Relying on data analytics to drive your fresh produce business? You might want to ask your gut first.

“Data driven” isn’t just jargon; it’s a widely used decision-making process. But how good are the insights and decisions if the process starts with flawed data? Is bad data driving us in the wrong direction? My inbox is populated with at least two dozen RSS feeds every morning, from produce, grocery, retail, specific business areas, […]
Co-op and Waitrose join national mission to help farmers with ‘Best of British’ tabs on their websites

Supermarket chains Co-op and Waitrose have agreed to give a lift to the nation’s farmers by placing Buy British sections on their websites. The National Farmers’ Union said their inclusion makes a half dozen retailers that are backing the cause, which adds visibility to the people who provide fresh fruits and vegetables and other products […]
IGD report highlights 10 of the biggest challenges facing the UK food system

Over the next decade, the UK food industry and supply chain will continue to face many of the same disruptions they have in recent years, requiring leaders to be both bold and nimble in their strategies and decision-making. In its latest report “A System Under Pressure: An Overview of Long-Term Risks to the UK Food […]
Researchers in Canada, UK say wastewater irrigation may be factor in Tomato virus spreading

A team of researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada and the University of Oxford developed a highly targeted approach to identify the presence of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit virus (ToBRFV) genomes in municipal wastewater in Ontario, Canada. The devastating plant pathogen, which has had a few occurrences over the past few years in […]
In time for Easter, Aldi lowers pricing on 7 staple vegetables to just 15p each

Supermarket chain Aldi has put six staple vegetables and a key herb on sale for Easter at just 15p each. The discount retailer, which has continually set the bar low on pricing of its fresh produce since its foray into the UK, made its Easter Super Seven even more of a bargain by dropping them […]
University of Reading launching another large-scale study to monitor fruit trees and climate

Scientists from the University of Reading in the UK will conduct the country’s largest-ever fruit tree monitoring project. It will include the observation of peach and apricot tree flowering dates for the first time. FruitWatch aims to understand how climate impacts fruit tree blossoms. The effort is an interactive project that depends on the public’s help to […]
Aldi reaches milestone in commitment with Company Shop and the less fortunate in the UK

You may have seen the clever tagline on its banners if you’ve ever come across a Community Shop, where surplus food and other items are resold to the community. “It’s All Good.” Indeed it is. The items sold inside those stores include shelves of perfectly good-to-eat fresh fruits and vegetables, along with a bevy of […]
How can fresh produce wholesalers adapt to the blurring of traditional lanes?

There was a time when each part of the supply chain stayed within a well-defined and mutually respected lane. Every link — grower, shipper, packinghouse, buying agent, broker, wholesaler, distributor, fresh-cut processor, purveyor, retail store, big box store, freight broker, common carrier — knew its exact function on the long road to get perishable agricultural […]