As shoppers walk through almost any supermarket these days, more often than not they are greeted with an unwelcome site — empty shelf space.  

–Photos taken by Adam Campbell

Members of the tropical plant community gathered in Tampa, FL, last week for the annual Tropical Plant International Expo. Educational sessions, new varieties, and high tech solutions were among the myriad experiences attendees had the unique opportunity to experience. The event was well attended and the trade show floor was filled with friends, old and new, enjoying the best the tropical plant industry has to offer.

Bushmans’ Inc. is a farmer-owned potato producer that has been offering product to grocers, retailers and foodservice providers since 1909.

Stop & Shop is rolling out Flashfood to its Pawtucket and Providence, RI, stores following a successful pilot. Flashfood is a digital marketplace that strives to eliminate food waste at the retail level by connecting consumers with discounted food nearing its best-by date. As a result of the program’s impact to date, Flashfood has diverted 30 million pounds of food from ending up in landfills throughout the U.S. and Canada and has saved shoppers almost $90 million in aggregate on their grocery bills.

Growing in the rich, organic muck soils of Wisconsin’s Marquette, Columbia, Sauk and Adams counties, Gumz Farms has a legacy of four generations of family ownership behind it, with brothers Richard and Roderick Gumz now charged with its leadership.

The company is known for growing potatoes and onions, but also has carrots, soybeans, field corn, spearmint and peppermint among its crops.

Matt DeBlouw, a trusted farmer and ag expert, joined Riggio Distribution Co., at the beginning of 2022.

“I know their family and they’re great people, so bringing my farm experience and my relationships with local growers is a great match,” he said. “Being active year-round is where the industry is going, so I thought Riggio was a great fit for me.”