ISSAQUAH, WA - Throughout the industry, labor challenges have been top of mind for fresh produce providers, especially for Vanguard International. CEO Craig Stauffer took to the virtual page in his recent release of “From Vanguard International CEO’s Desk,” discussing labor shortages and the future of automation.
“Growing fresh produce demands an extensive manual labor force that has always been a difficult order to fill. Although, with the emergence of a global pandemic and borders shutting down worldwide, is it ever top-of-mind even more so now,” penned Stauffer. “COVID-19 has presented a whole new set of labor challenges.”
Stauffer notes that most farm work can be attributed to laborer’s who travel from outside a nation’s own borders, which plays an important role year-round for a variety of pre- and post-harvest activities, including pruning, spraying, picking, packing, and storing. Because these jobs are often physically strenuous and span six to seven days a week during peak harvest periods, it is often a struggle to find homegrown residents.
Not only that, but COVID-19 has created further labor challenges.
“Over the past four months, governments worldwide began shutting down borders amid the pandemic, and uncertainty over labor ensued,” Stauffer continued. “Every grower is struggling with the new, almost weekly, changes to the rules around migrant labor, thus impacting accessibility to laborers who have often been with a grower for decades.”
With stricter measures in place to ensure the safety of both the country and produce, growers will likely need to adhere to new imposed standards such as:
- Quarantining migrant workers in physical-distanced housing for fourteen days upon entry into the country
- Ensuring physical distancing for workers while in the fields and orchards, reducing capacity
- Installing plexi-glass and other distancing measures in offices and on packing lines, reducing the pace of output and negatively impacting efficiencies
The New York Times reported that this concern is widespread. Farmers in countries such as Britain and Germany are feeling the strain of having a lack of harvesters, thus resulting in crops left in the ground.
“Growers are left with reduced labor to harvest crops this summer. In some cases, this will get resolved, but in others, by the time a resolution is found it will be too late for their crops,” explained Stauffer. “Without labor, the fruit cannot even be picked for donation to foodbanks, let alone sold normally [...] This is where automation on the farm becomes top-of-mind.”
Numerous technological advances have emerged as of late in the industry to help jettison fresh produce forward. Harvesting and packing operations have benefitted from these advancements, which is crucial now when the workforce has been reduced to help minimize the spread.
“Of course, there are many hiccups that come into play,” continued Stauffer. “A machine has to be gentle enough when picking that it does not ruin the fruit and it has to be sound enough to pass safety standards. But all in all, I believe our industry’s movement toward automation is incredibly positive.”
As with all innovations, the benefits of automations are key. Stauffer states that while pricey, technological advancements will prove their worth in the long run when it comes to filling in laborious positions that are typically difficult to fill.
“The goal with automation in farming is to replace jobs that are onerous and undesirable across the board,” Stauffer concludes. “Although expensive, when implemented accurately, they can have enormously positive returns on investment for growers, and at the end of the day, can help solve the growing problem of farm labor shortages around the world.”
Click here for the full letter straight from Craig Stauffer himself.
What new innovations will take precedence as we adapt to the challenges that have risen from COVID-19? ANUK will continue to report.
UNITED KINGDOM - Asda is beefing up its delivery services in more ways than one this week. Rolling out a brand-new grocery partnership with Uber as well as one of the freshest produce delivery boxes on the market, the retailer is poised for explosive growth in the sector.
“We’re pleased to be partnering with Uber Eats to trial a rapid grocery delivery service for customers in Leeds and Birmingham,” said Simon Gregg, Vice President of Online Grocery at Asda. “This will give Asda customers more choice in how they shop with us and offer yet another way to quickly and conveniently get their favorite branded and own-brand products delivered to the doorstep. Customers can use the Uber Eats app to select from hundreds of items for delivery in the same way they would shop for a takeaway.”
Alongside its new partner Uber and its recently debuted grocery service, Asda is now trialing an online ordering service in two U.K.-based locations, according to Prolific North. With this offering, shoppers have access to over 300 of Asda’s grocery offerings.
In a press release, Asda also announced a fresh produce-forward launch in the delivery sector. Its latest food box, brimming with fresh fruit and vegetables, contains 18 colorful items and represents one of the best value supermarket fruit and vegetable boxes available.
“We’ve listened to which food box our customers want and have developed the contents to suit their needs: a convenient and cost-effective option full to the brim with the freshest fruit and vegetables,” said Graeme Fletcher, Project Manager at Asda’s sourcing and procurement arm, IPL. “Not only will it save them time, but the opportunities for creating delicious healthy meals and tasty snacks are endless.”
