SN Special Report: Produce Is On the Move

Pretty soon, retailers, suppliers and other produce industry leaders will head over to the Produce Marketing Association’s annual Fresh Summit Convention and Exposition. The conference, held in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 26-28, has a new, shorter schedule, with the education panels consolidated on the first day.

 

This year’s show comes at a time when the produce industry has continued momentum from last year’s marketing initiatives, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate campaign. And the industry is also ready to keep moving forward — with the 2012 Farm Bill, with the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act and with engaging consumers in new ways. Both produce retailers and suppliers are getting creative in how they market “freshness.” In this special annual produce supplement, available in SN’s Oct. 1 issue and at Fresh Summit, SN profiles both a rooftop grower in Canada and a New York two-store independent retailer that sources some produce from its own farm.

This issue also reports on how the industry is responding to the delayed implementation of the produce guidelines in the Food Safety Modernization Act and how the spring and summer weather has impacted local produce offerings.