“This year is shaping up very nicely,” Michael D’Ottavio, president of D’Ottavio Farms, based in Vineland, NJ, said the first week in May. “Even though the weather is a little cooler than normal, everything is growing very nicely this season. I’m seeing a much stronger demand for fruits and vegetables this spring, and we are ready for it.”

On May 14, a gunman at a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo killed 10 people and wounded three others. In partnership with Tops, the National Compassion Fund has established the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors Fund to provide direct financial assistance to the survivors of the deceased and those directly affected by this tragedy. Tops seeded this Survivors Fund with $500,000 to get it started. Other retailers, including Southeastern Grocers and Big Y, have contributed to the fund as well.

SAVRpak announced the launch of SAVRpak Drop-In, a moisture-control technology that extends the shelf life and freshness of produce up to four times. It does this by eradicating condensation, the No. 1 cause of premature molding, wilting and spoilage of peel-less and packaged produce, including berries, leafy greens and mini cucumbers. Successful trials have been completed with Divine Flavor, RCG Fruits and Agrovision, and Frubana is also testing the solution.

Uber Technologies Inc. and Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. are teaming up to pilot on-demand and scheduled grocery delivery.

Starting this week, 72 Grocery Outlet stores across California, Oregon, and Washington — including in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale — are available to shop through Uber and Uber Eats.

With this partnership customers will be able to get their Grocery Outlet must-haves delivered on-demand, right to their door.

POM Wonderful is furthering its commitment to a sustainable future with the transition to 100 percent recycled plastic bottles and shifting more than 90 percent of its electricity needs to renewable energy. 

Consalo Family Farms is a vertically integrated grower, packer, shipper, importer, and distributor and has been in the produce industry since 1927. The family-run company grows a full line of produce in New Jersey.