Date shippers all agree that they are sitting on a potential gold mind. They believe they have a great item, that is versatile, has known health benefits, is so sweet it’s a great natural substitute for sugar and its shelf life is almost unsurpassed in the produce aisle.

It is no secret that more consumers are looking to “go green,” but increasingly those consumers think that responsibility should be shouldered by retailers as well. According to recent research from Retail Insight, 77 percent of consumers have tried to be more sustainable in their consumption habits in the last 12 months. That number rises to 88 percent in the all-important 25-to-34-year-old demographic.

Phillip Grant is now in his second year as CEO of the Hunts Point Produce Market, working alongside the nearly 30 merchants that make up the cooperative. Grant first joined the market in 2019 as general manager, right before the onset of the COIVD-19 pandemic.

SunDate is gearing up for one of the top sales periods of the year as it enters March with excellent supplies of dates as Ramadan and Easter approach.

Chilean avocados stand out for their “efficient and adequate” sustainability and water usage. That was the main conclusion reached by a study carried out by the Regional Water Center for Arid, Semi-arid Zones in Latin American and the Caribbean (CAZALAC), an organization under the auspices of UNESCO.

One of the most popular events at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure has become the Power of Produce session, hosted by Anne-Marie Roerink of 210 Analytics and Rick Stein, vice president of fresh foods for FMI.