The Produce for Better Health Foundation recently concluded its second annual National Fruits & Veggies Month campaign, a month-long celebration of everyone’s favorite, most flavorful plants — fruits and veggies. Themed Have A Plant® Nation, the innovative campaign generated nearly 75 million impressions throughout September via traditional and social media channels. Success stories from the 2020 NFVM campaign include:

• 59 million impressions from consumer-facing media NFVM wire release announcing campaign launch;

• 12 million potential impressions from thousands of social posts using

Free, one-hour pickup from Whole Foods Market is now available at all U.S. locations for Prime members. Prime members can shop thousands of items, including fresh produce, high-quality meat and seafood, holiday favorites, everyday staples, and other locally sourced items all available with free, one-hour pickup on orders of $35 or more.

While the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of online grocery services and prompted new customers to try services like grocery pickup, it’s clear that this offering will become a more permanent solution for many customers. In fact, more than 40

The Quebec Produce Marketing Association is taking the lead in the pan-Canadian philanthropy effort initiated by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association by recognizing the efforts of essential workers across Quebec who’ve been courageously on the front lines with unwavering dedication since day one of the pandemic.

As a gesture of thanks, some 500 fruit and vegetable baskets were handed out to volunteers in a number of Quebec community-based organizations Oct. 16 as part of World Food Day celebrations.

While the current health crisis affects everyone, certain groups are more impacted by

Brighter Bites, a Houston-based nonprofit that provides underserved families with fresh produce and nutrition education to improve health outcomes, today announced it has received an additional $1.5 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to expand programming in diverse communities throughout the country. The grant will support Brighter Bites’ ongoing response to the Covid-19 pandemic and nutrition crisis by fueling growth in Houston, Dallas, Austin, the Washington, D.C. metro area, New York City, and Florida, as well as expansion to Brighter Bites’ first city in California. 

The Covid-19

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed an administrative complaint against Imperial Frozen Foods Op Co LLC for alleged violations of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. The company, operating from North Carolina, allegedly failed to make payment promptly to 31 produce sellers in the amount of $6.37 million from May 2019 through January 2020.

Imperial Frozen Foods Op Co LLC will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry as a licensee for three years, or two

Gerald L. Harp, former president of Harps Food Stores, died Oct. 16. The son of Harvard and Floy Harp, founders of Harps Food Stores, was 80.

Mr. Harp worked for the family business, Harp’s Food Stores, for 45 years. He served the last seven years as the president of the company and was instrumental in selling the 70-year-old company to the employees in 2001. He gave 10 percent of his share of the sale to long-term employees of the company. Harp’s Food Stores operated on the belief that if associates and customers were served, that the company would be successful.

Mr. Harp graduated from