FiveStar Gourmet Foods added seasoned food industry executive Jerry Callahan to its board of directors. He boasts an impressive four-decade tenure with the Albertson Cos.

When people discuss packaging in the produce industry, one of the first names that come to mind is Kurt Zuhlke & Associates Inc., which provides packaging throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

It has been a strong year for the company, with increased orders and sales that will top the past several years by far.

As a lover of Pure Flavor produce, I’m thrilled to share my favorite family recipe showcasing the incredible flavor of their RedRoyals Sweet Cherry Tomatoes On-The-Vine.

The Kroger Co. and 80 Acres Farms, a leading global vertical farming company, are working together to bring fresh, clean produce to more households.

80 Acres Farms has been a supplier to Kroger since 2019, starting with a single store in downtown Cincinnati and growing to more than 300 stores across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky in 2021. The company plans to serve about 1,000 Kroger stores across the Midwest and Southeast.

Peruvian grower-shipper Agrokasa and its U.S. sales division Pacific Produce (PacPro) LLC implemented a grove-to-retailer service this year that proved highly successful and will be offered to others next year.

Isabel Tavera, vice president/sales director for PacPro, revealed that the service was trialed on one container with one retailer in 2022. For 2023, it has been expanded to 30-40 containers to that same retailer.

“We call the program Delta Avocado and it is a ‘technical sell,’” Tavera said. “We work with the customer from the grove to the store.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture filed an administrative complaint against Heyvel Produce LLC for alleged violations of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. The company, operating from Texas, allegedly failed to make payment promptly to one produce seller in the amount of $405,163 from June 2022 through July 2022.