Albertsons Cos. stores, including Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Vons and ACME, will use Afresh's fresh replenishment solution for everything from broccoli to cakes, flank steak and deli self-service bars. This is an expanded partnership for the two companies, which already worked together in various departments. Afresh's technology applies patent-pending AI and data modeling to align Albertsons Cos.' ordering, inventory and demand understanding for thousands of prepped, produced and transformed perishable items — addressing the core data challenge of fresh to match demand with what

Pears remain one of the most underrated fruits in the grocery store produce section. Despite being nutrient-dense and versatile, they often go unnoticed. Current pear buyers tend to be between the ages of 30 and 65, with a strong peak in the 40 to 55 age group. These shoppers are loyal, diverse and health-conscious, proving there is already a solid and engaged consumer base for pears. However, recent data highlights a gap: shoppers under 30 are virtually absent from the category. At first glance, this seemed like a mistake in the data, but it’s consistent across both high-low retailers and

AFM President Alvaro Luque’s excitement for this coming season’s promotional programs was as palpable as the energy surrounding his organization’s booth during the recent IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show. In one corner of the booth, show attendees lined up for restaurant-quality avocado toast featuring gourmet ingredients, while another queue at the opposite end was full of people awaiting handmade tacos including, of course, Mexican avocados. There was also avocado gelato available for those whose cravings leaned more to the sweet and refreshing side. The VIPs who were invited to the upper

EFI — along with sponsors Windset Farms, GoodFarms and Stemilt Growers — hosted an event to celebrate more than 30 supplier companies that reached gold-star status in the Ethical Charter Implementation Program online LAB platform. Representatives from Costco, Kroger, Sam's and Walmart were in attendance to applaud the leadership shown by these companies in the short time since new engagement criteria were introduced to the ECIP program in July.

Alexandra Farms began as an experiment, an effort to grow cut flowers that combined the practicality of standard varieties, such as long vase life and durability for global transport, with the romance and character of traditional garden roses. What started as an unconventional idea in 2005 has since blossomed into a story of passion, perseverance, and beauty. The journey began on a modest two-hectare farm near Bogotá, Colombia, which was transformed into a hands-on laboratory for floral innovation. A small team of fifteen built a simple wooden and plastic greenhouse and learned, through trial

Judy Spires, one of the most accomplished and respected executives in the U.S. grocery and retail food industry, has been appointed chair of retail strategy and industry relations for Consalo Family Farms. With more than four decades of distinguished leadership experience, Spires has held senior executive roles across several of the nation’s leading supermarket organizations. She served as president of Acme Markets, president of Albertsons’ Dallas–Fort Worth Division and president of Albertsons’ Rocky Mountain Division. She later became chairman and CEO of KB US Holdings, the parent company of