KINGSVILLE, ON - Mastronardi Produce, pioneers of commercial greenhouse growing in North America, is pleased to announce the addition of two high-tech greenhouses into its U.S. farm distribution network. The two greenhouses, located in Minnesota and Iowa, add an additional 48 acres to Mastronardi’s expanding U.S. greenhouse network. Mastronardi Produce now has over 600 acres of greenhouses in its U.S. greenhouse network, with distribution centers and greenhouses located in 15 states.

The greenhouses, which currently grow a variety of tomatoes and strawberries, provide a strategic location for the Mastronardi Produce network. Increasing its domestic U.S. production is a key priority for the industry leader. An evolving consumer base has changed how people shop and the products they shop for, with locally grown produce being top of mind for many consumers.

“Consumer preferences and shopping habits are changing fast and we're re-aligning our portfolio to address these factors," said Paul Mastronardi, President and CEO of Mastronardi Produce, in the recent release. "Having more facilities across the U.S. allows us to deliver the diverse set of products consumers seek out, while shortening trips from our greenhouses to retailers and keeping products at peak flavor and freshness."

WASHINGTON, DC - The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) announced the results of its Organic Seed Survey, offering timely insights into the key challenges and priorities facing the organic seed sector.

IFPA’s Organic Committee convened an Organic Seed Working Group to examine the current usage, availability, and market conditions for organic seed used in fresh produce production. Conducted in response to discussions at the 2024 National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) fall meeting, the survey gathered feedback from fresh produce growers from across the nation and organic seed manufacturers.

“The survey’s findings highlight the barriers, research needs, and policy priorities shaping the future of organic seed availability,” said Sara L. Neagu-Reed, IFPA’s director of production and environmental policy, in a recent press release. “We deeply appreciate the input of our members and industry partners. These survey results offer a valuable roadmap for where our collective efforts should focus — ensuring a stable, viable organic seed supply while upholding the trusted standards that consumers expect.”

Key Barriers Identified

Survey participants identified several significant obstacles limiting the growth and accessibility of organic seed:

• High barriers to entry for new seed manufacturers, including limited land access, pest management challenges, and elevated production costs.
• Geographic constraints, with few regions offering the land and climate conditions suitable for commercial organic seed production.
• Extended crop rotation requirements and increased crop-specific disease risks further limit production capacity.

Research and Policy Priorities

Stakeholders also highlighted critical areas of focus for research and policy advancement:

• A call for expanded research into organic-compliant pest and disease management tools, along with improved risk management practices.
• Strong support for maintaining current organic seed standards, with caution against abrupt changes that could disrupt market availability or increase consumer costs.
• A clear need for consistent, direct engagement with producers and manufacturers in policy discussions impacting organic seed supply.
• Continued attention to emerging genetic technologies and their potential role in organic systems, with an emphasis on inclusive, transparent dialogue.

As the organic industry works to address challenges around seed availability and production, IFPA urges regulators and policymakers to pursue incentive-based, collaborative approaches that overcome production hurdles while preserving organic market integrity.

IFPA will continue working closely with growers, seed manufacturers, and policy leaders to advocate for balanced, practical solutions that strengthen organic seed production and support the broader organic fresh produce industry. Learn more about IFPA’s organic policy.

CHICAGO & NEW YORK - Circana, LLC has announced the successful completion of its acquisition of NCSolutions (NCS), the joint venture between Nielsen and Catalina that improves advertising effectiveness. With this acquisition, Circana significantly expands its media measurement capabilities. Circana announced its intent to acquire NCS last year.

"We are thrilled to welcome the talented NCS team to Circana and meaningfully enhance our media capabilities,” said Stuart Aitken, president and chief executive officer of Circana, in the recent release. “Allocating finite marketing resources is one of the most critical and challenging decisions organizations face today – and there is no substitute for comprehensive, real-time data and actionable insights to optimize outcomes. Bringing together Circana and NCS data, technology assets, and industry-leading expertise will deliver more value for our clients as we work with them to maximize every media and marketing dollar they spend.”

Clients of both organizations will gain broader access to audience targeting, media measurement, in-flight optimization, and clean room solutions. This combination will also increase efficiency and offer improved products and services to fuel clients’ growth through more targeted and impactful advertising.

NCS will join Circana’s Media team, which works with advertisers and their agencies to plan, target, activate, measure, and optimize media spend. Its solutions portfolio is built on a robust enterprise technology platform, actionable CPG and general merchandise shopper, sales, and causal data sets, and advanced analytics. The Circana Media team is led by Cara Pratt, president of Global Retail & Media for Circana.

“NCS has built a stellar reputation in advertising effectiveness,” said Aitken. “We are excited to work alongside their team to bring even better services and solutions to our clients and help them unlock new growth.”

Circana continues to work towards closing its previously announced acquisition of Nielsen’s Marketing Mix Modeling business.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative complaint against International Fresh Produce LLC for alleged violations of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). The company, operating from Texas, allegedly failed to make payment promptly to 12 produce sellers in the amount of $161,510 from Jan. 2024 through Sept. 2024.

