International Fresh Produce Association celebrated a number of winners of key industry awards at the Global Produce & Floral Show this year.  The winners represent the best of the industry, having been nominated and selected by industry leaders and members. 

The award winners for the 2022 Awards of Excellence include:

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas held its annual meeting on Nov. 1, 2022. Attendees joined in-person at the Americana Hotel. This year the FPAA hosted the meeting just prior to the start of the 53rd Nogales Produce Convention and Golf Tournament to celebrate FPAA members and elect a new board as the association headed into its convention. 

United Natural Foods, Inc. and Square Roots announced a new agreement to co-locate Square Roots' indoor farms on-site at select UNFI distribution centers. The first Square Roots farm, approximately 20,000 square feet in size, is planned for UNFI’s Prescott, Wis. facility and is scheduled to open in 2023.

Willem ‘Bill’ Hofman, age 78, passed away on Nov. 2nd. Mr. Hofman was instrumental to the development of the greenhouse industry in the US.

TOMRA Food has appointed Paul Slupecki as senior vice president, head of TOMRA Fresh Food. This follows the reorganization of TOMRA Food into two business areas, TOMRA Fresh Food and TOMRA Processed Food. 

While vertical farming techniques have recently been producing an increasing amount of our food requirements, Local Leaf Farms has developed a novel approach to further reduce food miles and logistics headaches. Operating out of Barrie and Kingston, Ontario, Local Leaf Farms uses small footprint vertical farming operations to bring hyper-local production of high nutrient produce right to consumers with an ability to be on grocers’ shelves within hours of harvest.