This will be the fifth greenhouse for Little Leaf Farms, and the brand’s second greenhouse in Pennsylvania. With the expanded capacity of 10 additional acres of indoor production of fresh, sustainably grown lettuce, Little Leaf Farms will increase its retail presence to about 5,000 grocery stores.

The expansion news was shared at a ceremony the brand hosted on May 31, welcoming Gov. Josh Shapiro and other state representatives to celebrate Little Leaf Farms’ growth in Pennsylvania. Little Leaf Farms owns 180 acres in McAdoo and has rapidly grown to be the largest producer of indoor-grown leafy greens in the state. The company opened its first 10-acre greenhouse in July 2022 and expects to employ more than 170 by the end of 2023.

“We believe in the CEA industry’s role in the path to more sustainable produce production and are focused on our mission of delivering fresh and delicious leafy greens to consumers,” said Paul Sellew, founder and CEO.

“We continue to build on our ambitious plans for growth and our expansion in Pennsylvania is a testament to how we’ve been able to continuously scale our efficient production and operations. We’re thrilled to have increased our retail sales by more than 50 percent in the past year and to be the No. 1 brand of packaged lettuce sustainably grown through CEA in the country.”

These 10 additional acres under glass represent a significant capacity increase, enabling Little Leaf Farms to harvest more than 20 million pounds of leafy greens yearly across its sites. The new greenhouse will employ Little Leaf Farms’ technology and efficiencies, including advanced heating, cooling and lighting systems, as well as utilize the sun and fresh rainwater.

The greenhouse will also integrate the brand’s hands-free automated grow system, which means the leafy greens are untouched from seed to packaging and never require washing. Little Leaf Farms’ lettuce is farmed 365 days a year, harvested daily and delivered from greenhouse to grocery store in 24 hours.

“Pennsylvania has a proud agricultural heritage, and our agriculture sector is a key driver of our economy, contributing over $132 billion to our economy and supporting nearly 600,000 jobs,” said Gov. Shapiro.

“I want to plant a flag and show the rest of the country that Pennsylvania is a leader in agriculture, job creation, and innovation – and Little Leaf Farms’ investment in our Commonwealth is proof that the future is being grown right here in Carbon County. Pennsylvania is open for business and my Administration will continue to support our farmers, scientists, and entrepreneurs who want to grow and thrive here in the Commonwealth.”

The brand also presented a $10,000 donation to Feeding Pennsylvania, a local nonprofit that works to secure food and other resources to reduce hunger and food insecurity across the state. The funds will be distributed to Feeding Pennsylvania’s member food banks to assist individuals throughout the area facing food insecurity.

“Feeding Pennsylvania is thrilled to partner with Little Leaf Farms and to accept this $10,000 donation, which will be allocated to each of our nine member food banks serving all 67 counties of Pennsylvania,” said Shea Saman, interim CEO and CFO.

“Food Banks in Pennsylvania and across the country are facing growing financial challenges due to rising demand for food assistance, increasing costs for food and other operating expenses, and disruptions to the supply chain for essential food commodities. This financial support will help food banks bridge the gap to ensure that they can continue to meet the growing needs of communities across Pennsylvania.”

For more information on Little Leaf Farms, visit littleleaffarms.com.

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April fresh produce sales reached $5.9 billion. “The strengthening demand for fruit in reaction to deflationary conditions is a very positive sign going into the summer months,” said Joe Watson, IFPA’s VP, retail, foodservice and wholesale.

“There is typically a lag between improvements in pricing levels at retail and strengthening demand. We certainly saw that for fruit as well. But fresh fruit has experienced positive unit and volume growth for two consecutive months now and that bodes well for continued strength going into the big summer and grilling seasons.” 

Weekly fresh produce sales averaged between $1.41 billion and $1.57 billion. “April year-over-year weekly sales comparisons were highly affected by the timing of Easter and Passover which moved forward by week,” Watson said. “This explains the sales pressure the third week of April when going up against last year’s Easter sales. 

