EAST COAST - A slow-moving nor’easter is bringing coastal flooding and strong winds from the Mid-Atlantic toward New England, with the potential to affect pumpkin and leafy green harvests, shipments, and deliveries in exposed areas. No crop damage or supply disruption has been confirmed.

The National Weather Service in Virginia expects flooding through multiple high tides, while its New Jersey forecast calls for repeated tidal flooding and coastal wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph. Flooded roads could complicate pickup and delivery schedules, even where growing areas avoid the worst of the storm.

Coastal New England faces its strongest wind and flooding threat Friday and Saturday. The storm’s track remains uncertain, and its effects on growing regions will depend on where the heaviest rain and wind develop.

For pumpkin and leafy green suppliers, the immediate concern is whether field conditions and transportation routes allow harvests and shipments to stay on schedule.

AndNowUKnow will continue to monitor weather impacts on produce.

MILLEN, GA - The Southeast Produce Council (SEPC) is honoring the life of Tom Page, a founding leader who passed away on September 17. A past chairman and recipient of the council’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Page helped shape SEPC through his leadership, mentorship, and deep commitment to the fresh produce industry. The council remembers him just as warmly for the friendship and Southern hospitality he shared with those around him.

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of one of SEPC’s true founding visionaries, Tom Page, who passed away on September 17th.

Tom’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of the Southeast Produce Council. As a founding father, his leadership, wisdom, and unwavering passion for the fresh produce industry helped lay the groundwork for everything our council stands for today. Among his many notable contributions, Tom served as a Past Chairman of the Board and was honored as a recipient of the prestigious SEPC Lifetime Achievement Award.

Beyond his professional achievements, Tom embodied the spirit of warmth, mentorship, and genuine Southern hospitality that defines our SEPC family.

As we honor his extraordinary life and lasting impact, our thoughts, prayers, and deepest condolences go out to his family, his friends, and all who were blessed to know and work alongside him.

Rest in peace, Tom. Thank you for your leadership, your friendship, and for helping us grow higher together. You will be deeply missed and forever remembered.

For those wishing to share memories, tributes, or words of comfort for the family, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

FORT WORTH, TX - Village Fresh Greenhouse Grown is kicking off its new Texas growing season with a fresh crop and a broad lineup of greenhouse-grown tomatoes and cucumbers ready for customers across the country.

The Texas-grown assortment includes Sinfully Sweet Campari®, Juicy Beefsteak, Delectable TOV, Savory Roma, Big Bend Beefs™, Exquisite Heirloom, and the company’s signature Heavenly Villagio Marzano®, along with Scrumptious Mini Cucumbers and Luscious Seedless Long English Cucumbers.

From everyday tomato staples to distinctive specialty varieties and fresh cucumbers, the lineup gives retail and foodservice customers multiple options for building a strong greenhouse-grown assortment around flavor, freshness, versatility, and consistent quality.

“Texas is at the heart of our growing program, and we’re excited about the quality and variety coming into the market with the start of the new season,” said Richie Keirouz, Senior Vice President of Sales, Village Fresh Greenhouse Grown, in the recent release. “Having such a broad assortment allows us to support our customers across the category — from high-volume everyday items to differentiated specialty products that bring flavor and excitement to the produce department.”

The new crop reflects Village Fresh’s long history of controlled environment agriculture in Texas and its focus on delivering products that meet a range of consumer needs and eating occasions.

Among the specialty lineup is Heavenly Villagio Marzano®, the company’s distinctive mini San Marzano tomato, celebrating 15 years of flavor in 2026. Since its introduction in 2011, the variety has become a signature Village Fresh offering, valued for its rich flavor, unique shape, and versatility.

Village Fresh will bring its Texas-grown lineup to the International Fresh Produce Association Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, Florida, October 15–16, 2026. The full Village Fresh team will be on hand at Booth #3470, giving customers and industry partners an opportunity to see the new-season products, taste select varieties, and discuss programs for the season ahead.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming customers to our booth and having our team together in Orlando,” added Keirouz. “It’s an opportunity to talk about the season, understand what our customers are looking for, and let the quality and flavor of the products speak for themselves.”

IRELAND - Fyffes has launched its Sustainability Strategy 2025-2035, setting out a series of long-term commitments across climate, agriculture, packaging, food loss and waste, human rights and community impact, including a target to achieve gender parity in senior leadership and at least 30% female representation in supervisory operational roles by 2035 in its own operations.

The new strategy builds on Fyffes' existing sustainability program and introduces additional targets extending to 2035. The company says the updated framework reflects evolving stakeholder expectations, regulatory developments and the importance of integrating sustainability considerations into long-term business planning.

Under the strategy’s “Enriching People’s Lives” pillar, Fyffes will build on its existing gender equality programs by strengthening pathways for women to progress into supervisory and senior leadership positions across its owned operations.

