Partnership for a Healthier America, the American Frozen Food Institute and Instacart released the findings of an innovative pilot program that successfully expanded access to fruits and vegetables for families with lower incomes by including frozen produce as an option. Conducted as an extension of PHA’s flagship Good Food at Home program, the pilot was supported by AFFI and delivered via Instacart in Chicago, Philadelphia and Baltimore. The Good Food at Home Fall/Winter 2024 pilot provided participating families with $80 per month for three months in Instacart Health Fresh Funds grocery

Little Bear Produce, an Edinburg, TX-based grower-shipper known for delivering fresh, high-quality vegetables, has launched a specially grown teen spinach designed not just for salads, but for the pan, the pot and the blender. Marketed under the name Cooking with Spinach, the new product is unlike traditional salad spinach in that it is tender yet hearty, and grown to hold up under heat while maintaining great flavor and texture. “This isn’t just salad spinach,” said Barrett Ortego, value-added sales manager at Little Bear Produce. “Cooking with Spinach is purposefully grown for versatility

The Idaho Potato Commission appointed three new commissioners — Scott Mickelsen, Doug Ruff and Brad Russell — who were officially sworn in Oct. 22. Together, they bring a wealth of experience and deep ties to Idaho’s potato industry, continuing IPC’s long-standing commitment to promoting and protecting the world-famous Grown in Idaho seal. Mickelsen is the business manager at Rigby Produce, where he brings decades of hands-on experience in the potato packing industry. Having grown up working alongside his father and brothers, Mickelsen has been immersed in Idaho’s potato business since

Blue Banner Co.’s new packing and shipping brand, Goody, stepped boldly into the spotlight at IFPA’s Global Produce & Floral Show backed by 75 years of expertise. While the brand’s executive leadership and sales team alike have decades of experience in the produce space, hosting a booth among nearly 1,100 exhibitors on the floor was a first. “The support we received from our tenured connections in the industry was overwhelming,” said Vince Mazzetti, vice president of Blue Banner Co. and Goody. Proud to remain family-owned-and-operated in the same packinghouse since 1965 in Riverside, CA, Goody

Amy Trask, former CEO of the NFL’s Raiders and current CBS Sports analyst, was the keynote speaker at the International Fresh Produce Association's Women's Fresh Perspectives Breakfast, held Saturday, Oct. 18, during the Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, CA. Trask was the NFL’s first female front office executive. She provided insights on how to succeed in a male-dominated business.

The Horticultural Trades Association continues to lead work to support and share member knowledge on the transition to a peat-free horticulture. A grower workshop, ‘Optimizing nutrition and nutrient delivery in peat-free crops’, was the latest in the HTA’s technical workshop program, aimed at helping growers with their peat-free journey, sharing both their challenges and successes. During the workshop, held in Cambridgeshire, one of the sessions examined the most common nutritional problems associated with peat-free production and the fertilizer options for addressing them. Attendees learnt