The addition of local crops is boosting produce supplies just in time for some exciting sales promotions. Eastern farming areas are ramping up with local-grown vegetables. Current markets are mostly moderate to good with fairly good demand. However, that demand will increase as the weeks progress with local produce promotions. There is a fairly lighter supply as harvests are getting under way, but volume should increase next week and the coming weeks thereafter.

In the West, the heat has been affecting some crops. Lettuce fields are showing some leaf tip burns. The lettuce quality is still

Poor growing conditions and shipping delays continue to affect produce prices.

Take asparagus for example: Average FOB prices are currently 20 percent higher than the previous week. At more than $31, asparagus prices are closing in on the extreme levels of 2013 and 2017.

According to Mark Campbell, founder and CEO of ProduceIQ, port delays in Peru and colder temperatures are affecting that country's supply, while too little rain and heat in Mexico are firing up asparagus prices. He added that central Mexico's growing season is winding down, and crop production is transitioning to the

Water out west has always been a bit of a dry subject, but that’s about to change now that the state of Arizona has passed Senate Bill 1740 — a historic water infrastructure plan that invests an unprecedented $1 billion over three years to fund projects that will bring additional water to the state, helping to ensure that Arizona agriculture, as well as families and businesses, continue to have adequate long-term water supplies.

“S.B. 1740 positions our state for success today, tomorrow and for generations to come,” Arizona Governor Doug Ducey told The Produce News. “Arizona will now be able

Problems are something in the produce business that will never be eliminated.

Do you know what I used to hate the most as a produce director? Interruption problems. I’m talking about those annoying problems that cause a work stoppage in the middle of an overloaded schedule of endless daily management demands.

Every produce director knows what I mean by interruption problems. It’s like someone pulls a lever that sets off a blinding red flashing light along with a deafening foghorn. That’s the signal that shuts down any sales activity we’re currently working on to grab the fire extinguisher.

SpartanNash hosted more than 1,500 food and grocery suppliers and independent retail customers this week for the 2022 Fall Expo at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, MI. The Delivering Seasonal Values themed event created a platform for independent grocery customers, brand representatives and SpartanNash leaders to share upcoming trends; discuss critical industry topics including inflation; and work collaboratively to find innovative solutions to mitigate rising food prices and help pass cost savings on to shoppers at retailers across its network.

The event was the first

Retail produce departments could be entering a period of unprecedented growth if they seize the opportunity to capitalize on the emerging trend of food as medicine.

At least that was one major takeaway from a keynote address on the “Future of Grocery Retailing” at the mid-July Organic Produce Summit in Monterey, CA. A panel consisting of four retailers, led by former Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb, was very optimistic about the potential for increased produce sales as consumers lean into improving their health through the food they eat. “The Wellness thing is real,” Robb said, adding that