Three hurricanes, in the space of just about one month, have played havoc with the entire Florida economy, but no category may be as vulnerable as the Sunshine State’s produce industry.

The hurricanes — Debby, Helene and Milton — made landfall during an unusually active hurricane season, which officially ends on Dec. 1 and caused quite a bit of destruction in the northern area of the state, including the panhandle and through the central part of the state. Making matters even worse, two of the storms hit within about two weeks of each other, giving farmers, and just about everyone else

A biochemistry professor at Texas State University and his students began working about a decade ago on an all-natural way to slow the decaying process and extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

The work led Dr. Gary Beall, who has since retired from the university, to develop NatuWrap as the signature product of Nabaco Inc., a San Marcos, TX, company that is manufacturing the product and currently selling it mostly to fruit growers in the Pacific Northwest and Spain. Though produce industry veteran Jamie Strachan, CEO of the company, said the all-natural, solution works equally well

Azzule announced a newly released addendum created in collaboration with ProExport Papaya to address the needs and challenges of the papaya industry exporting to the United States.

The Fresh Papaya Addendum aims to help papaya growers demonstrate compliance with the specific requirements found within the Food Safety Best Practices Guide for the Growing and Handling of Mexican Papaya.

When used in conjunction with a Global Food Safety Initiative recognized audit such as PrimusGFS, clients can benefit from expanded access to new international markets by showcasing transparency through

Hurricanes Helene and Milton severely impacted all planted tomato acreage across Florida, the primary source for eastern tomato supplies from November into May. 

The Palmetto/Ruskin region, normally set for November and December production, was devastated with up to 80 percent loss reported across the region. Growers in that area continue to salvage what they can from storm-affected acreage. These fields will continue to produce minimal supplies with generally questionable quality, smaller sizes and No. 2 grade fruit.

The Naples/Immokalee region in southern Florida was impacted to a lesser

Food Lion has awarded $1.4 million in grants for 2024. During its current fall/winter grant cycle, the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation will distribute $750,000 in grants to more than 250 nonprofit organizations across Food Lion’s 10-state footprint. Additionally, the foundation provided more than $675,000 to more than 250 organizations during its spring/summer grant cycle earlier in the year. All the grants support community feeding partners’ efforts to nourish neighbors experiencing hunger and provide nutritional education to their communities. Since its inception in 2001, the

Kwik Lok, a third-generation family-owned business and the global leader in bag closure solutions, celebrates its 70th anniversary. Since its founding in 1954 by Floyd Paxton, Kwik Lok has grown by listening to customer needs and pushing the boundaries of what a closure company can achieve. Kwik Lok products are used worldwide across a wide range of industries, including bakeries and produce, serving millions daily.

Currently women-owned by sisters Stephanie Paxton-Jackson, Kimberly Paxton-Hagner and Melissa Paxton-Steiner, Kwik Lok continues to carry forward the values and vision that have