LEAF sets new targets for sustainability throughout UK supply chain

Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) has revised its benchmarks for sustainability, saying now that 85% of fresh produce grown by the UK should be environmentally friendly. That would mean doubling of fruits and vegetables that are LEAF Marque-certified by 2026. “LEAF Marque growers are already tackling climate change through reducing carbon emissions, building healthier and […]
How a mobile-friendly platform can increase quality control of fresh produce

Companies that deal in fresh produce and are looking for more advanced quality control of their fruits and vegetables throughout the supply chain might want to check out Clarifruit’s mobile-friendly platform. By simply taking a photo from a smartphone of their product, Clarifruit’s intuitive app can then autogenerate a report with data for more refined […]
South African table grape planted area to recover after three years

South Africa table grape planted area, production and exports are all forecast to increase in the marketing year 2021-22, according to a USDA report. The area planted to table grapes is forecast to grow by two percent to 20,900 hectares in the 2021-22 marketing year from 20,564 hectares last year. This comes from new orchards and […]
Research & Analysis: Industry Should Focus On Getting the Poor to Eat More

Consumers indeed make produce a personal decision, and to whatever degree the industry — growers/shippers and retailers — can offer more options, consumers will split up their purchases, and so the new items offered will have some volume. It is also true that some of the new items — better varieties, more convenient cuts, interesting […]
Rashford backs Aldi in Christmas campaign that includes Kevin the Carrot

Star footballer Marcus Rashford MBE added his name and branding power to Aldi’s Christmas TV ad, which is part of a campaign to get meals into the homes of 1.8 million UK families. In the Christmas Carol-style pitch, Aldi brought back its popular Kevin the Carrot character. Ads began running last week. Rashford appears in […]
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 […]