Will these strategies inspire like-minded moves across the pond? With these two new delivery capabilities in its back pocket, there’s no telling where this innovative retailer will go!
PHARR, TX - Nothing irks us at ANUK like crimes against our beloved fresh produce. We regret to inform you this afternoon that yet another shipment of fruits and veg was intercepted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility. This time, officials discovered $3,704,000 worth of alleged methamphetamine that was hidden within a commercial shipment of fresh produce.
“Our officers at the cargo facility are committed to upholding our border security mission while ensuring that legitimate trade is facilitated and reaches its intended destination,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas.
On July 6, CBP officers assigned to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility encountered a truck with a commercial shipment of fresh produce arriving from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the conveyance for further inspection, which included utilizing non-intrusive imaging equipment, as noted in a press release. After physically inspecting the tractor/trailer, officers discovered 22 packages of alleged methamphetamine weighing 185.18 pounds (84 kg) concealed within the trailer.
CBP OFO seized the narcotics, the tractor/trailer, and the case remains under investigation by agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
As we all work to keep our fresh produce supplies safe, keep checking in on reports from AndNowUKnow.
WENATCHEE, WA - With the produce department on the frontlines of fresh, Stemilt Growers is answering the call to bring more insights and best practices to the teams that tip cherries right into the consumer basket. This summer, Stemilt is offering its in-person cherry education experience to the virtual stage for the inaugural Stemilt U: Virtual Cherry College webinar led by Tate Mathison, Stemilt's Director of Sales.
“One of the highlights of every summer is having produce friends visit our orchards to learn how World Famous Cherries go from our orchards to your grocery stores,” said Brianna Shales, Senior Marketing Manager. “Since COVID-19 has put a pause on in-person events, we pivoted and are now sharing the next best thing through this Virtual Cherry College webinar. It’s a great way to educate your entire produce or merchandising teams about where sweet cherries come from, how they are grown, and how to effectively market and merchandise cherries.”
The 60-minute webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 22 at 11 a.m. PST (1 p.m. CST and 2 p.m. EST). The webinar will take attendees through the cherry harvest, packing, and shipping process while showcasing the locales and differences of Stemilt’s season-long cherry program, according to a press release.
Featuring videos of Tate Mathison, and his father, fourth-generation cherry grower Kyle Mathison, the duo will discuss the environment cherries need to grow, show how cherries are harvested, hydrocooled, and packed, and explain their family’s farming roots that date back to the early 1900s. In addition, Roger Pepperl, Stemilt’s Marketing Director, and a former produce Buyer/Merchandiser, will share best practices for marketing and merchandising cherries. To top it off, the team will then host a Q&A session to ask the experts any pressing and curious cherry questions.
“It will be a packed hour of cherry education, entertaining family stories, and even a tour of our World Famous compost farm,” said Shales. “We encourage anyone in produce to attend, but designed this especially for produce buyers, merchandisers, ops specialists, and those on the frontlines—the hard-working produce managers and their team members.”
For added value, Stemilt University Online is an on-demand training program with cherry and apple courses that Stemilt introduced in 2019. The curriculum is video-based with a short quiz and certificate of completion, should you want even more reason to elevate your produce team.
“We really believe in educating retailers and produce teams about our World Famous Fruits,” said Shales. “The art of produce is something that is learned through time and experience, but we love to help that along by sharing our knowledge about apples, pears, and cherries with those who get to interact most with shoppers.”
Click here to register for Stemilt U: Virtual Cherry College. Registration is free and all registrants will receive a recording of the webinar for the benefit of continued insights.
A cherry for your thoughts? Why not!
ORLANDO, FL - One way to elevate the mango category is with a partnership that promotes both sales and excellence. In an effort to achieve these goals, the National Mango Board (NMB) is revealing its sponsorship of the ongoing Kitchen Collaborative initiative in partnership with Flavor & Menu magazine.
“Kitchen Collaborative is a nod to the resilience and comradery that the foodservice industry shows us time and time again. The collaboration and willingness of the chefs to participate in this initiative have been astounding and inspiring”, stated Angela Serna, Marketing Manager at the NMB. “We continue to see tremendous growth of the mango category in the foodservice sector and look forward to new innovative and flavorful preparations of mango by talented chefs.”
This collaboration is part of the NMB’s foodservice marketing program. For a little background on these key players, Kitchen Collaborative is a recipe-development program organized by Summit F&B and Flavor & The Menu, with support from sponsor brands and commodity boards looking to help chefs create, inspire, and collaborate, according to a press release.
To boot, five talented chefs partnered with the NMB to develop high-value recipes and drive mango flavor ingenuity. These recipes are a play on the comfort style foods which are currently trending, with added twists on flavor and the incorporation of global cuisines—a key to teasing the taste buds of today's diners.