International Fresh Produce LLC will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry as a licensee for three years, or two years with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond. Further, its principals could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for two years, or one year with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

For more information, contact the Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873 or [email protected].

LA CAÑADA, CA - The Allen Lund Company is pleased to announce Scott Wood's promotion to IT Systems Manager of the IT department.

Scott's responsibilities will revolve around ensuring the secure and effective operation of ALC's computer systems infrastructure and related applications. He will report to Keith Curtis, Senior Director of IT Systems.

Chetan Tandon, Chief Information Officer, stated in the release, "Over the past three years, Scott has continued to impress me with his ability to learn new technologies and solve complex systems-related issues. As we threw new challenges at him, like Oracle Cloud and Microsoft Azure, he became an expert in these technologies. I want to congratulate Scott on this well-deserved promotion, as he is a huge asset to our team and organization."

Keith Curtis remarked, "We're thrilled to congratulate Scott on his well-deserved promotion to IT Systems Manager. His leadership, technical expertise, and ability to communicate concisely have been instrumental in driving our systems team forward. Scott continually impresses me in every interaction I have with him. We're excited to see Scott continue to lead and innovate in this new role, and we look forward to all the great things ahead."

Regarding his promotion, Scott said, "I'm truly honored to be promoted to the role of manager of the IT Systems team and appreciate the confidence placed in me. This new opportunity means a great deal, and I'm excited to take on the challenge. I look forward to supporting our team’s success."

NOGALES, AZ - The Mexico season has been winding down for Divine Flavor. As the supplier continues to provide excellent quality and variety, I got in touch with Alán Aguirre Camou, Chief Marketing Officer, and Michael DuPuis, Quality Assurance and Public Relations Manager, to discuss how supplies have fared.

“In Mexico, our tomato program is wrapping up. Supplies of hothouse tomatoes—Roma, Beefsteaks, and vine-ripened—as well as the Magnifico tomato out of Sinaloa and Sonora, are winding down,” Alán began telling me. “Both the organic slicer cucumber and the Long English cucumber ended earlier in Sinaloa this season. Bell peppers and mini peppers from Sinaloa ended a while ago as well. Besides that, regular seedless watermelon, mini watermelon, cantaloupe, and Hami melons are wrapping up at the end of May.”

Last year, with a hurricane that played a large part in the Mexico season, Divine Flavor faced some challenges, as many others did. Alán explained that this delayed some crops in Sinaloa, but Divine Flavor was well positioned to mitigate any shortages.

“We know how to adapt for our retailers despite the weather conditions, because it's part of progress at the end of the day—to try to find solutions ahead and assure supply, especially for our clients,” he added.

Michael echoed that sentiment.

“The growers we work with in Sinaloa are very experienced growers who have been producing for more than 30 years,” he stated. “Although there was bad weather, these guys responded very well. They know how to pivot. That's what the good growers know how to do—navigate through tough situations and get back onto a commercial scale as far as producing at good volumes to fulfill programs, but also meet the quality we need for our retail programs.”

As we move into the next season for Divine Flavor, I asked which regions the supplier’s operations will be focused on in the coming months.

“A couple of years ago, we finally connected western Mexico with central Mexico. West Mexico is more in charge of the winter veg, and central Mexico is helping us have that year-round hothouse offering opportunity, and also equality with the states of Guanajuato in central Mexico,” Alán noted. “Also in Jalisco, there is now way more volume than we had previously, thanks to the Queretaro and Guanajuato growers in central Mexico.”

Michael continued, stating, “It's a tremendous opportunity for us to have more expansion into central Mexico. As the years have gone by, seasonal produce in Mexico is kind of going away. Mexico is now truly a year-round operation as far as supplies go. We're excited because it will complement our programs to carry on beyond West Mexico and be a great bridge to connect the West Mexico season once it starts back up again in November and December.”

Looking toward next season, Alán has some predictions in terms of quality.

“One of our consistently high-quality items is our mixed bell peppers, either in three count or six count. The consumer loves these offerings because they apply to their daily kitchens,” he points out. “I already mentioned the snacking Magnifico tomato, but I will also note that the Long English cucumber and the Persian cucumber have been consistent items that North America loves in their daily kitchen.”

On a final note, Michael stated that quality and flavor are the DNA and backbone of Divine Flavor.

“We're continuously investing in those areas and trying to get really organized,” he said. “When it comes to forecasting projections, we're investing in our quality control teams that are working with growers to make sure we are forecasting correctly and using technology and AI to help better plan to fulfill our contracts. Alán is working very hard on standardizing quality and packing manuals to make sure the best product is being grown on our farms and delivered to our customers at the end of the day.”

In our next article, Alán, Michael, and I will discuss Divine Flavor’s Better Grower Program, so stay tuned.