The International Fresh Produce Association brought together volunteer leaders serving on the U.S. Government Relations Council and Political Advisory Committee this month to dive into a policy retreat to help chart the course for 2025 advocacy priorities.   

The meeting, which took place at the National Harbor, had a shipping theme that set the tone and expectation that industry priorities are set by industry voices.  

“This is an incredibly important time for our industry as we work to finalize the farm bill and approach the U.S. elections,” said Rebeckah Adcock, IFPA vice president of U

Gen Z consumers are placing an overwhelming emphasis on both sustainability and quality in their grocery products, and many are willing to spend more to support brands that reflect these values, according to a recent YouGov survey.

These findings are part of a new survey that examines Gen Z food, health and grocery shopping preferences, which was conducted independently by YouGov on behalf of Whole Foods. The national online survey sampled 1,023 adults between the ages of 18 to 27 in the United States.

The study revealed that 70 percent of Gen Z supports climate-smart agricultural practices

The U.S. Department of Agriculture imposed sanctions on three produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

• Jaspo Inc. operating

Every day a surprise comes into the produce view. Did you know peppers are botanically classified as a fruit? That’s because they contain tiny seeds that grow from the flower of the pepper plant.

The heatless Bell peppers, colored sweet peppers, mini peppers are simply “peppers.” The hot spicy peppers are called “chili” peppers. The chili peppers are thought to have evolved some 15 million years ago. However, new research has dated them to be about 50 million years old.

The current market on green Bell peppers is steady with a moderate demand; the quality is very good. Eastern and western

Select Sprouts Farmers Markets will be selling Sun World International's Autumncrisp grapes this fall. The retail partnership launches in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Colorado and New Mexico.

As part of its ongoing commitment and investment to its licensee community and retail partners, Sun World International is collaborating with Sprouts to drive shopper excitement around Autumncrisp grapes through a robust omnichannel marketing campaign.

“We are proud to partner with Sun World International to offer our Sprouts customers fresh, peak-season produce, including this unique

Earlier this month the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation awarded $4 million to neighborhood elementary schools and local nonprofit agencies focused on nutrition, health and wellness. Sprouts employees in all 423 Sprouts locations nationwide presented live checks to the local organizations.

“Many of the organizations that received support from our Foundation were nominated by our store team members, bringing our value of caring for our communities to life in a very real way,” said Jack Sinclair, CEO of Sprouts Farmers Market.

The donations presented in store are part of the Sprouts