POMPANO BEACH, FL - For the second year running, Kingston Cross Dock and Cold Storage (KCDS) has received a perfect score on its recent Primus GFSI Food Safety audit. According to a press release, the purpose of the audit is to test the facility's ability to adhere to the strict protocols of modern food safety principles, including both physical upgrades as well as the procedural adherence necessary for proper food safety guidelines.

“We take Food Safety very serious and are extremely proud of this accomplishment,” said Brian Osborne, General Manager of KCDS. “Achieving a perfect Primus score of 100 is big goal for our team and we are proud to have reached this important milestone at KCDS for the second year in a row. Our results are a testament to our entire team’s commitment to reinforce the procedures necessary to supply our customers with dependable and trust-worthy service. We want customers to trust that their programs are handled with complete integrity and care.”

“Our cold storage facility offers importers, marketers and distributors many advantages that include forced air pre-cooling, a 28-door truck loading dock, six individual temperature-controlled rooms, and close proximity to the Pompano State Farmers Market as well as the U.S.D.A. inspection office,” he continued. “Also, with such quick access to the I-95 corridor, KCDS makes it easy for trucks to get in and out of the state quickly.”

“I congratulate Brian and the entire KCDS team in attaining this top score as we know from our experience how hard this is to achieve,” added David O. Kingston, CEO of Kingston Companies. “I am also excited for the new season and the steady increase of imports into the United States."

According to a press release, some of the standards against which KCDS was measured against included:

• Proper maintenance of temperatures per commodity
• Cleanliness
• Safety documentation
• Proper handling of pest control
• Chemical storage
• Labeling procedures

Congratulations on this impressive achievement, Kingston!

Kingston Cross Dock and Cold Storage

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Procacci Brothers is introducing new Sesame Street-themed packaging for its Santa Sweets® authentic grape tomatoes. This marks the company’s first contribution to the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and Sesame Workshop’s nationwide eat brighter!™ initiative.

“Our Santa Sweets® grape tomatoes are a perfect fit for this fantastic initiative,” said Rick Feighery, Vice President of Sales. “And the brilliant red color of our tomatoes parallels Elmo’s bright personality and appearance seamlessly.”

Frank Paone, Director of Marketing, says that this campaign is one of the most exciting marketing opportunities that Procacci Brothers and Santa Sweets® has encountered since introducing grape tomatoes to the mass U.S. market in the late 1990s, according to a press release. He believes the eat brighter!™ program can help get more healthy snacks like grape tomatoes onto children’s plates and into more lunchboxes.

“When we joined the program, our team saw it as a natural fit to put a Sesame Street character on our own existing label near Tom, Matt & Otto, our longtime Santa Sweets® mascots,” said Paone. “We love the ability to promote the characters to children as we’ve seen proven success around the industry with it.”

The ‘eat brighter!’ labels are available to ship to customers immediately.

It will be exciting to see what impact this new packaging will have on the tomato category. Great job, Procacci!

Procacci Brothers

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, MA – Ocean Spray® is kicking off its next generation of cranberry products with PACt™ cranberry extract water.

“With the launch of PACt™ cranberry extract water, we’ve created an even better water that harnesses the unique power of the cranberry through a breakthrough cranberry extract innovation, 10 years in the making. PACt™ water contains the cleansing and purifying benefits of the cranberry without all the sugar and calories,” said Ken Romanzi, Chief Operation Officer of Global Brands at Ocean Spray.

According to a press release, PACt™ cranberry extract water contains 80 milligrams of PACs, or proanthocyanidins, in every 16-ounce, single serve bottle.  The release goes on to say that PACs are natural elements found in cranberries that contain unique A-type PACs, which help to cleanse and purify the body by allowing certain harmful bacteria to be flushed away naturally.

“We found a way to concentrate the unique health-promoting elements found deep inside the cranberry through the development of a cranberry extract made with a patented process,” said Christina Khoo, PhD, Director of Research Sciences, Ocean Spray.

This new product is made with seven ingredients: purified water, 80 milligrams of unique cranberry PACs, agave nectar, stevia, monkfruit extract, natural fruit flavors and sea salt.  It contains 10 calories per serving.

