Staying on-trend is one thing, but bringing the freshest seasonal ingredients in a timely manner is another, especially as consumers look for solutions to their “what’s for dinner?” dilemma. FiveStar Gourmet Foods has answered the call with their latest extension to the wildly successful Family Size line of Simply Fresh Salads with its new Fig & Walnut Salad.

The Simply Fresh Salads Fig & Walnut Family Size Salad launches this week in Costco and is produced in FiveStar’s state-of-the-art facilities that are USDA and SQF Level 3 certified.

As fall approaches, figs and fresh apples are in peak

“The weather has been perfect since the heavy rains fell in late June,” Ted Kreis said in mid-September. “I think we’ll have a nice crop.”

Kreis, who is the marketing director of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, added that in the Red River Valley, “the crop is coming along very well. We had some losses in late June with heavy rain. We thought we lost 10- to 15-percent of the crop at that time. We have possibly recovered some of that through plant recovery and higher yields.

“So overall, it looks like an average-sized crop,” he said.

Red River Valley growers began harvesting

The Kroger Co. announced the retirement of Robert Clark, senior vice president of supply chain, manufacturing and enterprise sourcing, after more than 35 years of service, effective Feb. 1, 2021. Clark will be succeeded by Gabriel Arreaga, who is joining The Kroger Co. as senior vice president of supply chain, starting Oct. 1, 2020.

"We thank Robert for his 35 years of dedicated service and leadership," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "He's been an instrumental leader at all levels of our organization and has built collaborative teams and developed business strategies that

Members of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas held their annual meeting on Sept. 29 in a virtual conference for members. This year the FPAA welcomed a new chairman, chairman-elect, and several board members.  Members also discussed several key initiatives from 2019-2020 and outlooks for the upcoming year.

Scott Vandervoet from Vandervoet & Associates completed his term as FPAA chairman and will now hold a two-year position on the board as past chairman.  Vandervoet spoke to the membership about the many challenges faced by the industry over the last year, including the COVID-19

Naturipe Foods is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Bellan as the division’s new vice president and general manger. In his role, Bellan will manage and direct the company’s sales of world-class processed fruit products. This position will initiate, lead, plan and execute against strategic sales and business development plans for the product category of processed berries, fruits, and vegetables to a broad spectrum of market channels.

A 13-year industry veteran, Bellan’s expertise in frozen and fresh foods, strategic planning and cross functional business development made him a clear

Buona Foods is proud to introduce its 100-percent Mushroom Gourmet Crumble.

In the convenient shaker-top, transparent cup you will find an eight-ounce gourmet blend of chopped baby bella, white, and portabella mushrooms. Washed and ready to use, with no need for chopping, this is a mushroom solution for anyone who is strapped for time and wants less clean up.

Blend with ground beef for delicious burgers, savory meatloaf, and tasty tacos. Add the Gourmet Crumble to your eggs, top your pizza, toss into your salads.

Chopped mushrooms have been in the marketplace before, but Buona Foods has