I was shopping at the grocery store and wanted some grapes. Not seeing any, I remembered the decreased supplies. So I asked my friendly produce manager if he had any. He told me there were none available and that I probably already knew that. He was correct, but I just wanted to confirm that the stores were unable to get supplies. I checked three other stores and there were no grapes in those produce departments either.

Seedless Grapes: There is an extreme shortage of grapes currently for the U.S. markets. The Mexican crop is behind schedule, which has caused a supply gap. Grapes will be very

FreshEdge acquired Panama Banana, a wholesaler and distributor of fine produce in the Chicago International Produce Market. For nearly a century, Panama has built a solid reputation as one of Chicago’s leading distributors of produce.

Panama is housed in a state-of-the-art facility that offers ripening rooms, cold coolers, climate-controlled docks, produce packaging and repacking, and logistical support.

“We are thrilled to welcome Todd and Deke Pappas and their team to the FreshEdge family,” said Steve Grinstead, CEO of FreshEdge. “With their same commitment to customer service, Panama will

The International Fresh Produce Association recently held the first Fresh Impact Tour stop in Salinas, CA, in partnership with host, Taylor Farms. The tours bring IFPA team experts to the industry in their own backyards and facilities.  There are two more tour stops on the calendar right now, with more to come throughout the year.

The upcoming tour stops include:

• May 23 in Cashmere, WA, at Crunch Pak
• May 24 in Yakima, WA, at Domex Superfresh Growers

In addition to gathering regional industry members for important networking, members from the Government Relations and Food Safety teams

The Southeast Produce Council has awarded 43 SEPC Member Scholarships worth a total of $64,500 this year. The council said dedication of its members is key.

Scholarships are awarded to applicants who meet the application criteria of having a parent or grandparent who is a corporate member in good standing with the SEPC and has personally attended at least one SEPC event within the last 12 months. Additionally, applicants must be enrolled as a full-time student with a minimum of 12 semester hours. Applicants are then able to submit the necessary paperwork, including an essay, to be reviewed by

eGrocery sales for April 2023 totaled $8.2 billion, up 0.9 percent versus a year ago. Year-over-year performance varied widely across the three key segments as Delivery sales jumped 20 percent, Pickup dipped 3 percent and Ship-to-Home plunged 19 percent, according to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.

The strong gains for Delivery during April were driven by a rebound in monthly active users and a higher average order value. Delivery’s MAU base grew 11 percent versus the prior year but finished up only 1 percent on a two-year stacked basis versus 2021 as the

US Foods is acquiring Renzi Foodservice, a broadline distributor located in Watertown, NY. The acquisition, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023, is the first for the company since April 2020 and the first under CEO Dave Flitman’s leadership. It will allow US Foods to further expand its reach into central upstate New York, where the company does not have a distribution center.

Family-owned for two generations, Renzi Foodservice has more than $180 million in annual revenue and serves more than 2,300 independent restaurants, healthcare facilities, schools, government