The International Fresh Produce Association recently hosted its annual School Foodservice Partner X-Change, a virtual "speed meeting" program designed to connect school menu planners with produce grower-shippers and solution providers.

Over two days, IFPA coordinated one-on-one virtual meetings between suppliers and K-12 school nutrition leaders. New this year, the program also included college and university foodservice leaders. The meetings created an opportunity for dialogue across sectors that rarely connect directly.

"The meetings sparked so many actionable ideas for our operations," said

The Mushroom Council has unveiled the Mushroom Marketer’s Toolkit, a collection of resources designed to help grocery retailers boost mushroom sales and shopper engagement.

The toolkit, announced Feb. 24 from Lee’s Summit, MO, provides merchandising guidance, creative assets and in-store materials. The goal is to increase sales and repeat purchases, particularly among millennial and Gen Z shoppers.

The toolkit includes shopper insights, point-of-sale signage for each mushroom variety, best practices for merchandising and handling, and downloadable assets from the council’s “It’s Not Magic. It’s

New analysis from Potatoes USA shows that consumers' online search behavior around potatoes is revealing opportunities for retailers in-store, from cross-merchandising to meal solutions and at-home snacking.

Potatoes are America’s most popular vegetable, with shoppers purchasing more than 15.3 billion pounds annually. By examining online search trends, Potatoes USA identified how shoppers are planning meals, entertaining and preparing snacks, and how retailers can meet that demand.

Starbucks-inspired dish

Google search data shows shoppers are looking to recreate a Starbucks snack bite at home

Bimi Baby Broccoli, the branded business branch of Sakata Seed America, has announced a strategic partnership with Cal-Organic Farms to expand organic production capacity and North American distribution for the Bimi brand.

The agreement adds Cal-Organic Farms, a division of Grimmway Farms and one of the largest organic growers in the country, to Sakata's licensed network. The partnership is designed to meet demand for premium specialty vegetables across retail and foodservice channels.

Bimi, known for its sweet flavor and tender stems, launched as a brand in the United States last year. Under

The Eastern Produce Council has selected 18 produce professionals for its 2026 Leadership Class.

The program provides industry and professional development opportunities throughout the year, including seminars, farm tours and networking events, Susan McAleavey Sarlund, the council's executive director, said in a statement.

"We provide a variety of industry and professional development opportunities allowing our participants to build on their careers," she said. "And the networking benefits they experience with each other also prove to be very valuable."

Participants in the 2026 program are:

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The current lettuce market is trending lower as demand has eased, making this an excellent time for consumers to enjoy salads. With lettuce now more promotable, shoppers can take advantage of favorable pricing and good supply.

The history of salads made from lettuce dates back as far as 4500 BC in Egypt, where they were originally prepared using a bitter weed. The practice of cultivating lettuce for salads was later adopted by the Romans and Greeks, who enjoyed it with oil and vinegar. Lettuce made its way to the Americas in the 1400s, thanks to Christopher Columbus.

Lettuce also has the