“The difference in inflationary levels between fresh, frozen and canned is staggering,” said Jonna Parker, team lead, fresh for Circana. “The average price per pound for fresh produce was flat whereas the price per pound across frozen fruits and vegetables increased 21.3 percent between April 2022 and April 2023.”

Fresh produce pound sales had been trailing behind year ago levels since April 2021, but had seen steady improvements since the third quarter of 2022. In April, pound sales exceeded year-ago levels by 0.6 percent.

The increase in fresh produce volume sales was driven by fruit, that experienced a 2.1 percent increase in pounds sold in April compared with April 2022. Vegetables did not quite reach year-ago levels, but moved within one percentage point of the April 2022 levels. 

“Fruit sales were a mix of dollar gains and losses and a mix of unit gains and losses in April,” Parker said.

“Avocados are a perfect example of the pricing conundrum in the current marketplace. The average price per pound for avocados was down 26.6 percent in April 2023 versus April 2022. This prompted a year-on-year increase of 10.5 percent in pounds, but it meant dollar sales fell by 19 percent.” Other items with increased volume sales were melons, mandarins, pineapples and mixed fruit. 

Items with increased dollar sales in April compared with last year were berries, bananas, melons, pineapples and mixed fruit.    

“Vegetables experienced a more mixed performance in April,” Watson said. “Three items increased pound sales, being onions, peppers and cucumbers, though more managed to grow year-over-year dollar sales with the help of price increases.

The dual power of value versus convenience can be seen in sales for both lettuce and salad kits, the number three and four sellers. However, whereas lettuce grew dollar sales, salad kits’ sales decreased in both pounds and dollars. 

In April, fresh vegetables added $41.6 million in additional dollars versus April 2022 whereas total fruit lost $10 million year-over-year. 

Berries were the biggest contributor to new produce dollars, followed by potatoes, melons and lettuce. Melons increased on the combination of inflation and increased demand, whereas the additional dollars for berries, potatoes and lettuce were inflationary gains.

While the meat department had the highest sales in April at $6.5 billion, produce was in second. While the meat department experienced a decline in dollar sales, the produce department was the only one to achieve dollar and unit growth versus April 2022 levels. 

For more produce news from The Shelby Report, click here.

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Foundational to Frutura’s new branding strategy is the fact that several of its companies already have strong avocado portfolios. This shift is designed to create a more vertically integrated way for customers to source in-demand product. Through its network, Frutura is one of the few avocado marketers to own their own groves in Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia. 

Frutura’s Dayka & Hackett leads the company’s avocado marketing program. That effort is headed by Stephen Fink, who joined in 2022 as VP of avocados, after a career focused on driving growth in the avocado sector.

“In our earliest conversations, Tim Dayka (D&H’s CEO) talked to me about the potential of avocados and he’s the architect of our program,” said David Krause, Frutura’s CEO. 

“We’re pushing to accelerate volume by adding significant plantings, and by building relationships with several 3rd party growers of premium avocados, that our team has worked with and respected for many years.”

Frutura is aligning its avocado program with its sustainability mission, by making certain that a meaningful portion of its avocado acreage remains native timber. Forests serve as a hospitable habitant for monarch butterflies, known to be among the planets’ most effective pollinators. Pollinators like monarch butterflies, play a vital role in the earth’s ecosystem and thus, the world’s food supply.

“Consolidating our avocados under the Frutura brand creates a more frictionless experience for our customers,” Fink said.

“Consumer demand for avocados shows no sign of abating and we’re in the process of positioning ourselves to serve our customers with reliable excellence. We’ve also added powerful bench strength by being joined by colleagues experienced in North American grocery retail, the Asian market and the food service sector.”

For more information, visit fruturaproduce.com.

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“The voice-enabled rating feature for Procurant Inspect is a good example of how it brings innovative solutions that save time and simplify complex processes for our customers. This new feature not only enhances the inspection process but also showcases the versatility of our core platform,” said Bharath Kumar, senior VP of engineering.

