Naturipe is gearing up for January's blueberry promotions. Chile has been light on volume since late October but has finally entered peak volume in the Central Valley from Curico’ to Chillan. Cool weather slowed down production and the industry has come up short by about 25-30% on what it was forecasting for late November and early December. Mario Flores, Director of Blueberry Product Management, tells AndNowUKnow, "We are catching up now in the Central and South-Central Zones of Chile, and are looking to do more confident planning with retailers on those bigger blueberry promotions for mid and late January."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">To-Jo Mushrooms is looking for a new way to create healthier menus with its 50/50 mushroom and ground beef meatballs. The new item helps to promote the Mushroom Council's Swapability concept, which encourages consumers to replace half of the meat protein in a dish with mushrooms. Paul Frederic, Senior VP Sales & Marketing Retail, tells AndNowUKnow, "We hope to launch the product in the coming months. The benefits of including mushrooms in a traditional meatball recipe are improved moisture and texture, along with great flavor, reduced fat, cholesterol ,and calories.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
