Three years ago, I wrote in this column what it would be like if a mom, our average customer, ran our produce departments. I suggested that smart merchandising, a little bit of marketing, and plenty of convenience would increase customer loyalty and in return, sales.

Fast forward to a world post-COVID-19 and I wondered what would be different now?

Give her room – This has not changed, and I would suspect that even more room is now needed to accommodate distancing and space in the department. So how do we then secure those incremental sales if we aren’t utilizing every square inch of the

The results of a strong Michigan harvest are helping the perfect cookout vegetable find itself on the top of many grocery lists at Meijer stores across the Midwest. The Grand Rapids, MI-based retailer saw twice as much asparagus in shopping carts last week, a trend expected to continue as it prepares to sell more than 2 million pounds this summer.  
 
While asparagus season typically begins around Mother’s Day, cooler temperatures delayed the beginning of harvest by about a week, which provided local growers extra time for additional preparation, mowing and fertilization in the fields. That

BJ’s Wholesale Club now offers Citizens Pay, a flexible, buy-now-pay-later payment option that allows members to finance purchases. The new payment option is available for purchases made on BJs.com for delivery and with buy online, pick up in-club and curbside pickup. 

“We offer members unbeatable value and convenience on everything they need in a one-stop shop. We’re thrilled to offer Citizens Pay to provide our members with a simple, affordable way to pay for large purchases alongside everyday items,” said Chris DeSantis, senior vice president, GMM, sundries and services, BJ’s Wholesale

Melon is the name of the game at Legend Produce LLC, as the company is one of the largest year-round shippers of cantaloupe in the United States.

“We do about 5-6 million packages of cantaloupe throughout the domestic season and another 1-2 million packages during the offshore season when we import from Central America,” said Justin Bootz, sales manager for the Dos Palos, CA-based Legend Produce.

Legend Produce was founded in 1999 and is a family-owned-and-operated company that’s been in the cantaloupe business for four generations.

“While others in the industry have shifted their focus to

Shipments of avocados from Peru have been landing in U.S. ports since mid-May and are scheduled to continue well into late September.

“We are ready to fill the gap and help increase the consumption of avocados in the U.S.,” said Xavier Equihua, president of the Peruvian Avocado Commission and architect of the group’s U.S.-based Avocados from Peru promotion program. “Peru is going to be a good marketing partner and supply the U.S. what it needs.”

Peruvian avocado exporters have been sending fruit and building markets in the U.S. and the European Union for much of the past decade. Equihua said

Walmart has given a grant of $510,000 to Second Harvest to fund a research project working with 50 companies in the food processing and manufacturing sector to explore and address the barriers to recovering and redistributing surplus food.

Provision Coalition and Enviro-Stewards are partnering with Second Harvest to measure and track environmental and social impact from this food loss and waste prevention and repurposing project.

At the end of their project participation, companies and their employees will be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and ability to take action to prevent waste and