Procurant Inspect is a mobile application that runs on any standard tablet device, simplifying the labor-intensive process of inspecting produce and other perishables at distribution centers. With the addition of the voice-enabled rating feature, inspectors can record inspection data using voice commands, saving valuable time and reducing manual input errors.

The voice-enabled rating feature integrates with the Procurant platform, where buyers and suppliers manage shipment information and purchase orders. This approach supports advanced analytics into supplier performance and quality and provides rapid visibility to all parties in the event of rejections.

New voice-enabled rating feature highlights include:

• Hands-free data entry for inspectors during the inspection process;
• Reduction in manual input errors and increased efficiency; and
• Seamless integration with the Procurant platform for real-time data sharing.

Procurant is transforming the global food supply chain with technology to reduce waste, increase visibility, improve food safety and digitize business from production to consumption. The company was founded by industry veterans with decades of experience delivering solutions to growers, shippers, distributors, retailers and foodservice operators. Procurant is backed by GLP Properties, a global investment manager and business builder in logistics, real estate, infrastructure, finance and related technologies.

For more produce news from The Shelby Report, click here.

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The report looks at the role of food waste in the current climate crisis and how reducing waste at the retail level has the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions, slow climate change and address the connected problems of hunger and food insecurity.

Exploring consumer perception is also a key component of the report, as the company aims to emphasize not just the value of the climate impact, but the consumer appetite for Flashfood.

New findings from a 2023 survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Flashfood demonstrate a clear desire for change. The majority of adult grocery shoppers in the U.S. are struggling with the cost of healthy eating, and they view the reduction of food waste as an important priority.

• Nearly nine in 10 Americans say managing food waste is important to them.
• The majority of Americans agree that the rising cost of food is making healthy eating more difficult for them.
• Seventy-seven percent are concerned about the environmental impact of food waste (e.g., on land, water, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity).
• Three quarters of Americans (75 percent) believe that reducing food waste is important for solving climate change.

“At Flashfood, we believe everyone deserves to eat healthy, affordable food and to live on a thriving planet. Food waste stands in the way of both,” said Josh Domingues, founder and CEO of Flashfood.

“That’s why we’re setting our sights on massive expansion this year: to be available in more places and at more stores with the goal of saving our consumers money on groceries and rescuing millions more pounds of food from landfills.”

The report also serves as a celebration of the company’s milestones and an expression of gratitude for the ecosystem that makes a marketplace like Flashfood possible. Retail partners are spotlighted as the heroes on the food waste journey and the key to future growth.

“We wanted this report to reflect the incredible impact of our retail partners,” said Nicholas Bertram, president and COO.

“These exceptional operators understand the fundamental link between hunger and waste. They see the opportunity that this massive problem has created, which is why they’ll be the ones to help solve it – and win.”

Dana Gunders, executive director of the national food waste nonprofit ReFED, said in the report, “Retailers play an especially important role because they sit at the center of the food system and have so much opportunity to influence the supply chain upstream and downstream. By implementing waste reduction solutions in their operations, retailers can not only benefit their bottom lines, but they can show their customers and partners what’s possible.”

Flashfood’s “The State of Food Waste” serves up a one-stop-shop for all the things a reader needs to know about the company and the importance of eliminating food waste, with statistics about grocery shopping and Flashfood usage sprinkled throughout.

To read the full report, visit Flashfood’s website.

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The American Frozen Food Institute has welcomed the introduction of the proposed legislation that will help families eat more fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet by providing more opportunities to take home fresh frozen produce when they shop.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program can close a produce intake gap among lower income households. However, GusNIP, its point-of-sale promotion programs and USDA’s Produce Prescription Program only fund projects that support the consumption of fresh produce.

The SHOPP Act would amend and modernize GusNIP’s priorities in several ways. Under the proposal:  

1. The Secretary of Agriculture must consider GusNIP program grant applications/projects that promote or incentivize frozen fruit and vegetable consumption among SNAP recipients. 
2. USDA must allow frozen fruits, vegetables and legumes to be included in the Prescription Produce Program. The program currently allows only fresh fruits and vegetables.   

