ORLANDO & CORAL GABLES, FL - Publix is strengthening its presence in Florida as of late, reopening its Metro West Village store in Orlando on September 24, 2025 (48,387 sq. ft.), then debuting a new location at Riviera Plaza in Coral Gables on September 25, 2025 (45,881 sq. ft.). Together, the openings extend the grocer’s reach across Central and South Florida with refreshed, full-format footprints built for busy neighborhood corridors.

“We are excited to welcome customers back to their Metro West Publix,” said Hannah Herring, Publix media relations manager, in a recent release on the Orlando re-opening. “We hope existing and new customers will enjoy the new store, quality products and friendly faces.”

Hispanic Heritage Month

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, customers at the Orlando location were treated to a celebration that included food and drink samples, a build-your-own flower bouquet station and customized apparel.

95th Anniversary

To celebrate its 95th anniversary, Publix handed out commemorative reusable bags to the first 95 customers in line at the grand opening of the Coral Gables location.

"We are excited to welcome customers to their new Publix,” said Lindsey Willis, Publix media relations manager, in a recent release on the new Coral Gables location. “The store reflects our commitment to quality, service and fresh offerings. It also features a seating area for customers to sit and enjoy their favorite Publix finds!”

Traditional departments

• Deli — features a full-service deli counter with a variety of meats and cheeses, an international selection of olives, antipastos, hummus and more than 200 artisan cheeses from the United States and around the world.
• Produce — carries organic and conventionally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, with locally grown produce and exotic choices from around the world. The floral department stocks bouquets bursting with colors depicting the changing seasons.
• Bakery — scratch bakery that offers an array of cakes, cookies and pies as well as wedding cakes and decadent desserts made by skilled decorators. Breads and rolls are baked fresh throughout the day.
• Meat — features custom cuts of meats, including Publix private label all-natural and organic GreenWise chicken. Customers seeking a home-cooked meal with minimal prep time can choose from ready-to-cook items prepared fresh daily.
• Seafood — carries fresh seafood delivered throughout the week. It includes wild and farm-raised fish, as well as a wide variety of shellfish. Publix’s whole fish and fillets are fresh, never frozen. Sushi chefs create delectable hand-rolled selections daily.
• Pharmacy — full-service pharmacy that also includes a large variety of body care products and a wide selection of natural and conventional vitamins, minerals and supplements.

Special services

• Publix Delivery — powered by Instacart.
• Catering (Coral Gables location) – offers customers event menu planning for free.

IRVINE, CA & OTTAWA, ON - The Sustainable Produce Packaging Alignment (SPPA), a consortium of North American fresh produce industry leaders, announced the publication of its "Roadmap to Sustainable Fresh Produce Packaging: A Guide to Reducing Food Waste, Mitigating Emissions, and Enabling Sustainable Fresh Produce Supply Chains." This pivotal guide aims to create a unified, industry-wide approach to more functional, economical, and sustainable packaging.

A diverse group of fresh produce industry experts developed the roadmap, spearheaded by Western Growers and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), supported by Qfresh Lab. The roadmap confronts the complex and often contradictory challenges facing the fresh produce sector, including a fragmented regulatory landscape, contradictory buyer requirements, and the performance gap between conventional and alternative packaging materials.

A central theme of the report is the concept of "Functional Sustainability," which advocates for a holistic evaluation of packaging based on its performance throughout the entire supply chain, rather than focusing predominantly on its end-of-life disposal. The authors argue that a narrow focus on recyclability or compostability can paradoxically increase food waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

"The fresh produce industry is at a critical inflection point, and this roadmap provides a much-needed, science-based path forward," said Dennis Nuxoll, Vice President, Federal Government Affairs at Western Growers, in a press release. "It champions the principle that the most sustainable package is the one that effectively prevents food waste. By prioritizing functionality, we safeguard the immense environmental resources invested in growing fresh produce and ensure it reaches the consumer safely and with the highest quality."

The roadmap details the significant risks posed by incongruent regulations and market requirements, which can lead to supply chain inefficiencies, increased costs for growers, and negative environmental outcomes. It calls for a shift in perspective, urging the industry, retailers, and policymakers to recognize that packaging plays a critical role in ensuring food safety and extending shelf life.

"Collaboration and harmonization are essential to navigating the current landscape," stated Ron Lemaire, President, Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA). "This roadmap provides a framework for the entire supply chain to work together on pragmatic, aligned policies. It’s about moving beyond single issue debates and toward integrated solutions that deliver genuine environmental and economic benefits. By advocating for policies like Extended Producer Responsibility schemes that recognize and prioritize the reduction of food waste, we can drive meaningful change."

Key recommendations from the "Roadmap to Sustainable Fresh Produce Packaging" include:

• Committing to Functional Sustainability: Prioritizing a package's ability to protect and preserve the food it contains as the most critical element of its sustainability.
• Driving Targeted Innovation: Investing in new materials and technologies tailored to the specific needs of different produce commodity groups.
• Advocating for Pragmatic Policy: Working collectively for science-based regulations that reward positive environmental outcomes, such as reduced food waste.