PACt™ cranberry extract water is available in California, Nevada and online currently and will be available nationwide starting in 2015.  It comes in four flavors: Cranberry Pomegranate, Cranberry Raspberry, Cranberry Blood Orange and Cranberry Mango-Passion Fruit.

Ocean Spray®

LAS VEGAS, NV – Fresh & Easy is introducing a new store concept on a trial basis in many of its Las Vegas-based store locations. Under the name Smarter Market, these refurbished stores will feature a variety of new features, including:

• A new “Fresh to Go” hot food bar.
• A new, more open and modern atmosphere and layout.
• A greater selection of fresh foods and updated product mix with lower fixtures.

To see the transformation for yourself, don't miss this cool time-lapse video from Fresh & Easy. At only 46 seconds long, it's a must-see:

“We’ve evolved Fresh & Easy by constantly innovating to improve our stores and our products,” said Mike Evans, Fresh & Easy Vice President of Marketing. “The company has been reinvigorated and we are now using Las Vegas as a test market to implement even more new ideas and concepts. As with all the changes we have made, we are going to constantly evaluate and fine-tune our ideas to bring our customers something exciting and new.”

In addition to its expansion of its fresh product selection, Fresh & Easy will be rewarding customers with a new hot food bar featuring fresh, made-to-order food such as sandwiches, fire over pizzas and hot soups. According to a press release, other new store features will include:

• A coffee, espresso & tea bar
• A smoothie machine
• A self-serve beverage bar, featuring freshly pressed orange juice, draft soda, Kombucha
• A homeopathic & natural-remedies section with a health kiosk
• A natural baby section

Smarter Market was first launched two weeks ago in Las Vegas at Desert Inn & Fort Apache. Seven additional stores are set to open on Friday, December 5th, and Saturday, December 6th, at:

• Tropicana Ave & Nellis Blvd (Friday)
• Eastern Ave & Wigwam Pkwy (Friday)
• Nellis & Desert Inn (Friday)
• Sunset & Arroyo Grande (Friday)
• Ann & Centennial Center (Saturday)
• Cactus & Decatur (Saturday)
• Boulder & Racetrack (Saturday)

It will be fascinating to track the progress of this exciting new retail concept. Great work, Fresh & Easy!

Fresh & Easy

NYSSA, OR - Owyhee Produce is introducing a new onion packaging design, dubbed “The Sleeve Pack,” to prevent the mess caused by flaky onion skin on retail displays.  

Instead of loosely containing the onions, The Sleeve Pack’s mesh design hugs the onions in a side-by-side display that minimizes movement and maximizes cleanliness and organization, according to a press release. The Sleeve Pack is intended to make displaying onions easier with its stackability and its assurance of consistency – offering 2 lbs. of onions all the same size.

“The Sleeve Pack is innovative, it looks great, and I anticipate it driving sales,” said Shay Myers, General Manager of Owyhee Produce. “But the bottom line for me is to get the absolute best product out to my customers. I want to give them an added value to their products they sell to their customers so that they can stand out.”

For a more in-depth look at The Sleeve Pack, check out the video below:

Consumers also reap the benefits from this new packaging. The Sleeve Pack adds the ability to knot the bag for later use for easier storage and cleanliness.

The Sleeve Pack is available now from Owhyee Produce in a 21/2 lb. carton.

Owyhee Produce

VERO BEACH, FL – In the above video, Kim Flores, Director of Marketing for Seald Sweet, discusses the company’s Growing Forward & Giving Back initiative.  In terms of Growing Forward, Seald Sweet is responding to consumer needs, following trends in the U.S. market, meeting the core competencies within its group of companies with commodities like pears and grapes as well as making investments in those categories. 

One of the key components of Growing Forward is the launch of Seald Sweet’s new brand of sweet varieties of mandarins, Mandarina’s™.  This new brand has been marketed and branded to appeal to kids with high graphic and colorful packaging to help increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables among children.  For Giving Back, the company has also been able to tie this new brand in with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to give back to a good cause.

