Whole Foods announced that Co-Founder and CEO John Mackey will retire from the company Sept. 1, 2022. Chief Operating Officer Jason Buechel will succeed Mackey as the company's new CEO. 

Few foods say autumn the way sweet potatoes do. Their taste and coloring are perfect complements to the season. While last year was a rollercoaster for the produce industry, sweet potatoes were a popular item with consumers due to their increased shelf life over other produce items. North Carolina is known for growing exceptional sweet potatoes, both by the volumes grown and the quality of the product.

Concerned that specialty crop growers are at risk of needlessly losing access to key “minor use” crop protection tools, Minor Crop Farmer Alliance is calling on the Biden administration to use sound science to direct the federal government’s pesticide safety decision-making, and to promote sound science with U.S. international trading partners.

Is healthy food really the secret to a better mood? Produce for Better Health thinks so, and it backed up its theory with plenty of research and a presentation by Dr. Taylor Wallace during the “Fruits & Veggies: Food Rooted in a Better Mood” general session on the second day of the virtual Have A Plant Nation Ambassador Event, Sept. 28-29.

“Fruits and vegetables really do influence cognition and mood state quite extensively,” Wallace told attendees.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture works to develop relationships with members from all sectors of the agricultural industry — from growers to processors to retailers. The department will soon be headed to the New England Produce Council show to promote some of the state’s top produce items.