OROVILLE, CA – As parched California celebrates it wettest winter in years, the state’s reservoir structures are now being put to the test with the sudden onslaught of extra precipitation. Authorities are releasing mass amounts of water from the Oroville Dam in order to relieve pressure from an overflowing and damaged emergency spillway, preventing further damage to the structure, and a potential overflow that could threaten the areas below Lake Oroville.

The Oroville Dam protects the state’s second-largest reservoir, and is also the country’s tallest dam. Due to heavy amounts of rain and snow in the region, coupled with water accumulated from the Sierra Nevada mountain range, has seen the lake fuller than it has been in years and in need of its spillways. However, both spillways are currently damaged.

Authorities issued evacuation orders for up to 188,000 people in three counties, after realizing the damage to the emergency spillway that was in use. As the spillway overflowed with water on Sunday, authorities released around 100,000-cubic-feet per second from the main spillway in order to reduce the water flowing down the emergency. Authorities noted that normal flows down that spillway are generally around 55,000-cubic-feet per second.

"We want to drop that water level before the next storm hits Wednesday," the DWR's Carlson told CNN. "It's supposed to be a colder storm, which is good. Last week the rain storm was warmer. So we had both the rain runoff and the warmer rain melting the snow and that snow melt also flowed into the lake." 

The Oroville Dam has two spillways to assist in flood control for the region, allowing authorities to release water out of the lake to prevent overflow. The main spillway currently hosts a large and deep hole in part of its channel. The emergency, once brought into use, also began to erode under the pressure of the water. 

CNN reported that annual rainfall in Oroville is around 31 inches, but as of this weekend, Lake Oroville has already seen 25 inches of rain with another week’s worth of wet weather predicted to begin on Wednesday. 

"So the lake rose 50 feet in just a few days," said Dan Brekke of radio station KQED, according to NPR, "and got up to this emergency spillway which had never been used since the dam went into service in 1968. And on Saturday morning, it began pouring over there."

As of last evening, officials reported that the amount of water coming down the emergency spillway had significantly lessened after releasing pressure down the main. Authorities are using this brief respite in California rain to attempt to drop the Lake’s water level, and attempt to increase the integrity of the spillways’ structures.

What will the next few days bring for the Oroville Dam and its spillways, and will more massive amounts of needed water need to be released from the strucuture? AndNowUKnow will report as the new unfolds.

BERLIN, GERMANY - As attendees have descend upon the final day of the Fruit Logistica exhibition, Bayer is continuing its three day focus of showcasing fresh produce innovations, including hydroponic lettuce, colored carrots, and a new snack vegetable label. Beyond its produce-specific introductions, Bayer is highlighting its wide array of Food Chain Partnership activities and new collaborations.

Each year, Bayer’s Vegetable Seeds team of Bayer uses Fruit Logistica to launch some of its most exiting fresh produce innovations. For instance, Bayer has extended its focus on the massively growing trend of hydroponic lettuce for 2017, spotlighting a few of the growing methods benefits:  

• Producing in a greenhouse means that growers are not dependent on the weather—growers get results sooner and can harvest more often
• Hydroponic lettuce is easier to handle because they do not have to wash the crop intensively
• Consumers can buy a sustainably produced product that requires fewer crop protection products during the growing stage

According to a press release, Bayer is also presenting a new colored snack carrot design based on different Nunhems™ Imperator varieties that contains four different colors. Each variety is equipped with its own taste and health components, as well as a unique disease resistance. Bayer reported that, compared to traditional carrots, they are crispier, sweeter, and have a more attractive color.  

Finally, the company is continuing to showcase its recently launched Minigustos™ snacking veggie label, which we announced earlier this month.

Beyond its direct produce innovations, Bayer is also focusing on its Food Chain Partnership initiative—based on delivering tailored integrated solutions that address the individual local challenges of growers and the supply chain.

"We don’t have ready-made solutions," explained Ronald Guendel, Global Head of Food Chain Relations at the Crop Science division of Bayer. "In all our projects, we check out the situation on site, talk to our partners to find out which needs they really have. With this understanding we then develop individual action plans and provide growers with the tools to meet those needs." 