Check out these numbers if you are looking for that little extra nudge. According to the latest research from Datassential shared in a recent NMB webinar, mangos have increased 16 percent on menus within the past four years and are projected to grow another 10 percent in the next four years. Interest in mangos is likely to grow and the NMB is continuing to inspire menu development teams and invest in education and support to drive mango innovation in the foodservice sector, as consumers increasingly gravitate toward global cuisines.
The partnership helps further align NMB with is goals and initiatives as it showcases the creativity and innovation of chefs nationwide and the entire foodservice industry.
FIREBAUGH, CA - Little changes can have a big impact. Every day, Peri & Sons Farms is exploring new ways to advance our position as a premier Certified Sustainable Farm. In our latest initiative, we’re working to reduce the amount of packaging on consumer products, without compromising food safety or visual appeal.
Here’s What's In Store with Peri & Sons Farms...
We’ve rolled out a series of process improvements to our onion packing production, managing to save 36 square feet of material per minute. This allows us to save enough material to cover a baseball field every four hours—over 33,000 square feet per day.
And that little bit of saving just keeps getting bigger—big enough to cover The Big Apple! In fact, after 315 days of packing our consumer onion products, we will save enough packaging material to entirely cover New York City’s 205-acre landscape.
That’s a lot of material that won’t go into landfills. And as part of our company-wide sustainable mission, we will continue to reduce product packaging and look for more sustainable packaging resources. These initiatives help Peri & Sons Farms keep overall operating costs as low as possible, provide the best products and value to our customers and consumers, and keep our planet healthy.
Peri & Sons Farms is dedicated to creating a healthy farming business that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future. We’re doing a little bit every day to make a big difference tomorrow.
Thank you for watching What’s In Store.
UNITED STATES - Plant-based food quickly caught fire in the U.S., leading the buy- and supply-sides alike to find innovative ways to enter the sector. Everyone from Costco to Trader Joe’s has continuously worked to make their product portfolio plant-based friendly in recent months. A new plant-based player, however, recently entered the ring, giving these traditional format grocers a run for their money.
VEDGEco, a Hawaii-based vegan wholesaler, recently announced its plans to expand distribution across the mainland.
“Our mission at VEDGEco is to make plant-based products more affordable and accessible for everyone across the United States, not just for restaurants and caterers, but for individuals and families to enjoy at home too,” Co-Founder and CEO Trevor Hitch said. “Buying plant-based foods in bulk will save our customers a great deal of money. The added convenience of having these products shipped directly to their doors within one to two business days will make it easier than ever for every American to try a plant-based diet or add plant-based alternatives to their menu.”
Following a year of resounding success in Hawaii, VEDGEco has decided to launch a monumental expansion to serve the lower 48 states, according to VegNews. Beyond Meat, Gardein, and Impossible Foods are just a few of the market-amassing brands which VEDGEco distributes.
Operating in a wholesale format similar to that of Costco, the retailer distributes products in bulk to both foodservice customers and directly to consumers. The news source went on to report that VEDGEco plans to open facilities on the East and West Coasts, facilitating a massive overtaking via its e-commerce platform.
Does this new grocery contender mean trouble for other retailers chasing plant-based trends? Stick around with ANUK to find out.
BOISE, ID - Having spent over 57 years in the industry, a name like Bob Miller will certainly instil a reaction to those in retail, especially those familiar with Albertsons. The revered leader has made a lasting impact in the world of grocery and produce. Now, Miller will be stepping down and retiring.
In a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing the retailer made last week, Albertsons noted Miller formally left his role on the Board of Directors.
Miller first started at Albertsons 30 years ago, and though he has since risen through the ranks to various executive positions at multiple retail giants, he found his home again at Albertsons in 2006 as CEO. According to Boise dev, Miller had retired in 2013 but came back to Albertsons. Miller will be retiring once again but will still retain his right to attend board meetings.
In 2015, when Albertson’s LLC completed a merger with Safeway, Miller became Executive Chairman of the 2,300+ grocery store chain, according to his company bio.
Congratulations to Bob Miller on all the exceptional work he has done!
MOUNT VERNON, WA - A new organic supply is in the pipeline as Viva Tierra Organic is now offering promotable volumes of new crop organic fruit from California. The devoted organic growers in Viva Tierra’s California network produce exceptional summer apples and pears for a delightful eating experience, in contrast to the prevalence of storage fruit in produce departments this time of year.
“We have strong relationships with really great organic growers both in California’s Central Valley and the Sacramento Delta region,” said California Regional Marketing Lead Roy Ruff. “That’s important during this short but rewarding season.”
