Fresh Del Monte Produce, one of the world’s largest leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality, fresh produce and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) have joined forces to develop a three-year multi-stakeholder partnership with local organizations, government agencies, communities and subsidiaries to maximize the use of natural resources and to ensure the sustainability of landscapes in Costa Rica and in Guatemala.

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional food retailer, today announces the launch of Local Produce Boxes featuring locally sourced, in-season produce online through Giant Delivers. Available throughout the summer without a subscription or commitment, the boxes retail for $20.00 and will contain six or more unique items from local farms in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.

A new loss-conscious program focuses on selling Nature Fresh Farms imperfect produce to reduce food waste. The Waste Me Nots program was recently created to leverage Nature Fresh Farms Tomatoes, Peppers, and Cucumbers that do not meet the criteria of their Quality Control team.

Fresh Express announced four new flavors across its popular salad kit lines: Bacon Thousand Island and Kickin’ Bacon Ranch Chopped Salad Kits, and Italian Balsamic and Spinach & Bacon Salad Kits.

Leonardo’s Produce (“Leonardo’s”), a distributor of fresh produce and specialty products, joined FreshEdge, a family of produce and specialty food companies backed by Rotunda Capital Partners, further diversifying the group’s combined customer base and increasing its breadth and depth of service offerings in Michigan and Ohio. Leonardo’s joins a growing family that includes Piazza Produce & Specialty Foods, Indianapolis Fruit, Get Fresh, McCartney Produce, Garden Cut, Cibus Fresh and Papania’s.

McCartney Produce, a distributor of fresh produce and specialty food products, joined FreshEdge, a family of produce and specialty food companies, further diversifying the group’s combined customer base and increasing its breadth and depth of service offerings in the Midwest and Southeast. McCartney joins a growing family that includes Get Fresh, Indianapolis Fruit, Piazza Produce & Specialty Foods, Garden Cut, CIBUS Fresh, and Papania’s.

Del Monte Fresh Produce has launched its Pinkglow Pineapple--a novel pineapple with a pink interior. This pink pineapple is unique to the market, and  can only be purchased online through PinkglowPineapple.com.

Since coming to market in 2010, Tasteful Selections has been a pioneer and leader in the bite-size potato category — owning and operating the entire planting, harvesting and packaging process. With multiple facility and acreage expansions from 2010 to 2018, Tasteful Selections grew to meet demand while responding to consumer preference toward convenience items and smaller pack sizes.

The closures of restaurants, hotels, and schools have left growers with heaps of fresh produce without a destination. With crops often grown exclusively for the foodservice industry, growers who produce crops with a large percentage of production destined for this vital market segment are faced with incredible challenges amidst COVID-19 closures. 

United Fresh and a number of industry partners presented to the U.S. Department of Agriculture a comprehensive Produce Market Stabilization Program to immediately support critical financial needs in the produce supply chain. This was a major undertaking to understand the wide-ranging financial impact this crisis is having on our entire industry.