CINCINNATI, OH - Investing back into its workforce, Kroger recently awarded $300,000 to 120 students through its Kroger Scholars program. Since its launch in 2008, the program has awarded more than $5 million in scholarship funds.

"We are proud to recognize this year's Kroger Scholars for their commitment to academic excellence and service to their schools and communities," said Patty Leesemann, Head of Philanthropy at Kroger. "Our associates are at the center of everything we do at Kroger, and being able to honor their children with scholarships is a special tradition. We hope these funds make it a little easier for our associates and their children as they pursue higher education. Congratulations to our 2024 Kroger Scholars."

According to a press release, the Kroger Scholars program is presented by the Kroger Co. Foundation and is open to children (biological, adopted, and stepchildren) of associates in the Kroger Family of Companies who have two years of service and have worked at least 1,000 hours per year.

Kroger also offers a tuition reimbursement program for its associates, contributing up to $21,000 for both part-time and full-time associates.

Since 2018, the company has reimbursed more than $50 million for continuing education.

We’ll continue to keep abreast of retail updates big and small, so keep tuning in to AndNowUKnow.

MONTREAL, QC - Known by its eye-catching marketing, Equifruit is happy to announce its first-ever appearance at Southeast Produce Council’s upcoming Southern Innovations. The theme of its booth will focus on the company’s dedication to ethical sourcing and being a Fairtrade banana company.

"Our goal is to make the conversation around Fair Trade as appetizing and loved as pop culture. With our 'Make It Rain' booth theme, we're showing that the small change of switching to Equifruit Fairtrade bananas can have a big impact," remarked Kim Chackal, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

As a press release explained, Equifruit believes in fair compensation for the hardworking farmers who grow its bananas.

The campaign message is simple: "Why Fairtrade? Farmers Gotta Get Paid!"

"We want to dispel the myth that Fair Trade is costly. Switching to Equifruit Fairtrade bananas is more affordable than most people think—it will only cost your customers about $5 more on their grocery bill per year," added Shelby Dwyer, Sales Manager.

Make sure to mark booth #120 on your list of stops!

GERMANY & FRANCE - With food safety top of mind, GLOBALG.A.P. is continuing to work toward a better future. Recently, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat announced that its Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standards—version 6 GFS, published in 2022—have received official recognition from the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

“We are excited about maintaining the recognition by GFSI and look forward to continuing to uphold the highest standards of food safety in collaboration with our stakeholders,” explained Dr. Elmé Coetzer-Boersma, Managing Director at GLOBALG.A.P. c/o FoodPLUS.

The GFSI has formally recognized version 6.0 GFS of the Integrated Farm Assurance standards for plants and aquaculture. According to a press release, this recognition ensures that responsible production processes certified according to the GLOBALG.A.P. standards adhere to globally acknowledged food safety and environmental sustainability standards.

Effective from August 6, 2024, these standards meet the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements v2020:

• Integrated Farm Assurance Smart/GFS version 6.0 – Principles and criteria for aquaculture (finfish, crustaceans, molluscs and seaweed)
  • AII: Farming of fish and seafood
• Integrated Farm Assurance GFS Plants version 6.0 – Principles and criteria for fruits and vegetables
  • BI: Farming of plants (other than grains and pulses)
  • BIII: Pre-process handling of plant products

For stakeholders currently certified under IFA v5.4-1-GFS, their certifications remain valid and GFSI-benchmarked for the duration of the certificate. Audits for IFA v5.4-1 may continue until December 31, 2024, with issued certificates remaining valid for their full lifecycle. Starting January 1, 2025, all IFA audits for aquaculture and fruit and vegetables will be conducted against IFA v6 Smart or IFA v6 GFS, the latter being necessary for GFSI recognition. Audits to IFA v5.4-1 will no longer be possible after this date.

Keep reading ANUK as we learn more about these industry standards.