ZAG Technical Services released an informational whitepaper titled “How Technology Will Change the Food Industry in 2024 and Beyond,” which outlines many ways technology plays a vital role in shaping food industry workflows, today and beyond. A copy of the whitepaper can be downloaded here.

Food and agriculture have always used technology to advance production. Today, the pace of technological change is being driven by new business demands stretching from labor and water shortages to increased ESG realities and global reaching policy and market realities. Companies looking to thrive and grow

Storms are starting to spark some impacts on agriculture. The West is still assessing damages from Hurricane Hilary while Florida battens down for Idalia.

Hurricanes can reach speeds as high as 200 miles per hour and drop over 2 trillion gallons of rain a day. That’s not conducive for fruit and vegetable crops, especially the markets afterward. A hurricane can cause damage to irrigation systems, water contamination, harvest delays and wipe out early crop plantings.

In spite of stormy weather dilemmas, there are some favorable markets available for some good sales promotions.

• Broccoli

As an industry, we want consumers to eat more produce — at every meal and snack, each and every day. Unlike other food industry players, there is strong public health support behind motivating individuals and families to eat more of our products. Only about 20 percent of consumers eat recommended amounts of fruits and 25 percent don’t eat any. Further, while just 5 percent of consumers say they do not eat vegetables, only 10 percent are consuming the recommended amounts.  Frequency of consumption has declined over the past two decades — with 10 percent fewer fruit- and vegetable-eating

In the spring of this year, the FOB price on a carton of 48 size avocados —  the size most often preferred by retailers — fell below $30 for the first time in many years. In mid-August that same carton of avocados had an FOB price above $75.

Throughout that six-month period, the price of avocados in-store did not shift nearly as dramatically as the FOB price. In the spring, some retailers used their weekly ad to reflect the cheaper price. In the fall, they switched to a smaller size to keep their retail price at a price point familiar to their customers.

In fact, that is exactly what Sunset

Heavy rains from Hurricane Hilary swept through the western United States earlier this week, with more than three inches in some parts of  Idaho-eastern Oregon’s onion production area.

While harvest delay is being reported by growers in the region and a gap in production is expected, severe damage to the crop appeared to be limited, according to an Aug. 23 statement by Marc Bybee, chairman of the Idaho-E. Oregon Onion Promotion Board.

Bybee said, “On Aug. 21 and 22 heavy downpours of rain associated with Hurricane Hilary hit across the Treasure Valley. I’ve seen rain gauges at 1.5 inches

Subway has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by affiliates of Roark Capital. The company said the transaction is a major milestone in its multi-year transformation journey, combining Subway's global presence and brand strength with Roark's deep expertise in restaurant and franchise business models.

"This transaction reflects Subway's long-term growth potential, and the substantial value of our brand and our franchisees around the world," said John Chidsey, CEO of Subway. "Subway has a bright future with Roark, and we are committed to continuing to focus on a win-win-win