Perishable Pundit: Live produce show is a triumph in New York

My wife and I were married in New York’s famed The Plaza Hotel, opposite Central Park and, on our wall at home, we have a beautiful and artistic black-and-white photo of us on the dance floor of the Grand Ballroom, taken during the cocktail hour before any of our guests had been admitted to the ballroom. […]

Aldi will boost pay for UK colleagues again starting in February

Retailer Aldi is not only remaining highly competitive on pricing but is also delivering more when it comes to pay for its colleagues. The discount chain says it is boosting pay again for 28,000 employees in the UK starting in February to keep them on top of the chain among supermarkets here. “The commitment and […]

UK Tenderstem broccoli, a rarity at Christmastime, is in stock at Tesco

Leaders at supermarket chain Tesco say that a windfall of Tenderstem broccoli from their UK grower will mean the healthy, succulent vegetable will be in stores through Christmas. Hertfordshire-based AS Green is sending 40 tonnes to the retailer as demand has soared for this dinner complement. Typically, the season runs from June to November. “It’s […]

Freshfel expresses concern after Belarus puts embargo on food imports

On Dec. 6, Belarus implemented an embargo on food import into the country for food products originating from the EU, the UK, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Albania, the U.S. and Canada. Fruit and vegetables are included in the list along with other food categories such as meat, dairy products, and confectionery products while excluding […]

The Produce Industry Takes Off: A Countdown For Relaunch

As we prepare for the upcoming New York Produce Show and Conference, this year is like no other. It will surprise no one to learn that after the hiatus caused by the COVID pandemic last year, we were uncertain how things would unfold when we were told that the New York State and City authorities […]

Does the Aldi banana price rise mean we are turning corner?

For the best part of two decades, German hard discount retailer Aldi, present in thirty countries worldwide, has more or less set the benchmark price for fresh bananas in the European market. On 1st December the long-awaited ‘white smoke’ on the 2022 contract price finally appeared to have gone up after particularly protracted and controversial negotiations […]

Waitrose pushes expansion in Scotland by partnering with Margiotta

Waitrose has entered into an agreement and begun delivering its products to Margiotta, a convenience store chain in Scotland known for its high-quality fresh food. The retailer is supplying more than 600 items to 16 of Margiotta’s shops and will add two more locations after the new year as soon as those stores are revamped. […]

Chile expects major increase in avocado production

UK fruit imports held steady in 2017

In marketing year (MY) 2021-22 Chile will produce 220,000 metric tons (MT) of avocado, a 57 percent increase over MY2020-21, due to favorable climatic conditions. In MY2020-21 avocado production reached 140,000MT, a low production year due to drought and early frost, according to a USDA report. Eighty-nine percent of the avocados planted in Chile are the […]