Mucci Farms announces major expansions in Kingsville, ON, and Huron, OH, totaling 206-acres over the next two years.  These investments support their ongoing emphasis on maximizing local and regionally grown fruits and vegetables year-round through expansion and lit culture grow light technology.  “Demand for greenhouse grown produce is growing rapidly as consumers continue to put pressure on the food industry to prioritize food safety, sustainability, responsible growing practices and clean growing environments,” said CEO Bert Mucci. 

The first year of expansions include bell peppers

Publix  will expand its distribution center in Greensboro, North Carolina, to include a dry grocery warehouse, which will add more than 1.2 million square feet of space. In February 2020, Publix broke ground on the distribution center’s first phase, a refrigerated warehouse, currently under construction.

The entire distribution center is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2022, three years ahead of schedule. Together, the refrigerated and dry grocery warehouses will support Publix’s growth in the Carolinas and Virginia with more efficient deliveries of products.

“Publix is

Farm Fresh Produce Inc. recently welcomed a new member to the team, Davy van Ewijck. Based in the Netherlands, Davy will act as junior commercial manager, assisting Farm Fresh with sales.

An entrepreneurship major from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Davy has gained experience across several industries. While working at Dakafresh International, Davy discovered his passion for the fresh produce industry. Davy assisted in the implementation of new IT procedures and gained experience in purchase and sales administration, HR and system management while there.

Away from work, Davy

Dole Food Co.‘s new Dole Just Add Chicken Salad Kits combine original Dole dressings, chicken sauté and seasoned finishing sauces with Dole lettuces and toppings to create a true culinary experience at home. Shipping to retail nationwide, four initial Just Add Chicken SKUs target the growing population of salad kit buyers who want an affordable, total-meal solution for America’s most popular lean protein.

“Dole is leveraging its industry leadership in salad kits to create healthy new meal possibilities for those who see cooking as an adventure and enjoy creating a flavor-first restaurant

Center for Growing Talent has announced that Leonard Batti, vice president at Taylor Farms, will serve as the chair of the organization’s board of directors for 2021. Batti stepped into the role during CGT’s first board meeting on Oct. 22. During this time, CGT also welcomed nine new industry members to the CGT board of directors, growing the overall board by three volunteers. In this role, Batti will also serve on the PMA board of directors and the executive committee.
 
The CGT board of directors is a collective of industry leaders who volunteer to contribute their time, insights and

Hy-Vee, Inc. is introducing an automated cleaning system that fully cleans and sanitizes shopping carts after every use. By mid-November, more than 200 Hy-Vee stores across its eight-state region will have a Sterile Cart system in operation. Hy-Vee said it is the first grocery chain to implement the fully automated sanitization system across its company.

This innovative system cleans several carts quickly and consistently, eliminating the need for store employees to manually clean each cart throughout the day. Additionally, it cleans and sanitizes the entire cart and not just the handles and