Caoimhe Buckley, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Fyffes, said in the recent release: "Agriculture depends on the skills, experience and contribution of people throughout the value chain, yet women remain underrepresented in many leadership and operational roles across the sector. Our new target reflects our commitment to creating greater opportunities for women to progress into supervisory and leadership positions across our business.

Sustainability is about more than environmental performance. It is also about supporting fair and inclusive workplaces, respecting human rights and contributing positively to the communities connected to our supply chain. This strategy brings those priorities together within a single framework that will guide our actions through to 2035."

Alongside its gender representation targets, Fyffes also aims to positively impact wellbeing for 50 million people across its supply chain by 2035 through programs responding to locally identified needs including health and nutrition, climate resilience, education and gender equality as well as other areas that strengthen community livelihoods. The company has also committed to maintaining zero fatalities and reducing workplace injury rates by 20% by 2030 across all owned operations.

The strategy will ensure that 100% of Fyffes-owned farms and high-risk suppliers are covered by independent human rights and environmental impact assessments by 2028, supported by time-bound action plans where risks are identified.

In addition to its social commitments, the strategy sets out several environmental targets.

Fyffes has submitted targets to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions across its operations and supply chain in line with a 1.5°C pathway to the Science Based Targets initiative.

Other targets include:

• Expanding regenerative agriculture practices across 13,000 hectares (owned and growers) of banana and pineapple production by 2035.
• Reducing plastic packaging by 40% and overall single-use packaging materials by 10% by 2030.
• Reducing food loss across the banana and pineapple supply chain (owned and growers) by 70,000 tons by 2035 while continuing to maximize the repurposing of unavoidable surplus fruit.

The company states that the new strategy builds on progress made under its previous sustainability framework, through which it has reported achievements including providing more than 36 million healthy meals to vulnerable communities, educating more than three million people on healthy eating and food waste reduction, reducing its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions intensity by 46% from 2020 to 2025 and achieving water management plan coverage across all Fyffes farms.

Buckley added: "The challenges facing global food systems require long-term thinking and collaboration across supply chains. Through this strategy, we are establishing clear, measurable targets across the areas that are most material to our business and stakeholders. We will continue to monitor and report on our progress as we work towards these commitments."

The Sustainability Strategy 2025-2035 supports Fyffes' purpose of Shaping Wellbeing for the World and is designed to translate ambition into measurable action. Fyffes will publish progress through its sustainability reporting and continue to work with employees, suppliers, customers and communities to address challenges that no business can solve alone.

OXNARD, CA - Freska Produce International expects its first Ecuador mango arrivals on October 2nd, with promotable volumes beginning October 9th. The program will offer Ataulfo and Tommy Atkins mangos as Freska transitions into its fall sourcing season.

Freska’s Ecuador program is supported by longstanding grower relationships and close coordination of harvests and shipments.

“Our customers need clear information on when fruit will be available and when they can promote,” said Gary Clevenger, Managing Member of Freska Produce International, in the recent release. “Our longstanding relationships in Ecuador help us coordinate harvests and shipments so customers can plan their fall mango programs with confidence.”

Harvest and packing activity in Ecuador continues to increase as Freska prepares for its first arrivals.

Ecuador’s overall mango crop is currently projected to be 35–40% lower this season. Against that backdrop, Freska expects promotable volumes within its own program beginning October 9, making early customer planning and grower communication especially important.
Freska is monitoring weather conditions in Ecuador, including the potential development of El Niño and heavier rainfall that could affect crop quality and volume. Rainfall has had minimal effect on the crop to date, and the team will continue to assess conditions throughout the season.

“Our focus is on quality and keeping customers informed as the season develops,” Clevenger added. “We’re staying close to our growers and monitoring conditions so we can adjust our program and help customers plan around available fruit.”

The Ecuador season marks the next phase of Freska’s year-round mango program. Customers are encouraged to contact their Freska sales representative to discuss October promotions, sizing, and delivery schedules.

LAS VEGAS, NV - The Kroger Co., America's grocer, outlined its artificial intelligence strategy at GroceryShop 2026, detailing how customer insights, operational data, retail expertise, and a portfolio of proprietary models are already driving meaningful results. Kroger's AI initiatives are supported by privacy, security and responsible AI governance processes designed to help ensure appropriate use of data and human oversight.

Yael Cosset, executive vice president and Chief Digital Officer, described a strategy built on using AI to improve the customer experience, make work easier for associates and produce better business outcomes.

"This isn't new for Kroger," said Cosset in the recent release. "We've long been using data science and artificial intelligence to serve our customers by precisely forecasting demand, connecting customers with the most relevant savings opportunities and helping them find and get the products they need. Our latest investments in AI allow us to connect relevant business and operational signals to make decisions and take action faster."

A foundation few retailers can match

Kroger's AI strategy begins with a data foundation built on a longstanding loyalty program and years of customer and operational insights and data science. The company expands its broad portfolio of proprietary models spanning from demand forecasting to operational optimization, personalization, and generative AI capabilities, a press release stated.