Seald Sweet

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - As more and more attention is focused on the complexities of the supply chain, C.H. Robinson is continuing its efforts to innovate and inform with a recently published white paper on the movement of perishable categories. “Maintain the Cold Chain: Six Supply Chain Best Practices for Temperature Sensitive Freight” provides vital insights for dealing with the inherent and intricate sensitivities in transporting perishable goods with an emphasis on fresh produce.

Enter Luke Gowdy, General Manager at C.H. Robinson. Luke took a few minutes to speak with me and elaborate on the company’s latest white paper, and what C.H. Robinson is doing to keep the cold chain top-of-mind.

“We are always assessing our capabilities and impact on what occurs within the supply chain, this project became a component in our efforts to keep the industry informed,” Luke tells me. “When we look at the industry as a whole and the sensitivity of transportation markets in general, we realized that we needed to address those opportunities given the risk factors in transporting fresh produce.”

C.H. Robinson is also continuing to address its own transportation dynamics, with technological advances like its Navisphere® platform. The Navisphere® platform allows users to access critical shipment information from their computers or with Apple or Android™ mobile devices. Essentially, the platform allows customers to leverage C.H. Robinson's technology investments and gain access to a centralized network of more than 100,000 supply chain partners, without the need to integrate with each provider individually.

The main issues discussed in C.H. Robinson’s latest project, cover:

• Securing the right expertise
• Balancing cost and technology
• Determining capacity requirements
• Setting clear expectations early in the process
• Sharing responsibility when loading and unloading
• Establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Achieving long-term temperature controlled success

To see the full white paper, please click here.

When I asked Luke if he can elaborate on just how sensitive the supply chain is, he tells me, “First and foremost, transporting temperature sensitive cargo is high risk – It comes down to assessing where those risks lie and preparing for the possible outcomes. There are different levels of sophistication in managing the supply chain, so across the board it is incredibly important for us to get information about transportation markets and specifically about refrigerated equipment out to the public,” Luke notes. “This information helps us when communicating the many different transportation value propositions that C.H. Robinson offers, while also helping industry members enhance their relationships with other carriers or third- party logistics organizations.”

“Collaborative relationships are essential when maintaining the supply chain. Loading and unloading of perishable goods can be the most critical point in a temperature controlled supply chain. Transferring product from one set of hands to the other adds a host of risk factors to the process,” Luke notes.

Moving forward, C.H. Robinson is continuing to focus on its own collaborative relationships to improve the company’s own handle on supply chain efficiencies.

“We want to know all the possible dynamics that can factor into our customers’ supply chain from cost, to transit time, service level expectations, traceability, and impact to key stakeholders through the transportation process. Like I have emphasized before, communication is key in order to mitigate risks. The most productive relationships are those in which all parties are willing to roll up their sleeves and get into the details of creating true supply chain solutions,” Luke says.

C.H. Robinson is continuing to be an industry leader by proactively addressing not only domestic supply chain challenges, but also by expanding its international reputation as a leading 3PL provider.

Congratulations C.H. Robinson on this latest initiative as well as what’s to come.

C.H. Robinson

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – An increase in meals from home is one of the single biggest changes in eating patterns in Americans in the last five years, according to the NPD Group’s newly released 29^th annual Eating Patterns in America report.

“We are eating more meals in our homes, but not cooking more dishes,” says Harry Balzar, VP of The NPD Group and author of the report.  This is apparent in the fresh potato category.  Data from Nielsen FreshFacts® reveals that the white-hot microwaveable/steamable segment has seen dollar sales increasing 31% for the latest 52 week period ending on September 27 of this year.

Fresh Solutions Network is positioned to take advantage of these trends with Side Delight® Steamables™, which are triple washed, fresh, whole, small potatoes in a microwave safe package that is ready to serve in 8 minutes.  According to a press release, these are the only microwave-ready potato brand that uses light-blocker packaging technology to keep potatoes fresher and protect from greening due to harsh lighting.