The company said the initiative has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, and currently consists of about 70 Food Chain Managers from Bayer, who are active in 30 countries around the world, and focus on more than 50 different crops.  

The Food Chain Relations team is highlighting five interesting new collaborations at its Fruit Logistica booth, including: 

• A partnership with the Dutch trading organization Cefetra that is seeking to raise soybean production standards and encourage sustainable growing practices
• A Brazilian project that features responsible production and certification of potatoes
• A new collaboration from the Ivory Coast looks at the implementation of integrated pest management, training for growers and certification in cocoa production
• A vegetable project in the Dominican Republic focused on significantly reducing the application of chemical crop protection products
• A Guatemalan vegetable partnership, Bayer supports to build up an organic production program

And this is not even all that Bayer has in store for attendees of Fruit Logista, so stay tuned for further updates on everything the company has in the works for 2017.

Bayer

LOS ANGELES, CA - As we settle into 2017, forgetting only occasionally what year to sign as the date, produce-fueled Juiceology has announced a focus on a stronger brand with the announcement of new packaging.

“We noticed that no one offers a juice with fiber so we decided to take on the challenge–why not get your daily intake of fiber in a healthy, tasty, and convenient way?” said CEO Felipe d’Avila of the company’s products, commenting in a press release that although the previous packaging was appealing, it is time for the company to set itself apart.

Juiceology’s “live on the bright side” slogan will be clearly displayed on the front of the new labels, showing information about what exactly is inside each bottle.

Founded in 2010 in Southern California, the dynamic beverage company is family-owned and funded and has since spread from the West Coast to span across the U.S. Now, its six products are being sold in major stores such as Costco, Walmart, Kroger, and Safeway.

Juiceology’s newest juice is called Red Elements, combining beets, carrots, red berries, and apples, with a hint of ginger and turmeric.

The other five juice flavors include:

• Purple Potential, which includes plum, grape, blackberry, and coconut water
• Berry Benefits, with blueberry and acai
• PomBerry Bliss, with pomegranate, blueberry, and cranberry
• Radient Boost, made with peach and mango
• Green Elements

Juiceology said that it prides itself on offering a juice with micro-nutrient extracts that boost the nutritional value without boosting calories or affecting the fruit’s flavor. The fiber, made from oats and barley, delivers 30 percent of the recommended daily intake of grains. In addition, Juiceology juices are packed with prebiotics that aid in digestion.

Check out all the products in action here.

Juiceology

CANADA – A truck has been burgled in Canada, and with it, over $100,000 CAD of blueberries have disappeared. This unique theft has inspired a unique manhunt for our friends to the north, as authorities try to track down the culprits at large.

Authorities of Hamilton, Ontario, are on the lookout for the stolen cargo valued at USD $76,520. The Hamilton Police Service stated in a press release that the cargo consisted primarily of blueberries, with a small amount of other fruits. 

Who is the blueberry bandit? In all seriousness. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detectives. Read More: https://t.co/YMg2Bu9IlQ pic.twitter.com/lVsknFwCb8

— Hamilton Police (@HamiltonPolice) February 8, 2017

The theft occurred on a Sunday afternoon. The mysterious suspect co-opted a commercial refrigeration truck that was parked outside of a business, enabling the successful thievery of the goods inside. Enlisting the help of the public, Hamilton police have issued social media statements regarding the theft. 

"We're hoping to have some fun through engagement, but also for tips about what is an unusual theft," stated Const. Steve Welton, according to The Hamilton Spectator. "Maybe you notice someone is in the blueberry business who hasn't been before."

Det. George Gallant told TheStar.com that it is more than likely that the suspects have contacts in the fruit stand or restaurant spheres, as they would need to offload the perishable goods quickly. 

The commercial truck itself was already recovered in Toronto, but the blueberries and their new owners still remain at large. 

Will criminals again flounce into the world of fresh produce? AndNowUKnow will be sure to report as fruit thieves are thwarted blue-handed.

SAN ANTONIO, TX – After a buying spree last year, in which the company acquired six North Texas grocery stores, H-E-B announced this week that it has sold three of the company’s recently-acquired properties.

