FreshEdge LLC has been sold to Wind Point Partners LLC. Steve Grinstead, CEO, and Greg Corsaro, president, will continue to lead the business with the existing management team.

Private equity firm Rotunda Capital Partners invested in FreshEdge in 2017 through its predecessor, the IF&P Foods family of companies, primarily composed of Indianapolis Fruit and Piazza Produce. FreshEdge was formed in 2019 through the combination of IF&P and Get Fresh Produce. Since its formation, FreshEdge has become one of the largest independent fresh food distributors in the United States and a category

There can be no denying inflation. The level of inflation, however, that is up for debate — especially when it comes to food.

Many Americans believe that food-at-home inflation has hit 22.8 percent, 9.7 points higher than the 13.1 percent annual rate reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This according to the latest dunnhumby Consumer Trends Tracker. The perceived rate of food inflation is 5.1 percent higher than the dunnhumby Consumer Pulse report from February 2022, just after Ukraine was invaded. The dunnhumby study also found that the impact of food inflation varies widely by

Weather conditions are not getting any better. After the extreme heat experienced on farms across the U.S. and rains from Hurricane Kay up along the California coast, we now have Hurricane Ian ravaging some of the Florida growing areas. We have always met with weather-related challenges in the produce business and eventually get through it.

Hurricane Ian was incredibly painful in Florida, where some lost homes and others their lives. Farm crops can always grow back more rapidly again. Homes and businesses will take much longer to rebuild.

The Florida growers are active in assessing their

Halloween is fast approaching, but heavy rains caused a bit of a scare for pumpkin marketers who source from Mexico as the pumpkin crop got off to a late start. But Fresh Farms, based in Rio Rico, AZ, said the market has recovered nicely and quality is strong during this key promotional time.

According to Marco Serrano, who is in sales at Fresh Farms, the pumpkin crop was delayed by around 10 days and there was some initial concern about how quality might be affected.

“We expected some issues due to the rains, but thankfully this wasn't the case,” said Serrano. “Volumes are steady and should

Meijer will begin offering special discounts on fruits and vegetables for its SNAP customers. The initiative, which will include discounts from $5 to $10, and 5 percent to 10 percent on SNAP purchases on qualifying produce, is thanks to a waiver granted recently by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that Meijer applied for earlier this year.

"As a company committed to enriching lives in the communities we serve, feeding people has always been at the heart of what we do," said Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes. "We are participating in this important federal initiative to help families get

Floyd Wilcox & Sons Inc., dba Wilcox Fresh, a leading grower of Idaho russet potatoes, is expanding its product portfolio to include fingerling potatoes via the acquisition of Southwind Farms.

Wilcox Fresh was established in Rexburg, ID, in 1948 by Floyd Wilcox shortly after his sons returned home from World War II. In 2023, Wilcox Fresh will celebrate its 75th anniversary and will continue its legacy of land stewardship, innovation and hard work to provide the finest-quality Idaho potatoes to an ever-expanding base of retail and foodservice customers throughout the United States and abroad.