LAHORE, PAKISTAN – Pakistan’s Airports Security Force (ASF) and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) soured one man’s plans to transport 2.5 kilograms of heroin into the Middle East, hidden inside of oranges.

The drugs were seized at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport in route to Qatar, where officers prevented Saragodha native Naeem Masih from boarding his flight Saturday, February 11.

After a thorough inspection, the oranges Masih were carrying were revealed to be, in fact, capsules of heroin wrapped in orange peels, according to news source Pakistan Today. The seedy mock-citrus was seized and Masih was taken into custody to be interrogated.

According to Pakistan’s Daily Times, the recovered drugs were valued at Rs25 million, nearly $24,000.

Masih’s flight, Qatar Airways flight QR-621, was scheduled to arrive at Jeddah via Doha in Qatar, but Dunya News reports that the drugs may have been headed for Saudi Arabia.

No news has been forthcoming regarding whether the attempted smuggling was an isolated incident or part of a broader criminal conspiracy.

Where will nefarious types next use fresh produce to pirate their wares? AndNowUKnow will keep you in the loop.

BERLIN, GERMANY – With our industry friends having closed out Fruit Logistica across the pond, reports are already rolling into those of us that were state-side of the connections made, and opportunities experienced.

One of the noted events held within the larger exposition was United Fresh’s Global Reception. As Jeff Oberman, Vice President of Trade Relations for United Fresh, took the time to share with me, the gathering was ripe with global good cheer and ideal networking instances.

“In the midst of this international gathering, attendees of the United Fresh Global Reception enjoyed catching up with old friends and business associates,” Jeff tells me. “Throughout the show, our staff team enjoyed fostering new partnerships and solutions between our member companies in attendance.”

Over 150 United Fresh members gathered for the annual reception, providing a relaxing break at the end of the day for members from around global supply chain to mingle and meet.

“The United Fresh booth, member hotel block, and reception provide value to our members in North America a ‘home away from home,’ when attending Fruit Logistica,” Jeff added.

John Toner, Vice President, Convention and Industry Collaboration shared that he received tremendous feedback in Berlin from attendees who were “looking ahead to United Fresh 2017 in Chicago this summer from June 13-15 for its own exciting offerings. Attendees and exhibitors can look forward to the new FreshMKT, FreshTEC, Global Cold Chain, and International Floriculture Expositions,” John said.

Learn more about the United Fresh Expo here.

Want more on the latest industry events and happenings? Keep up with AndNowUKnow.

United Fresh

ROCHESTER, NY – Owing to their exceptional standing, the 2017 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient® (RQ) study has ranked Amazon, Wegmans Food Markets, and Publix Super Markets as the top names in corporate reputation among the county's 100 most visible companies.

From the 100 most prominent companies selected, over 20,000 participants were asked to rate companies’ reputations on 20 attributes and six key dimensions: social responsibility, emotional appeal, products and services, vision and leadership, financial performance, and workplace environment.

Wegmans, the family-owned supermarket chain, was ranked by reputation alongside 99 other companies. The company landed squarely between Amazon at number one, and edged out Publix in third. Other grocers like Costco, Kroger, and Whole Foods cracked the top 35.

“This only happens because our 47,000 employees are committed to helping our customers and giving their best every day,” said President Colleen Wegman, according to a press release. “We are so proud and grateful to our people for earning our customers’ trust.”

Companies received a range of scores from excellent to critical. Amazon, Wegmans, Publix, and 14 other companies received excellent scores; conversely, 12 companies received critical to poor scores.

The study was conducted from November 29 to December 16, 2016, preceded by a preliminary nominating process in which participants were asked, unaided, to name companies that stand out in terms of visibility and corporate reputation.

“The way we treat one another matters,” noted Wegman. “There are five values that guide us: caring, high standards, make a difference, respect, empowerment.”

For more on exceptional grocery retailers, check back in with AndNowUKnow.

Amazon Wegmans Publix

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - With 2017 having arrived in full force, many retailers are using the new year to take a closer look at their bottom lines. One way the buying community may be able to cut costs, Jeff Helseth, Twist-Ease’s Head of Field Operations tells me, is surprisingly to invest in twist ties. So, how can the oft forgotten about twist ties you may be used to seeing around the produce department actually help increase ring at the register?

“What retailers may be surprised to learn, is that the Twist-Ease program is actually more cost-effective compared to offering no twist ties at all,” Jeff explains to me. “Just a few of the benefits our customers have seen have been preventing product from spilling out of carts, discouraging customer sampling while walking the store, eliminating cross contamination by sealing the bag, as well as helping to prevent scale inaccuracies at checkout.”

Jeff notes that Twist-Ease’s unique designs, in which customers pluck ties from a pack suspended in a dispenser rather than out of a cup, requires less refilling, prevents twist ties from being scattered onto the produce, and discourages customers from depositing gum or trash into twist tie cups. The company’s line of dispensers are also universally adaptable, and can be mounted to any bag stand or store fixture. The system is completely customizable—allowing retailers to choose specific tie colors and logos for dispensers, and even allowing for repeated messages to be printed onto ties.

And with its newest product line, Click-N-Go, set to debut in 2017, installing or replacing damaged, dirty, or outdated dispensers more convenient than ever.

“Our new ‘Click-N-Go’ system is a solution to our dispensers getting dirty or broken while they are in the store,” Jeff tells me. “Stores will have a metal mounting apparatus affixed at the store and will receive the twist-ties already glued into a plastic disposable dispenser. The store can then simply 'Click' the plastic dispensers onto the metal mounting bracket, and when the ties are used up, they can remove the empty dispenser and replace it with a new one.”

Twist-Ease’s Click-N-Go system will stock twice as many ties as the company’s current offerings—2,400 ties per pack. In a typical cup system, the ties only measure up to around 300-400.

Easily replaceable, the plastic dispensers will allow users more customizability. Retailers will be able to print seasonal promotions, anniversaries, initiatives, and other time-sensitive materials onto dispensers without the risk of becoming outdated.

Jeff shares that the flag tie portion of its business will be another priority for 2017. Available in four and six inch sizes, Twist-Ease flag ties have a large flag on one end, allowing customers to note product numbers on each tie. 

To learn even more about all of Twist-Ease's products and services, check out www.twistease.com.

Twist-Ease

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