“The stores were never being considered for H-E-B stores,” Dya Campos, Director of Public Affairs, San Antonio/West, told the news source. “Buying and selling property is very common in our industry.”

Campos told the Express-News the company has no plans to bring H-E-B’s flagship stores to Dallas.

H-E-B purchased six Sun Fresh Market stores in August of 2016—four in Dallas, one in Grapevine, and on in McKinney—in a significant foray into the competitive Dallas market, according to local news source the San Antonio Express-News.

The company never made efforts to convert the stores into H-E-B; it purchased the six Dallas-area properties last year as a package deal with the intention of keeping two properties and potentially selling off the others.

H-E-B does operate its upscale Central Market brand in Dallas. The chain has two Central Market stores in Dallas, and others in Forth Worth, Plano, and Southlake. H-E-B also operates stores in Waxahachie, Ennis, Burleson, Cleburne, Granbury, Corsicana, and Stephenville.

What does the future hold for this competitive retail market? Check in with AndNowUKnow for updates.

H-E-B

IRWINDALE, CA - Ready Pac Foods, Inc., has appointed a new Vice President, Marketing Strategy & Operations, promoting CPG marketing pro AJ Bernstein into this lead influential role. Bernstein will now be tasked with brand strategy and operations within the Innovation Team, managing her group through consumer and business insights, consumer engagement, and new platform innovation. 

Since joining Ready Pac Foods in October 2015, as Director of Marketing, New Platforms, Bernstein has launched several successful new products, the company says. Building upon her success, she later added the additional responsibilities as Director, Marketing Strategy & Operations.

“In just one year, AJ has made a significant contribution towards the execution and performance of our upstream ideas,” shared Tristan Simpson, Chief Marketing Officer of Ready Pac Foods, upon Bernstein appointment. “It has been a personal pleasure to work with her. She does an amazing job of charting a path to places we haven’t gone before.”

Prior to her tenure with Ready Pac Foods, Bernstein spent four years at Campbell Soup Company in the C-Fresh Division as Director of Marketing. In this role, Bernstein launched Bolthouse Farms’ first-ever consumer advertising campaign, spanning multiple platforms. She was also tasked with leading strategy, launching, and executing Bolthouse Farms’ new line of organic, cold pressed juice brand, 1915.

As Ready Pac Foods makes this new move towards strengthening it’s marketing team, AndNowUKnow would love to extend a warm welcome to AJ Bernstein into her new VP position.

Ready Pac Foods

NORTHEAST U.S. – Severe storms hitting the Northeast this week are expected to affect more than 40 million people, and meteorologists are suggesting that these are only the first in what will be a tempestuous February.

USA Today reported that more than 3,000 flights have already been canceled as a result of winter storm warnings stretching from Maine to New Jersey. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for a broad swathe of the region.

By this morning, February 9th, parts of central Pennsylvania had already picked up eight inches of rain; Northern New Jersey has been hit with five inches of rain, and Albany, New York, recorded four inches of snow in one hour alone.

New York City—where more than 1,700 flights have already been canceled—has been hit particularly hard. The country has mobilized more than 2,300 salt spreaders and snowplows, but officials are still advising residents to stay in their homes.

Snow storm rapidly intensifying this morning. Snowfall rates increasing to 2-4" per hour & increasing winds will cause blowing and drifting pic.twitter.com/b9CHNUlAvR

— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) February 9, 2017

“We are currently experiencing the worst of the storm,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement reported by USA Today. “I want to emphasize to all New Yorkers, stay inside if you can. Don’t go out if you don’t have to. If you need to go out, please don’t use your car because we need to let our Sanitation Department clear the roads.”

AccuWeather is reporting that active weather patterns and dramatic swings in temperature could cause even more significant storms later this week and could result in lake-effect snow and ice blanketing the Northeast.

"How extensive and how heavy the snow and ice is later next week will depend on whether two weak storms develop or one strong storm forms," noted AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, who also stated that converging branches of the jet stream could cause a bitter cold front to hit already storm-affected regions.

Pastelok predicts winter weather to continue unabated in the Northeast until eventually warming in late April or May.

For more on the situation as it develops, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.