“Retailers have a tremendous opportunity with offering their shoppers more quick and convenient ways to enjoy fresh potatoes” said Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network.  “Side Delights Steamables gives them a complete lineup of gourmet potatoes that appeal to time-starved families as well as Millennial shoppers, all packaged using the latest technology to protect their premium quality.”

The Side Delights Steamables come in 7 potato varieties: Russet, Red, Golden, White, Sweet Potatoes, Purples and Fingerlings.  The Fingerlings and Sweet Potatoes bring together these rapidly growing specialty potato types with the convenience of microwave cooking.  The company believes that these offerings are positioned for the busy customer of today.

It is definitely great to see this increase of Americans who are cooking at home and eating more fresh produce. This is an encouraging trend for the industry.

Fresh Solutions Network

CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger published its Q3 2014 financial report on December 4th, 2014, blowing investors away with a 21% profit increase. Wall Street reacted warmly to this news, driving Kroger's stock up nearly 3% to $60.18/share within the first five minutes of the morning's trading, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier.

"Our associates continue to execute our Customer 1st strategy, which is building loyalty beyond the weekly ad and showing yet again that focusing on our customers creates value for our shareholders," said Rodney McMullen, CEO. "Our financial results were driven by strong sales and core business performance, and helped by higher fuel margins in the third quarter."

Some key highlights from Kroger's financial report include:

• Q3 2014 marks the 44th consecutive quarter of positive identical supermarket sales growth, excluding fuel.
• A 5.6% increase in identical supermarket sales growth.
• A 11.2% increase in total sales to $25.0 billion, compared to $22.5 billion from the same period from last year. This beat the expectations of analysts who had only anticipated sales of $24.8 billion, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier.
• A 13.7% increase in total sales, excluding fuel.
• Net earnings of $326 million ($345 million excluding related tax items), compared to $299 million from the same period from last year.
• Net earnings per diluted share of $0.73 (excluding benefits from related tax items this figure was $0.69). Analysts had only expected earnings per share performance of $0.61/share.
• FIFO gross margin of 21.24% of sales for Q3, a 2 basis point decrease from the same period from last year after excluding retail fuel operations.

Looking forward, Kroger has updated its adjusted net earnings per diluted share guidance for fiscal 2014 to $3.32 to $3.36. According to a press release, this was previously $3.22 to $3.28 per diluted share. During this same period, Kroger expects identical supermarket sales growth, excluding fuel, to be 4.0% to 5.0%.

"Kroger continues to deliver consistently remarkable results. We expect to exceed our long-term earnings per share growth rate for fiscal 2014," McMullen shared. "Our associates shine brightest during the holiday season and we intend to continue our positive momentum through the fourth quarter."

Moving into fiscal 2015, Kroger posted long-term net earnings per diluted share growth rate guidance of 8-11%, including a growing dividend.

Congratulations on this very impressive financial report, Kroger!

Kroger

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United Fresh Produce Association has released the Q3 2014 edition of the FreshFacts® on Retail report, which examines overall retail trends in produce.

According to a press release, the report shows that fruit and vegetable volume remained steady compared to the pervious year during this quarter. It also shows that dollar sales increased slightly due to a small increase in average retail price.

Highlights from the Q3 report include:

• Cherries posted the highest growth in the fruit category, with dollar sales increasing 16.9% and volume increasing 36.7%
• Packaged salad posted the highest growth in the vegetable category, with increased dollar sales 9.1% and volume increasing 6.8%
• Value-added fruits posted average weekly dollar and volume sales growth of 10.5% and 3.1% respectively
• Average weekly dollar and volume sales for snacking vegetables both increased by double digits compared to Q3 2013
• Shoppers continued to seek out organic produce, resulting in significant dollar and volume sales increases for organic fruits and vegetables

The FreshFacts® on Retail report was produced in partnership with the Nielsen Perishables Group and is sponsored by Del Monte Fresh Produce.  It measures retail price and sales trends for the top 10 fruits and vegetable commodities, along with value-added, organic and other produce category.

The report also features a spotlight on consumer demand of value-added convenience produce items.  For more information on how to download the full report, click here.

United Fresh Produce Association