Next Level Fresh LLC, based in Belle Glade, FL, announced the launch of its “Fresh Life Harvest” whole ear sweet corn pack, complete with a chili pepper-lime seasoning.

After the first loads arrived on April 30, volume of Zespri kiwifruit from New Zealand picked up considerably, said Steve Woodyear-Smith, Oppenheimer category manager for tropicals.

With a background that includes 10 years with Zespri International, Woodyear-Smith oversees pineapple and mango procurement and marketing initiatives in addition to kiwifruit. He told The Produce News in early May that movement had started to “crank up at Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami and Vancouver, and we’re seeing good volumes of Green and SunGold and reasonable volumes of organics.”

Together the five new sales team members, with their leader, Daryl Johnston, vice president of sales, have 60 years’ experience in produce sales. Most have been on the job since April 1, and none more than a month. They all live in or near Titan Farms in Ridge Spring, SC. “I told them I wanted boots in the ground where the tree roots are,” said Johnston. He will keep his hand in with a sales cubicle in the center of the new offices, amid other team members.

New federal dietary guidelines recommending less meat and the ongoing consumer quest for healthy meal options are driving retail sales of alternative protein sources. Apio Inc. is at the forefront of the plant-based protein movement with three new single-serve Plant-Powered Protein Salad Kits — BBQ Ranch, Super Caesar and Yogurt Curry — available in June from Eat Smart.

Instacart expanded delivery service to Miami, its 16th city, covering most of the metro area. Customers can order from Whole Foods Market, Costco, Winn-Dixie and BJ'S Wholesale Club as well as Petco stores and have everything delivered by Instacart in as little as one hour. Instacart customers do not need a Costco or BJ's membership to shop from those stores.

It’s National Eat More Fruits & Vegetables Day, an official holiday dedicated to the proposition that getting more fresh fruits and vegetables is easy, delicious — and, based on U.S. obesity trends — entirely necessary. Starting today, the annual holiday will be celebrated every year on the Thursday before Memorial Day, at the start of the summer produce season.