WATSONVILLE, CA – After its most successful year-to-date, Tour de Fresh is ramping for the 2017 season of its annual cycling event. To support its fourth year of supporting Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, the event has opened a variety of sponsorships for the upcoming ride. 

“We anticipate a bigger and better event than our record-breaking year last year and appreciate the industry’s continued support in both sponsorships and participants,” said Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing for California Giant Berry Farms. “Because of the support from events like Tour de Fresh, the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign will continue to thrive.” 

The 2017 sponsorship packages will offer fresh produce companies five months of marketing opportunities, media exposure, and customized benefits per sponsorship level. 2016’s sponsors were included in 12 press releases that were distributed to trade and consumer media audiences, garnering their brands more than 120 million impressions total. 

 

The 2017 Tour de Fresh ride route might be the best yet… what do you think? Link in bio! #cycling #cyclingforacause

A photo posted by Tour de Fresh (@tourdefresh) on Jan 11, 2017 at 7:46am PST

The three-day ride will begin July 25 in Pismo Beach and end on July 27 in Monterey, CA–in the leadup to PMA Foodservice Conference. According to a press release, the available sponsorships will provide significant opportunities and fundraising instances for brands to engage directly with the passionate cause. 

This year, the event will build on the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools program with the United Fresh Start Foundation’s salad bar campaign. Starting with this year, and moving forward into the future, this campaign together with Tour de Fresh support will ensure fresh lunch options continue to be available for future generations. 

 

Happy Thursday Tour de Fresh'ers! Today we're throwin' it back to the 2016 signature event! We loved riding 200 miles through California with this wonderful group of people. We can't wait for next year!

A photo posted by Tour de Fresh (@tourdefresh) on Nov 3, 2016 at 12:32pm PDT

Companies looking to become a sponsor for 2017 will join confirmed sponsors such as the following:

• California Giant Berry Farms
• CHEP
• C&S Wholesale Grocers
• Duda Farm Fresh Foods
• Emerson/Locus Traxx Worldwide
• Enza Zaden 
• Fresh Point
• Fresh Produce Partners 
• Fruit Growers Supply
• Interfresh
• Pajaro Valley Fresh
• Renaissance Food Group
• Sakata
• Tessemaes
• Western Precooling
• Watsonville Coast Produce 

The Tour de Fresh event will bring friends and colleagues throughout the industry together for beneficial fun before PMA Foodservice, and also help the organization raise its goal of at least $156,000 and 50+ salad bars donated throughout the U.S. The event is presented by The California Giant Foundation. 

For more information on Tour de Fresh, visit the website or contact Brock Nemecek here.

As the industry prepares for another successful Tour de Fresh year, stick with AndNowUKnow for the latest updates on the event and its sponsors.

Tour de Fresh California Giant Foundation

AUSTIN, TX - Whole Foods continues to restructure as its plans for the year further unfold. The retailer announced yesterday that while it plans to increase the number of its lower-priced 365 banner stores, it will also be closing nine of its Whole Foods stores–a first for the banner since 2008.

John Mackey, a Co-Founder and current CEO, said that Whole Foods considered rebranding some of the closing locations into 365s but that the move wasn’t a practical one, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"We cleaned up the stores we needed to clean up for the time being, and we're looking forward to moving forward," Mackey said. The executive stated in a conference call that shuttering the nine stores will help boost profits and comparable sales, and that while the retailer has also cut back on its ambitious growth plan of reaching 1,200 locations it does still have more than 80 stores in the pipeline.

On the same day the company announced it will be closing these stores, Whole Foods announced it has signed leases for new 365 stores in both Brooklyn, New York, and Oakland, California.

For those on Wall Street that desire to see Whole Foods streamline rather than pursue growth, the news was received warmly, according to the report; speculations have circled that a top investor is looking to take on the chain and calling for a number of changes in leadership and direction.

The stock reportedly gained 2 percent to $29.91 at 10:02 a.m. in New York on Thursday following the news.

The Whole Foods store in Boulder and in Colorado Springs, two stores in California, one each in Chicago, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Georgia will all close by April 9.

As this and other retailer continue to make strategic changes, AndNowUKnow will keep you up on the latest.

Whole Foods