and green bell peppers from Mayse Farm Market.

“We’ve been serving the Evansville market for nearly 50 years,” said Stephen Rennels, division manager, Schnucks. “It was our pleasure to connect our customers to farms they know and love - and expect to expand further as the next summer approaches.”

Schnucks and Foodshed.io have been partnering to improve access to local produce for over six seasons - working on innovations ranging from “Fresh Produce Now” alerts to building systems that make farm direct to store possible and affordable to their loyal customers.