Before we know it, the fall equinox will arrive Sept. 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, officially announcing it is autumn once again. Soon there will be displays of fall apples, pears, cider and pumpkins in the stores. And add hard squash, gourds, decorative corn, persimmons, pomegranates and cranberries to the list.

Apples: According to the USDA, the U.S. apple production estimate will see a 3 percent increase over last year. The Washington storage crop is finishing up through September and new crop apples will start to ship in October. The current apple markets are steady with a moderate

Through a partnership with DoorDash, the Raley’s Cos., which includes stores within the Raley’s and Bashas’ divisions, will offer on-demand grocery delivery from 213 locations across multiple cities.

Consumers can order groceries from more than 117 Raley’s stores across Northern California and Nevada and over 91 Bashas’ stores throughout Arizona. This partnership offers consumers an affordable, reliable and convenient way to stock up on their grocery needs and home essentials.

Grocery orders can be placed on-demand from local Raley’s and Bashas’ stores via the DoorDash marketplace app or

Many of the trends that are currently shaping consumer behavior, and necessarily impacting business decisions, are centered around the idea that the buying public is taking control of their lives and making changes with their own well-being at the core.

At least that is the view of Alison Angus, head of lifestyles for Euromonitor International, a market research firm focusing on consumer products, demographic trends and consumer lifestyles. She was the featured speaker during the International Fresh Produce Association’s virtual Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 7. Angus discussed 10

Hy-Vee is taking its growing presence in Wisconsin to another level with a new partnership with the Green Bay Packers and Titletown. The retailer and NFL team will be featured together in a variety of displays, including at Lambeau Field during game days and at Hy-Vee stores.

"As we continue to open more stores throughout Wisconsin, we know how important it is to show our support for the Packers," said Hy-Vee President Jeremy Gosch. "This partnership provides a lot of opportunities for us to help fans celebrate their favorite team. Whether it be hosting a watch party in our store's restaurant

Over the past two years, my Healthy Family Project team has partnered with United Fresh, and now the International Fresh Produce Association, to help provide education, resources, and support to K-12 foodservice providers across the country. This group of extraordinary individuals provide school meals to our students each day and is deeply passionate about the work they do.

We can all agree that serving students nutritious foods is vital to their education and learning. There is a correlation between nutrition and student success — in and out of the classroom. According to the School

Despite a challenging year marked by a persisting pandemic, historic inflation, supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages, the food industry is making significant investments to meet shoppers’ evolving tastes. This is according to FMI - The Food Industry Association’s annual comprehensive research report, The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2022.

The survey found that food retailers are focusing on investments in new technologies like foodservice ordering and delivery, dynamic pricing and mobile checkout systems. They are also increasing labor allocation for online purchase fulfillment and