Kroger's combination of proprietary and third-party frontier models with shared infrastructure, including data, services, agentic capabilities and governance guardrails, enables the company to move faster on proven capabilities, better orchestrate agents across workflows and manage performance in a more disciplined and reliable manner.

From assisted to autonomous, with discipline

Cosset described Kroger's AI journey in three stages: Assisted, augmented and autonomous.

"The goal is not autonomy everywhere," said Cosset. "The goal is using the right level of AI based on risk, repeatability, and the need for human judgment. Different cases will sit at different stages, and strong governance remains at the center."

What AI is doing for customers today
Kroger's AI Shopping Assistant is helping customers plan meals for the week, find new recipes, and build a cart around budget and dietary needs as well as preferences. Conversational search helps customers plan meals, discover relevant products, and find what they need more easily.

The company is also working on improving agents for frontline teams to cut through the noise of dozens of daily notifications and tasks and surface only the most important information. Additionally, Kroger is making AI literacy training and tools available to more than 400,000 associates across the enterprise.

"It's about more than simply granting access," said Cosset. "Teams need the skills and discernment to use AI responsibly, understanding where it is useful and redesigning work around this new capability. At our core, the human connection to a customer or fellow associate will never be replaced by AI. Instead, AI will give our associates more time and insight to create that connection."

The next frontier: Grocery as a managed service

Cosset outlined a future in which grocery shopping becomes an outcome-based experience instead of a series of individual and functional transactions. In this model, customers may choose to share information relevant to their shopping needs, and AI agents handle planning, shopping, and fulfillment.

Rather than formulating a weekly shopping list, customers may choose to share their goals and preferences, allowing AI agents to assist with planning and completing their shopping.

Kroger's advantage in this future, Cosset argued, is the same as it is today: A deep knowledge of customer shopping patterns, visibility into product availability and fulfillment, making the customer experience better.

SALINAS, CA - Get ready to see berries in a whole new way. Naturipe Farms is bringing its premium berries, latest innovations, and a fresh new booth experience to the 2026 International Fresh Produce & Floral Show, and this year, the grower-owned company is making sure there’s plenty to see.

IFPA is where the fresh produce industry comes together to share ideas, build relationships, and look ahead at what’s next. For Naturipe, it’s also an opportunity to put its innovation front and center and give retailers and partners a firsthand look at what sets the company apart.

This year’s booth will have a refreshed look and feel, with new artwork, an updated layout, and an experience designed to bring Naturipe’s story to life. The booth will also showcase some of Naturipe’s most fun seasonal packaging, from the bright Sunburst design of summer to Berry Scary® for Halloween and festive packaging created for the holiday season.

The company will showcase new packaging for Organic Mighty Blues™, Mighty Reds™, and Sweet Selections™. Designed to make these standout varieties even more eye-catching on the shelf, the new packaging reinforces what’s inside: a premium berry experience built around exceptional flavor and quality.

Naturipe is investing in more than better berries. The company is also expanding its team and expertise, bringing together category management, data analytics, digital marketing and decades of industry experience to help retailers make the most of the category. From the field to the shelf and everywhere shoppers find berries, Naturipe is bringing the products, people and expertise to help retailers grow.

“Consumers have more choices than ever, and when they choose to spend more on premium produce, they expect that experience to be worth it,” said Jim Roberts, president of Naturipe Farms, in the recent release. “We’re focused on giving them a reason to come back, and that means better genetics, better varieties, and berries that deliver on flavor.”

Naturipe is introducing a new meeting room and tasting bar where partners can sample select proprietary varieties and experience firsthand the results of the company’s continued focus on genetics and innovation.

“We can talk about great-tasting berries all day, but there’s nothing quite like taking that first bite,” Roberts said. “We want people to taste, see and experience what’s possible when you raise the standard.”

The company’s Innovation Center is also returning with a new visual experience designed to draw attendees in and showcase some of the work happening behind the berries. From proprietary genetics to sustainability and regenerative agriculture, the Innovation Center will highlight how Naturipe is thinking about the future of the category from the field all the way to the consumer.

We are also proud to be a stop on the Regenerative Agriculture Tour on the final day of the show, highlighting companies leading innovation in regenerative agriculture.

SnackBites™, which debuted at IFPA 2025, returns after an exciting first year. The convenient, better-for-you snack continues to gain momentum, with more retailers making room for the product as it reaches new shoppers and creates new occasions for enjoying blueberries.

“People are looking for healthy, convenient options that taste great and fit naturally into their lives,” Roberts said. “That’s where we see so much opportunity. Whether it’s a premium package of berries or an innovative snack, we’re constantly looking for new ways to give consumers more reasons and more occasions to enjoy our products.”

From premium varieties and eye-catching packaging to proprietary genetics, innovative snacking and a booth built to make an impression, Naturipe is bringing plenty of energy to IFPA 2026. Stop by Booth #2871 and see what’s next for berries.