“Americans should be incentivized to live a healthy lifestyle. GUSNIP is an easy way to do that. While this program is an opportunity to reward SNAP participants for choosing healthy produce options, I believe it can be improved. Our legislation would do just that,” said Rep. Alford.

“The SHOPP Act would amend the GUSNIP program to expand those opportunities to frozen fruits and vegetables. Making decisions in the grocery store with the health of one’s family in mind should not be as challenging as it is. We must ensure that whether you’re in rural America or a big city, you have the flexibility to meet your family’s nutritional needs. I’m proud to introduce the SHOPP Act alongside Rep. Crockett.”

Reps. Don Bacon (NE-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Mary Miller (IL-15) and Bennie Thompson (MS-02) are co-sponsors on the legislation. The SHOPP Act, if passed, would take effect on March 6, 2024, National Frozen Food Day.  

“Ninety percent of SNAP participants don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, and research shows a lack of time and resources often get in the way of healthy eating,” said Alison Bodor, AFFI president and CEO. 

“The broad inclusion of frozen food in federal government feeding programs can help consumers overcome those barriers and tackle the produce consumption crisis head on. This proposal would enhance USDA’s existing programs and increase access to a variety of healthy food choices for millions of Americans.” 

Promoting the inclusion of frozen food is a solution for meeting the country’s nutritional needs. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the federal government’s best nutrition advice, states that “all forms of foods, including fresh, canned, dried, frozen and 100 percent juices in nutrient dense forms, can be included in healthy dietary patterns.” 

Studies show that frozen fruits and vegetables are as rich in nutrients, and in some cases more so, than fresh-stored produce because the produce is frozen within hours of harvest. Additional research conducted by AFFI  found that eight out of 10 SNAP-eligible households surveyed agreed that frozen fruits and vegetables make it easier to eat more produce, prevent food waste and save money.

“Frozen food is a perfect solution for anyone who wants to stretch their food dollars and optimize healthy food purchases at the same time. This legislation is a practical approach to combating food and nutrition security in America. AFFI calls on Congress to move quickly on the SHOPP Act so more Americans can have access to nutrition year-round,” Bodor said.

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Dixon will play a role in expanding Four Star’s presence in growing regions worldwide and building sustainable partnerships with grower priorities top of mind.

Dixon brings extensive sales and leadership experience to the Four Star team. More recently, he was with Kingsburg Orchard as a sales representative in the stone fruit department.

According to the company, Dixon’s track record in the produce industry has prepared him to lead Four Star Fruit’s efforts to expand its presence globally, which will bolster a year-round program and provide the next level of service for its customers.

“I am thrilled to join the Four Star Fruit team and undertake this new responsibility,” Dixon said.

“Alongside our growth expansion plans, we want to enhance our value to customers by adding commodities to our portfolio outside of table grapes, such as citrus and stone fruit. As we look into the future, this step will be a significant milestone on our journey towards becoming a fully integrated supplier.”

Four Star Fruit is confident that Dixon’s expertise and leadership will contribute to its success by driving the overall business strategy and enabling greater innovation.

“Justin is a highly experienced, strategic thinker and brings considerable value to the Four Star Fruit sales team,” said Jack Campbell, president at Four Star Fruit. “We are pleased to welcome Justin to our team and look forward to seeing him lead and expand our import department.”

Four Star Fruit has been in table grape production as a grower-shipper since 1987. The company is family-owned and -operated for three generations by the Campbell family. Four Star produces conventional and organic grapes, including the trademarked Pristine variety. Its fields are located throughout the San Joaquin and Coachella Valleys and internationally in Peru, Chile and Mexico.

To learn more about Four Star Fruit, visit fourstarfruit.com. 

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Avila, who had worked for Albertsons in Southern California for 32 years, said he didn’t realize what a produce buyer was until he got into the independent grocer arena. 

“When I was working for Albertsons, our job was to fulfill the orders…now, working for Super King Market, it really opens your eyes and teaches you how to buy,” he explained. “You’re going out there and you’re looking for quality, value and cost. You want to get the right cost so that you can pass it on to your customers.”

