BRONX, NY - D’Arrigo New York proudly highlighted its philanthropic partnership with over a dozen nonprofit organizations in the Northeast, focusing on Sharing Excess, a key collaborator in the fight against food waste and hunger.

“When Sharing Excess planned our national strategy to address food waste and hunger, we aimed at tackling high-volume food waste in large wholesale markets, and where else would we go but Hunts Point,” said Evan Ehlers, Founder of Sharing Excess. “D’Arrigo is one of the most respected families in the field—not just for food quality, but also for their commitment to community. This aligned with our core principles and we are committed to building on our partnership.”

Since its expansion to New York in October 2023, Sharing Excess has worked closely with D’Arrigo New York to distribute food to local communities, reduce waste, and enhance efficiency at Hunts Point Market. This collaboration allowed Sharing Excess to implement a streamlined approach that leveraged innovative technology to track impact while addressing food insecurity.

“We work with D’Arrigo daily to redirect surplus food supply to vulnerable communities in need,” continued Ehlers.

In addition to facilitating food donations, D’Arrigo introduced Sharing Excess to its long-standing partner, Brighter Bites, which provides healthy food to schools throughout New York. This partnership has significantly increased the volume of food delivered directly to local school systems on a weekly basis.

According to a press release, the partnership is set to evolve over the next five years as Hunts Point Produce Market modernizes.

“We look forward to expanding Sharing Excess operations to increase efficiencies at the market, drive down expenses for our food vendor partners, and create a zero waste environment through decreasing carbon emissions,” Ehlers added.

Through its innovative and agile approach, Sharing Excess continues to revolutionize food sharing, aiming to rescue and redistribute over 1 million pounds of food each week. With its commitment to both business and philanthropy, this partnership stands as a model for combating food waste and hunger in the community.

For more innovations in addressing food waste and hunger, you know where to click!

SEATTLE, WA - RipeLocker has celebrated significant advancements in its partnerships with Gebbers Farms and Chelan Fresh, successfully improving the long-term storage and delivery of high-quality cherries for the 2024 season.

“Dropping acid levels, pitting, and brown stems make it difficult to hold cherries long-term. After six years of trials, we finally figured out the right techniques,” explained George Lobisser, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of RipeLocker. “I give credit to our collaboration between Johnny Gebbers of Gebbers Farms and our Director of Fruit Sciences, Brendon Anthony, PhD. They worked closely together to revise harvesting practices and RipeLocker storage protocols to successfully hold a cherry.”

After six years of rigorous trials, RipeLocker overcame the challenges of cherry preservation, optimizing both harvest timing and storage techniques. Cherries harvested in mid-July were successfully delivered to a major national retailer in mid-August, passing quality control without exceptions. Additionally, several RipeLockers were utilized to store cherries until mid-September, perfectly timed for the Chinese Moon Festival.

“These cherries would have easily passed QC by our receivers,” remarked Tom Riggan, Chief Executive Officer of Chelan Fresh. “The Chinese market would have especially valued the green stems.” According to a press release, RipeLocker’s innovations promise to transform the future of cherry distribution and preservation in the industry.

Looking ahead, RipeLocker expressed enthusiasm for the next season, as the national retailer plans to build on this year’s successes with multiple cherry varieties. RipeLocker’s technology has proven effective for other perishables, such as blueberries, roses, and fresh hops, and now stands as a game-changer for cherry storage.

“Another opportunity we see is the ability for growers to harvest before climatic events like excessive heat, and store before demand,” Lobisser noted. This breakthrough not only extends the cherry season but also enhances market opportunities for growers, packers, shippers, and retailers alike.

Don’t miss the next milestone—business is thriving in the produce industry. Keep reading ANUK for the latest insights!

UNITED STATES - With workers at both the East and Gulf ports officially on strike following the expiration of the six-year master contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) on September 30, many members of our industry are looking ahead to the potential impacts. Preparing for any supply chain disruptions sparked by this strike, Costco is taking multiple steps to ready its operations for any upcoming challenges.

"We've cleared the ports, we've pre-shipped. We've done several different things that we could to get holiday goods in ahead of this time frame, and looked at alternate plans that we could execute with moving goods to different ports and coming across the country if needed," Chief Executive Officer Ron Vachris said on the club chain’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

Costco has initiated multiple contingency plans, including pre-shipping some products to ensure holiday goods arrive early and preparing to use different ports.

The strike was initiated yesterday, October 1, affecting a total of 36 ports that handle more than half of the United States ocean trade of products. According to reports from Reuters, a prolonged strike could result in shortages of staple grocery items such as bananas, coffee, and cocoa, which could translate to higher grocery prices over time. The disruption could also mean lost export sales of key agricultural products including beef, pork, chicken, and eggs.

As more companies implement strategies to overcome hurdles posed by this recent port strike, ANUK will continue to report.

UNITED STATES - The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is continuing its efforts to support food safety in agriculture and beyond. The organization’s new unified Human Foods Program—a model for field operations and other modernization efforts—is now in effect. This is the single largest reorganization in the agency’s modern history, as it impacts more than 8,000 employees and touches almost every facet of the FDA.

In particular, the establishment of the Human Foods Program allows the FDA to most effectively deliver on its mission to protect and promote public health through science-based approaches that prevent foodborne illness, reduce diet-related chronic disease, and ensure the safety of chemicals in our food. This new program will enable the FDA to zero in on those issues where intervention has the greatest opportunity for the prevention of disease and for the promotion of wellness.