With shoppers drawn to regional, seasonal, limited edition-type produce, new crop organic apples and pears from California present an opportunity to drive heightened interest and boost sales with fruit that offers a superior flavor and overall eating experience. With promotable volumes available, wholesalers and retailers are able to highlight the unique aspects of this fruit while it is super fresh and right out of the orchard, keeping excitement about organic apples and pears high as the Northwest fall season approaches.
“Our brand-new eye-catching, high quality 2- and 3-lb pouches make merchandising a breeze and also tell the story of our commitment to organic. More and more, shoppers want to know where their food comes from,” Ruff added. “The distinctive programs from our three primary growing regions—Washington, South America, and California—offer truly year-round freshness by following the seasons and avoids keeping organic fruit in protracted storage. It ensures we’re able to provide apples that are crisp, juicy, and full of flavor. Despite new techniques used in the Northwest that appear to provide unbelievable storing capacity, the eating experience suffers. A lack of flavor and quality is detrimental to demand over the long run.”
According to a press release, marketing organic apples and pears has been Viva Tierra’s core business since 1984 long before conventional shippers more recently got in the game when consumers preference for healthy sustainable produce became apparent.
“You can call us fruit nerds, but we get excited about our special California crop,” said Business Development and Marketing Manager, Chris Ford. “Our three-region program enables us to minimize our use of controlled atmosphere storage to a very short window between the end of fall in Washington and the start-up of the spring crop in South America. Long-term storage takes a real toll on flavor and quality so we just don’t do it.”
According to Ruff, “with over 100 years combined organic marketing experience Viva Tierra’s sales team can help you with any promotional or marketing needs you may have, we are truly ‘Organic to the Core®.’”
For more of the freshest fruit and veg news in the industry, keep a tab open for AndNowUKnow.
NEWARK, DE - Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is dishing out some intriguing food for thought during its first-ever Foodservice: Delivered virtual event July 20-24. The online gathering for the foodservice industry will showcase fresh produce products, ideas, and insights to grow business.
According to the press release, the event features a menu of educational experiences and programming designed to help the foodservice industry not only revive but thrive. PMA partnered with the best in food and produce, health and safety experts, and food thought leaders and trendsetters to create two content tracks: one for chefs, menu developers, and food influencers, and another designed to help foodservice produce suppliers, buyers, and the operations side of the house maximize opportunities.
The goal is to give those working anywhere in the foodservice arena a place to convene, collaborate, and explore new ways to feed an eager public’s appetite for celebrating and reconnecting over good-for-you food that tastes great.
Registrants can choose from an expansive menu board of options including:
- Chef’s Menu daily general sessions
- Tasting Menu breakout sessions
- Mixers
- Solutions Sampling
- Chef’s Table
This year, an expansive lineup makes up the Chef’s Menu. Registration is required to view the general sessions, so act fast! These sessions are ones that can’t be missed:
The Future of Foodservice Operations - The Executive Perspective
Panelists include executives from Focus Supply Chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Shake Shack, and The Cheesecake Factory.
Meet the Post-COVID-19 Consumer
Jack Li, Haiku Master, Datassential will share research on consumer attitudes, perceptions, and behavior about dining out.
COVID-19 Changed the Foodservice Industry Forever. How Do We Make Sure It’s for the Better?
Un-plated Founder and food writer Sabrina Medora has partnered with PMA to develop a general session for Foodservice: Delivered, as well as a comprehensive series of daily breakout sessions designed for chefs, menu planners, and foodservice operators.
Emerging Global Trends and Their Impact on Foodservice
Darren Keating, CEO of PMA Australia-New Zealand, and a panel of influential industry members from Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, will discuss trends impacting foodservice around the world and the role of fresh produce.
The Future of Foodservice Operations - The Corporate Chef Perspective
Kevin Ryan, CEO of the International Corporate Chefs Association and the Global Culinary Innovators Association, will moderate a conversation with leading corporate chefs from some of the largest restaurant groups around the globe.
The Dr. Is In!
William W. Li, MD, internationally renowned physician, scientist, and author of New York Times Bestseller “Eat to Beat Disease,” will share why it’s important to fuel menus and our bodies with the power of produce.
What Does the Future Hold for Foodservice?
This session features two TED-style talks by Darlene Damm, Chair and Faculty, Global Grand Challenges, Singularity University, and William W. Li, MD, President and Medical Director, Angiogenesis Foundation, world-renowned physician, scientist, and New York Times bestselling author.
For more information on Foodservice: Delivered, click here. Registration is complimentary, but reservations are required—so book now to secure your spot!
For more industry updates, keep checking back to ANUK.