That has been the main difference. Avila said at his previous job he didn’t consider himself a buyer because he was just fulfilling orders, no matter the cost.

“Here, it’s very important to me – and it’s important to my numbers and it’s important to my customers – that I find the right product at the right price and the right quality…that’s the biggest difference that I noticed in the 30-some years that I’ve been doing this. When I came to Super King, I learned how to buy.”

The volume of produce also has been different. Avila said three of Super King’s eight stores get two-and-a-half to three trucks of produce a day. The other locations get two. “And these are full trucks of produce…it’s a big difference in volume. We just move tonnage.”

Avila has three buyers on his team. He said Super King is one of the only retailers to go in and walk the Los Angeles produce market every day. “That’s to keep the pulse, to find out exactly what’s going on. And it’s a big benefit to us.” 

He credits the Fermanian family, owners of Super King, with finding a great warehouse location across the street from the L.A. market. “We know what’s happening every day, on every commodity.”

The produce departments in the Super King stores are popular with customers, especially when their favorite items are on sale. Avila cited jackfruit as an example. 

“Jackfruit is something that’s been around for many, many years but is not known by many people,” he said. “When I came to Super King, it was something that wasn’t really ever pushed. Jackfruit is an Asian fruit that Asians love. They go in and they’ll buy as much as they can get their hands on when they find a great price.”

One Super King location has a large Asian clientele. “We put the jackfruit at three pounds for 99 [cents], and we had customers fighting – literally, yelling at each other – because it was their­ ­jackfruit…they couldn’t get their arms around enough.”

Avila said the store ended up selling 10-15 pallets of jackfruit a day in that store, “which was unheard of.” Persian cucumbers are another popular item at Super King. 

“They’ve been pushing Persian cucumbers here in this company forever,” he said. “In a typical retailer, the No. 1 item is banana, and then you go to a Roma tomato or some type of tomato for No. 2. Here in our company, it’s Persian [cucumbers]. 

“When we put them [in our] ad, customers will push each other, and you hear five or six different languages at the table…sometimes we have to separate them.”

According to Avila, those anecdotes show that customers are paying attention to the Super King ads and to the quality and price of the produce. “They like what we’re doing for the consumer.”

Avila praised the Fermanian family for knowing that produce is the driver. “We see it in the sales,” he said. “Produce is the driver when it comes to Super King. It’s the heart, it’s what keeps the company going.”

He went on to describe Super King’s produce departments as “massive,” adding that its competitors have “nothing in comparison to what we have.” Walking into the newer stores, the first thing customers encounter is the produce department.

“We have big departments, and we still try to do what we can outside with a farmers market look to entice [customers],” he said. “It is a unique concept and very, very different than what everybody else is doing.”

To deal with such a large volume, Avila said produce is ordered in advance to be “ahead of the game.”

“You order Monday for a Wednesday ad. You don’t order Tuesday for a Wednesday ad,” he explained. “All of our suppliers are getting used to knowing that we’re going to break an ad on a Wednesday, but I’m going to expect the produce in the warehouse on Monday. 

“It’s just to be prepared, because a lot of our suppliers are hesitant now to give us ad pricing because we move so much volume.”

As opposed to some grocers that order one truckload, Super King is asking for three to five. “We’re running Roma tomatoes on ad this week, and I’m bringing in five truckloads. That’s almost a truckload a store, if you start looking at it. You have to be prepared.”

Avila said the other buyers on his team came into the department with little to no experience in produce. 

“It was nice for me because I got to train these guys from not knowing anything, to learning what I’ve done for the last 30-some years,” he said. “And we’ve been able to maintain the volume and the commodities so that we don’t run short, and we have supply for our customers.”

The produce buying team meets every Monday morning with Peter, Vache and Jake Fermanian to discuss the upcoming ad and the previous week’s sales, Avila said. They talk about what’s coming up and what they need to do better. He said he also talks to the stores’ produce managers via conference call every other week to keep them involved and share information.

