Samantha Duda has joined Duda Farm Fresh Foods as east regional manager. Alongside recent leadership changes, this addition reflects Duda’s continued momentum and enduring commitment to growth, partnership and excellence as the company approaches its centennial in 2026.

As of Oct. 1, Van Zanten Breeding will implement a new management structure. Joost Kos will assume the role of managing director, while Maarten Goos and Martijn Swinkels will step down from their positions in daily management.

The Kroger Co. shared easy tips to make a fresh family meal together, centered around in-season fruits and vegetables, that even the youngest kids can enjoy preparing.

With September just around the corner, Eastern apples are poised to once again captivate consumers with their quality, flavor and versatility — reminding why they remain a perennial favorite in markets across the country.

USA Pears has named Barbara Ruhs as its director of nutrition affairs and communications, effective immediately.
 
Ruhs is a registered dietitian nutritionist and leader in retail health promotion who brings wellness to the shelf. As a successful nutrition communications consultant, she is the former nutrition marketing dietitian for Avocados From Mexico and launched a conference for retail dietitians. A trusted nutrition expert, she knows how to blend science and storytelling to build influence with dietitians, media and consumers. 

California strawberry business continues to muddle along as retailers have put their focus on other commodities. Overall quality is still very inconsistent, so that’s another reason retailers have put berries to the back of the produce department. Fruit quality will start to improve over the next seven to 10 days as growers start harvesting more summer Portola variety. We could see strawberries back on promotions once Northwest cherries finish by the middle of August.