Some say online shopping is a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that is narrow thinking. The leading driver of ordering groceries online is convenience (46 percent), while less than 10 percent of people reported health concerns as the primary motivation, according to the 2022 Online Grocery Usership survey by Chicory, a CPG/grocery digital commerce platform.

In fact, the survey suggests that online shopping is more popular now than it was at the height of the pandemic, as 72 percent of those surveyed reported having purchased groceries online in the past 90 days.  

Online produce

Anyone who has spent any time in athletics is familiar with the concept of playing the short versus long-game. For the sake of the analogy, let’s put it in produce industry terms. We’ll call the short game focusing on this quarter’s or this year’s sales and the long game as creating enduring opportunities for increased fruit and vegetable consumption habits. The latter, ultimately, results in higher produce intake and, subsequently, increased sales over time.

Yes, being a smart coach or player will involve some focus on both. After all, if nobody is running toward the sales goal, then we may

ShopRite has been named the Most Trusted Grocery Retailer in the Northeast in a new survey conducted in partnership with Newsweek magazine and the consultancy firm BrandSpark International.

To identify the winners, Newsweek and BrandSpark International surveyed 3,200 U.S. adults nationwide to capture their opinions of grocery stores across the region. Each retailer was judged according to store format and several attributes believed to drive trust, including: Quality, fair prices, recommendation, innovation, customer support, values, transparency, and heritage.

ShopRite ranked first in the

The markets on some vegetables are a bit irregular. Florida has dealt with freezing temperatures that could affect some product for upcoming weeks. Damage is still being assessed on the impact of eggplant, lettuce, corn, beans and other sensitive crops. The markets could be in a fluctuant range for a few weeks.

Other growing areas
Asparagus is slowly finishing out of Peru, but volumes in Mexico are starting to increase. Eggplant production in Mexico is moving steadily with good quality. Yellow and zucchini squash are limited from Florida due to the cold temperatures. Increased supplies of

The Bipartisan Policy Center recently released a new study from its Food and Nutrition Security Task Force, on which International Fresh Produce Association Co-CEO Tom Stenzel serves.

The study, titled Strengthening the Child Nutrition Programs, puts forth for a number of broad nutrition policy recommendations, including bolstering food and nutrition security in and out of school; enhancing participation opportunities in the Women, Infants, and Children program; aligning nutrition standards for all programs to align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and a greater investment in

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas Spring Policy Summit will be returning as an in-person event. This year’s SPS will take place in Tubac, AZ, on March 16.

The agenda for this year is focused on interactive sessions designed to bring together regulators and industry to identify practical, goal-oriented outcomes for key issues facing the fresh produce industry at the Southwest border.

• Focus on Food Inspections: Hear from U.S. importers and federal agencies involved in food inspections and oversight.
• Focus on Logistics: Hear from U.S. importers and Customs Brokers along with