“Vache, Peter and Jake are very, very well involved. I talk to ownership every single day, three to four times a day,” he said.

As Avila noted, that communication is important. “Like we say, ‘As produce goes, so goes the company.’ We have to be right.”

Avila is married with two grown children, who are not in the business. It is a tough field, he said, adding that he gets up at 3 a.m. each day. “You either love it or you don’t. If you love it, you do it for 37 years that I’ve been doing it. If you don’t, you’re gone in a couple of years.”

Avila has found a successful career in produce. “I’ve been married 34 years this March,” he said. “I think my wife loves it that I love it.”

For more information about Super King’s departments, visit superkingmarkets.com/pages/departments-sk.

To view the full anniversary section on Super King Markets presented by The Shelby Report, click here.

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Helping the food waste problem by bringing the entire produce market online for more efficiencies, the addition expands its reach to retailers, foodservice companies, and direct-to-consumer distributors, among others. Full Harvest is an end-to-end online produce marketplace, including logistics automation, for all grades of produce – from USDA Grade 1 to surplus and imperfect – on spot, program and contract terms.

Globally, an estimated 2.5 billion tons (40 percent of food grown) goes to waste each year, according to the World Wildlife Federation. Unfortunately, while agriculture and food-related industries contribute more than $1.2 trillion to the U.S. GDP, and the fruit and vegetable market size alone will top $96 billion this year, the produce industry is predominantly offline.

The company enables increased market matching and transparency that improves bottom lines, shortens the time from harvest to production by shipping direct from farms and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting the produce.

“Everything edible should be consumed. We are on a mission to eliminate food waste in the produce ecosystem and create a more sustainable produce industry,” said Christine Moseley, founder and CEO of Full Harvest.

“While imperfect and surplus produce was an important first step, the entire produce industry needs to move online to maximize efficiency and eliminate waste. At Full Harvest, we’re doubling down on our mission to help produce buyers and suppliers get the real-time data and access they need to make the produce supply chain smarter, more efficient and more sustainable – regardless of produce type or grade.”

USDA Grade 1 is the primary produce grade used in the food industry to ensure consistent cosmetic and quality standards for consumers. Produce must meet stringent guidelines on shape, color, size, texture and quality to be considered USDA Grade 1. Expanding Full Harvest’s marketplace gives its current buyers and suppliers, most of which buy and sell all grades of produce, a one-stop shop to manage their produce online.  

While Full Harvest has a large grower network established, suppliers are invited to learn more about the marketplace and sign up here.

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The deal brings increased acreage, packing house operations and storage capacity to the BelleHarvest organization. As a result, the company will have access to varieties, such as Honeycrisp, Gala, EverCrisp and SweeTango, alongside traditional varieties.

“BelleHarvest is a leader in the Michigan apple industry,” said Casey Jarrard, VP of sales and marketing at BelleHarvest.

“With the increased volume and quality, we can better serve our existing and potential customer base to showcase the powerhouse Michigan apples has to offer. A customer-centric model is at the core of BelleHarvest’s business strategy, aligning our goals and objectives with those of our customers. We aim to conduct business with integrity, open communication, and a commitment to providing superior service and quality products that exceed customer expectations.” 

CEO Milt Fuehrer said, “At BelleHarvest, we have a strong leadership team that is continuously innovating and working diligently towards the future of our company. We are excited about the future growth potential this acquisition brings and look forward to expanding our operations in the years to come. 

BelleHarvest is one of Michigan’s oldest grower-owned distributors of fresh apples. The company, established in 1957, is founded on building partnerships and offering consistent apples year after year, while staying rooted within the local community. BelleHarvest partners with growers throughout Michigan to project future flavor trends and maximize productivity while maintaining its standards.

In 2021, BelleHarvest acquired Michigan Fresh Marketing, a company specializing in Michigan-grown fruits and vegetables, with a large network of grower partners. As a result, the acquisition added a year-round national and locally-grown vegetable program and a diverse sales organization.

To learn more about BelleHarvest, visit belleharvest.com.

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