Walmart has informed some of its suppliers of a new fuel surcharge that will be levied on FOB purchases starting Aug. 1.

Walmart will begin charging a fee that amounts to 1.3 percent of the product invoice to suppliers that use Walmart to transport goods to the retailer’s warehouses and stores.

Like all great stories of legacy, it starts with a person and a vision. In the case of Westlake Produce Co., it began with two: Joe Sims and Bill Brooks Sr., in 1962. The integrity with which Westlake operates today can be traced back to the early Brooks and Sims philosophies.

July signals the start of grape season for California’s central valley, where industry experts are seeing a promotable, high quality, stable crop, similar to 2021 in volume. April’s initial crop estimate forecast 95 million, 19-pound boxes.

Eastern Propak, a cold-storage warehouse in Glassboro, NJ, with repacking and bagging capabilities, offers 9,000 pallet positions, 170,000 square feet of storage and 27 loading doors. The company is only minutes away from the major Delaware ports, providing easy access to all major hubs on the East Coast.

“The Delaware River port is where we get 80 percent or more of the imports that come to this facility, said Rob Kearney, the company’s CEO.

United Natural Foods Inc. announced a new leadership and organizational structure to sharpen the company’s focus on key operational priorities designed to better support its customers, suppliers, associates, and the planet as it continues to build the team, capabilities, and technology that are key to its Fuel the Future strategy.

The Organic Produce Summit kicked off July 13 with an opening reception at the Monterey Conference Center. The evening, sponsored by Starr Ranch and Divine Flavor, brought together some of the 1,400-plus attendees who will make this year's OPS the largest show in its history. After the opening reception some attendees headed to afterparties hosted by Awe Sum Organics, Organic Girl and Braga Fresh.