The roadmap also introduces a novel approach of grouping fresh produce commodities by shared functional requirements (Robust, Resilient, Delicate, and Highly Perishable) to promote innovation and enhance supply chain efficiency. “Packaging functionality, throughout its life, must be considered in any sustainable packaging offering. Sustainable packaging alternatives must look at both the end-of-life strategy as well as the requirements of that package throughout the entire supply chain. You cannot compromise the packaging functionality for the end-of-life strategy,” stated Jeff Brandenburg, Founder of Qfresh Lab.

The next steps for this work include the development of supplementary materials that dive into critical topics in sustainable fresh produce packaging.

The SPPA was formed to align the industry on scientifically sound, achievable, and sustainable fresh produce packaging guidelines for North America. The full "Roadmap to Sustainable Fresh Produce Packaging" is available for industry stakeholders.

To read the full report, please click here.

MADRID - From the heart of Romagna to the international stage of fruit and vegetables: UNITEC, an Italian excellence recognized in more than 65 countries, is getting ready to give answers to the most demanding and expert visitors present at Fruit Attraction with automation and artificial intelligence technological solutions dedicated to the fruit and vegetables sector.

In an increasingly competitive market hit by climate variables, UNITEC remains a point of reference for selection, sorting, handling and packing of fruit and vegetables, proposing technologies that can respond to significant challenges: ensuring high quality standards and supporting packing houses as regards labor shortage, but most of all we help to improve profitability and loyalty towards distribution channels and end clients.

The latest development: Vision 4.0 AI

UNITEC, a worldwide leader company, keeps being committed to innovation and development of new and efficient solutions for internal and external quality selection of every kind of fruit and vegetables.

UNITEC installations equipped with UNIQ systems allow selecting internal quality, with high reliability, totally preserving the integrity of each fruit. A concrete answer to the market and final consumers' expectations, who pay more and more attention to ripeness level, sweetness and integrity.

One of the many pieces of technology of this edition will be Vision 4.0 AI, the latest evolution of UNITEC sorting platforms: a system boosted by artificial intelligence that allows detecting and separating external defects with a level of precision never reached before. The result: perfectly sorted fruit and vegetables, more consistency in standards, speed in processes and access to more profitable markets.

Angelo Benedetti's vision

"Many technological solutions to support European and global packing houses with the concrete aim to be on their side. Nowadays to generate 'results' nature is not enough, we need technology too!" states Angelo Benedetti, President of UNITEC, in a press release. "Only in this way can we ensure consistent quality levels that, providing satisfactory answers to consumers, will bring benefits to the entire chain."

The technologies we present in Madrid have a precise goal: promoting customer loyalty towards the fruit produced in Europe, especially in Spain and Italy. We do not limit ourselves to handling, sorting/grading lines: we look at the total project, from the field to the final palletization. We are developing an intelligence able to directly connect the packing house to the country, providing useful information to improve quality selection already in the field. Therefore, AI will be used not only during the handling stage, but also during harvest, with a connection to the large-scale retail channel and oriented to complete satisfaction of final consumers.

We aim at robotized harvesting solutions for apples, peaches, damson plums and kiwifruit, designed and built with a company culture that brings together innovation and concrete results for our customers.

To learn more, click here.

MONTREAL, CANADA - Equifruit, North America’s market leader in Fairtrade-certified bananas, has been named one of Canada’s top growing companies by The Globe and Mail for a fourth year running. Ranked #174 with a growth rate of 195%, this is the company’s highest position on the list yet.

“We’re so proud to be included again on this year’s list,” says Jennie Coleman, President and Co-owner of Equifruit. “For us, growth is not just about numbers, it’s about impact for banana farmers. Every Equifruit Fairtrade banana sold means fairer wages and better conditions for banana growers. That drives us to keep growing across North America.”

Banana math that makes sense

A certified B Corp and women-owned business, Equifruit’s sustained growth speaks to consumer demand for Fairtrade bananas in North America. In the past five years in Canada, organic Fairtrade bananas volumes have grown by 521% and one in three organic bananas are now Fairtrade, supported by major retailers switching their organic banana program to Fairtrade. Equifruit celebrates this growth, which creates positive impact for banana farmers.

Equifruit has also celebrated milestones in 2025 including becoming a certified Fairtrade workplace and achieving a place in ECIP’s Leadership Circle, which recognizes produce suppliers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to improving labour practices.

Equifruit is bananas for Fairtrade Month

This announcement comes as Equifruit gears up for Fairtrade Month, a global celebration where retailers and brands spotlight what it means to buy better. This October, Equifruit is peeling back the truth about the wellness industry. Forget fancy powders and supplements, the ultimate wellness product is the Equifruit Fairtrade banana – a fruit that fuels you and pays banana farmers fairly. Look out for Equifruit Fairtrade bananas in stores and join the Fairtrade Month celebrations.

The Equifruit team will also be attending the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show (October 16-18, Anaheim). Find Equifruit at booth #3568 and prepare to go bananas.

Find out why Equifruit is The Only Banana You Should Buy™.