Lidl GB raises hourly wages for frontline employees
Lidl GB raised entry-level pay by 50p to 60p per hour for entry-level workers 23 and older and says it is now the “highest paying supermarket in the UK.” Wages for those workers are increasing from £10.85 to £11.35 within the M25 and £9.50 to £10.10 outside of London. Lidl says the increases, which will […]
EU table grape forecast shows slight changes for 2021-22
The European Union table grape production is forecast to increase slightly with exports decreasing in the 2021-22 marketing year, according to a USDA report. The production forecast is 1,386,000 metric tons (MT), up just one percent from the previous season, mostly due to dry temperatures in May that favored fruit setting increasing volumes in Italy. Production […]
Fruits of Thought: The Great Resignation And The Joy of Produce
All over the United States, businesses are experiencing difficulty getting fully staffed. This is especially a problem in restaurants and hospitality establishments that downsized a great deal or even closed during the pandemic. In August one in 14 workers in these industries quit. Partly this is because it is easy to quit as comparable jobs […]
Packaging in a visual society: Transparency, sustainability and social stances matter
Packaging is playing a larger role in produce retailing, and technical advances, sustainability and the use of more advanced graphics, along with ongoing consumer concerns for hygiene and food safety are driving development. Consumer trends, including the increasing use of curbside pickup and home delivery, will be the touchstone of effective packaging development and deployment. […]
Asda study shows consumers won’t pay premium prices for sustainable products
What would help drive up purchases of sustainable products? It’s pretty simple: Lower prices. According to new research done by supermarket chain Asda, green labeling and increased product options are not what gets consumers’ attention, but the cost of those items. More than 75% said they would have a more sustainably-focused mindset if prices were […]
How Margin Creep kills the Golden Goose
There is a concern that is being circulated throughout the industry that affects everyone in it and their business: per capita produce consumption is going down. This is not a new phenomenon as consumption has been slipping over the past 20 years. Everyone seemed to recognize that this is not a good thing and is […]
Q&A with Origin Fruit Direct on evolution of EU grape market
As the table grape industry undergoes numerous changes and developments, The Grape Reporter recently spoke to Corne van de Klundert from Origin Fruit Direct to get his view on what the future of the industry looks like, the importance of branding and new origins that will help the category grow. How has the European table […]
Capital markets across Europe show big interest in Greenfood’s sustainability bond
Sweden’s Greenfood AB, a leader in healthy, convenient food from fruits and vegetables to sandwiches, was granted a four-year sustainability bond worth SEK 1,050 million. Greenfood Group says the bond, which is linked to its sustainability targets, drew huge interest from Nordic and European capital investors and became oversubscribed. It had received the highest potential […]
