It is a foregone conclusion that Walgreens will increase its food offerings, including some fresh produce, but when and where hasn't been determined yet, according to company spokesperson Tiffani Washington. Ms. Washington said that Director of Fresh Foods Jim Jensen and Vice President of Merchandising Bryan Pugh, both of whom are stationed in the large retailer’s Deerfield, IL, headquarters, are in charge of the project. "They are currently looking at several different options and eventually we will be testing a number of options in different markets," Ms. Washington promised. Walgreens

SANTA PAULA, CA -- Calavo Growers Inc. and the California Milk Advisory Board announced June 7 that they have partnered to cross promote two of California's more identifiable agricultural products: fresh California avocados and California cheese. One million instantly redeemable coupons for 55 cents off any purchase of "Real California Cheese" will be affixed to Calavo avocados sold by the bag. Calavo Growers markets avocados to the trade in a variety of ways; bags are one of those ways, and they have a real value appeal to the consumer. Calavo avocados in bags are widely available in

There was a time when shoppers knew exactly what to expect in the produce department of the grocery store. Citrus was a fall-through-spring treat. Berries had seasons. These days, with global sourcing, most commodities are available year round through a non-stop rotation of local and imported products. Four years ago, Lakeland, FL-based Publix Super Markets Inc. realized that given the constant supply, consumers could use some help tracking when commodities are at their best. The company launched a program called At Season's Peak that keeps customers apprised in-store, on-line and via e- mail

For more than six months, the onion market has been very solid — reaching record heights along the way — and the good run is expected to continue for at least several more months. "It's been a good market since December," said Don Ed Holmes of The Onion House, based in Weslaco, TX. “And I think it will last until at least mid- August when the folks in Idaho, Oregon and Washington start shipping.” Mr. Holmes was not saying that the market would drop at that point, just that new players and new supplies would enter the picture at that time, which could affect the supply-and-demand curve from

Cool weather in California and in Sonora, Mexico, has pushed back the harvest of most grape varieties by one to two weeks in all growing areas. As of June 1, when desert grapes in Coachella, CA, would normally be in strong production, the harvest was just beginning. Similarly, the Mexican grape deal in the state of Sonora, which would normally be in full swing by the first of June, was just starting to build in volume. Because of the delayed timing of the harvest, both Sonora and Coachella were expecting to have good supplies available for the July 4 pull — a time when they typically would be

PARMA, ID -- High-tech's cutting edge was made even sharper for the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee recently when the organization began utilizing two-dimensional, or 2-D, codes. The codes stem from trademarked technology developed in 1994 by Denso Wave Inc. of Japan and are also known as QR, or quick response. They provide the user with literally unlimited tracking capabilities using just a smartphone. Now on board with the technology, the IEOOC has linked its current onion recipe contest and its shippers' list to the codes. For the curious, a quick cell phone shot of the graphics