An important part of this reorganization also includes restructuring and renaming the FDA’s field operations unit to focus on inspections, investigations, and imports as its core mission, a press release noted.

Restructuring the Office of Inspections and Investigations, formerly known as the Office of Regulatory Affairs, extends beyond foods and has an impact on how the FDA oversees all FDA-regulated products. The FDA has created an enterprise-wide structure that will enhance collaboration between field investigators and other subject matter experts throughout the agency.

The FDA will also pilot a new online consumer complaint form to both improve the consumer experience when submitting complaints, as well as internally handle complaints more efficiently and effectively, helping the FDA to better detect and respond to emerging public health risks.

The FDA is hopeful this modernization and reorganization will enhance transparency and trust in the agency as it works both inside and outside the FDA to better meet our country’s shared public health goals.

As we learn more about the program, keep coming back to ANUK.

PARIS - Sodexo’s newest strategy not only fuels professional development for chefs on a global scale but also strategically advances the company’s sustainability goals through culinary exploration and innovation. The foodservice innovator is gearing up to host the global Sustainable Chef Challenge: Cook for a Change. Taking to the event as the United States finalist, University of Vermont’s Executive Chef Ryan Hickey will compete alongside global chefs from campuses, corporations, hospitals, and other organizations this November in Paris.

“The Sustainable Chef Challenge: Cook for a Change is innovative in that we’re a global leader in foodservice, challenging our chefs across the world to not only sharpen their skills but to do so in a way that advances our mission of prioritizing sustainability and plant-forward fare,” said Lisa Feldman, Senior Director of Culinary, Sodexo North America. “Sodexo is a business with such enormous reach—from school nutrition to corporate cafe programs for major organizations and everything in between—that by influencing and encouraging our chefs to promote sustainable, environmentally friendly, plant-based (and of course, delicious) meals, we’re making a broader impact, extending beyond our business.”

As the company shared in its latest release, the event embodies a two-pronged approach to growth, driving professional chef development while also using it as an opportunity to advance its sustainability goals by promoting new ways to innovate plant-based cooking at our accounts across the globe. This strategy pushes Sodexo closer to its overarching goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2040.

Chef Hickey was declared a finalist for his plant-based gnocchi with locally sourced celeriac and kale ribs.

“Innovation is my secret ingredient: spinning a fresh perspective on a classical technique leads to fun results,” said Hickey. “For this challenge, I used kale to dye the pasta for its vibrant color and flavor. The technique of making gnocchi is a labor of love and one that has lived in the hearts of many chefs. I love the history and innovation of cooking, and this challenge was an opportunity to do something that combines the two.”

ANUK will continue to report on this event and other strategies to fuel foodservice development, so stick around.

DEVENS, MA - It’s time to readjust that packaged salad set, because Little Leaf Farms has a new offering sure to capture category sales. The CEA grower has added a Sesame Ginger variety to its fast-growing Salad Kits line—first launched in 2023 with Crispy Caesar and Southwest varieties.

"Coming off of the heels of the wildly successful launch of our first Salad Kit offerings, it only made sense to add another variety to the lineup," said Lindsay Hardie, Vice President of Marketing, going on to cite Nielsen data. "Little Leaf Farms is the fastest-growing pre-packaged salad brand in the country, an achievement driven by the rapid growth of CEA and salad kits within the category. Our fans have been loving these kits, and we know they'll be just as excited about Sesame Ginger."

Featuring Little Leaf Farms' fan-favorite Baby Crispy Green Leaf lettuce, the new Sesame Ginger Salad Kit includes Thai seasoned wonton strips, sliced almonds, toasted quinoa, and sesame ginger dressing, a press release explained.

Little Leaf Farms' greens are free of harmful chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides; are hands-free from seeding to harvesting to packaging; and are delivered from greenhouse to grocery store in about 24 hours to ensure the crispiest, freshest lettuce possible.

The new Salad Kit variety is the latest development in Little Leaf Farms' ongoing growth. Earlier this year, the company announced the opening of its newest greenhouse at its McAdoo, Pennsylvania, site, which has increased the brand's retail presence by nearly 5,000 grocery stores throughout the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast regions.

Stay tuned to see how this new product performs on shelves!

SALINAS, CA - Hundreds of acres of strawberry fields in Central Florida will soon be bringing delicious, juicy strawberries to store shelves under the Naturipe Farms label. The berry producer recently expanded its strawberry growing operations in Florida, securing benefits for retailers and consumers alike.

“We are thrilled to offer our retailers more local options for stocking sweet, succulent strawberries,” says Jim Roberts, President of Sales. “Our experience growing strawberries, along with blueberries and other produce in Florida, directly benefits both the retailer and the customer. We’re looking forward to growing our operations in Florida even further as we move forward.”

In addition to increased strawberry availability for retailers in the region, Naturipe’s Central Florida-grown berries will have a decreased transit distance and longer growing seasons. They will be on the shelves closer to their harvest, resulting in optimal freshness.

At the heart of this exciting expansion is Duette, Florida-based Berry Red Farms, operated by the Chavez family. As a press release explained, since 2004, Merced and Dee Chavez have transformed their initial six leased acres into a flourishing 200-acre strawberry operation; their dedication and resilience reflect core values, including strong ties to the land and a commitment to high-quality, fresh produce.

Naturipe’s network is composed of dedicated growers who share a deep connection to the land and a passion for producing high-quality berries. By integrating the local knowledge and commitment of Florida's farming community, Naturipe continues to enhance its reputation for delivering top-notch produce while fostering strong agricultural practices, the release added.

For more expansion updates and industry insights, you know where to click!