Food waste in the fresh produce sector was the focus of an International Fresh Produce Association virtual town hall meeting in late December with two major retailers weighing in on their desire to be part of the solution.

The webinar, which was moderated by IFPA Chief Science Officer Max Teplitski, featured Walmart Senior Manager of Global Sustainability Chris Franke and John Bernardo, who is the senior manager of sustainability, supplier diversity and engagement at Albertsons, along with Corinne Van Dyke of Measure to Improve and Alex Nichols-Vinueza of the World Wildlife Fund. Teplitski

GrubMarket has completed the acquisition of Miami-based A&B Tropical Produce, a well-respected fresh produce business best known for sourcing tropical and exotic fruits and vegetables such as plantains, yellow yams, yuca, avocados and dragon fruit from producers domestically and from 11 countries across Central America, South America and the Caribbean. A&B currently sells over 50 commodities to nearly 100 foodservice and wholesale customers across the U.S. and Canada.

Founded over 14 years ago, A&B is still run by its original owners, Alan Goldberg and Bobby Wani, both of whom are fresh

Food solutions company SpartanNash announced a partnership with youth education nonprofit Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes to support JA Finance Park, the organization's capstone program for financial planning and career exploration. SpartanNash participated in a ribbon-cutting event outside of its new Family Fare experiential learning center.

"Financial independence and career exploration are two of the most important skills we can teach young people - and grocery is an essential industry with many admirable career paths across supply chain, retail, transportation and corporate

Fairway Market has launched “Fairway Now,” a new fast home delivery service powered by Instacart that lets Fairway Market customers access last-minute groceries and household essentials in as fast as 30-minutes. The service is available from the Chelsea and Upper East Side locations in New York City, and will be available from all four Fairway Market stores in Manhattan in the coming weeks.

“Our customers are New Yorkers and they are savvy, on the move and always looking for smart, convenient ways to shop. Fairway Now will help them do that by making it easy to get fast deliveries of the

WP Rawl, the premier grower, processor and shipper of leafy greens in the U.S., supported Wreaths Across America Day honoring fallen U.S. Veterans, active-duty military and their families this past weekend. The annual event seeks to further the yearlong mission to remember, honor and teach, ensuring that the memory of those who served the U.S. endures.

Wreath-laying ceremonies took place in 4,225 locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad. During the ceremonies, volunteers or loved ones laid evergreen wreaths on the headstones of each veteran — a symbol used for centuries to recognize

As many throughout the country prepare for the holiday weekend, storms are expected to impact Southern California and the southwestern desert growing regions. The rains will likely impact northern Mexico areas as well, according to Tim Lynch, quality assurance manager at Pro*Act.

“The southwestern desert regions have seen cold mornings and lettuce ice recently with some epidermal peel and blister showing up in the leafy green supplies," said Lynch. "The upcoming storm system will likely increase mold and mildew in the fields.”

Adverse weather, including rain and colder temperatures, has