PHOENIX, AZ - Developing its strategy on the sustainability front—one of the hottest discussions in retail today—Sprouts Farmers Market published its 2023 Impact Report. This report takes a deep dive into how the retailer curates healthy products and works toward a healthier planet.

“Our company purpose to help people live and eat better is brought to life by our 32,000 team members every day,” said Brandon Lombardi, Chief Sustainability Officer. “I’m honored to share some of the ways our teams across the business cared for one another, our communities, and the planet in 2023.“

Highlights from the report were broken down into four categories: Impactful Products, Thriving Planet, Purposeful People, and Healthy Communities. We’ll go through the ones that stood out most to us.

Under Impactful Products, the retailer noted that part of its success stems from fresh produce. In fact, as a press release explained, 19 percent of total sales come from healthy fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the retailer reported $225 million in local produce sales from a network of 170 farmers.

Under Thriving Planet, the company reported a 25 percent per square foot carbon emissions intensity reduction target in its operations by 2033, signaling an overarching company strategy.

The retailer also keeps growing its network of associates, reporting 21 percent of its team members were promoted and 3,000 new jobs were created.

To see more highlights, click here.

AndNowUKnow will continue to cover the latest in retail news.

SANTA MARIA, CA - Key advancements in strawberry production were recently uncovered as the California Strawberry Commission (CSC) hosted its Production Research meeting in Santa Maria early this month. As more than 80 industry members gathered at the event, the organization dove into a broad range of topics such as strawberry disease diagnostics, disease-resistant cultivars, integrated pest management, weed science, and production automation.

“Through partnerships with the Cal Poly Strawberry Center and the University of California, Davis, the CSC's research and automation program is putting industry assessment dollars to work to generate knowledge and create solutions and products the industry needs to address both short- and long-term issues,” said Bill Turechek, Vice President of Research, CSC. "We're striving to provide resources to manage soilborne diseases, continuing to innovate in the area of integrated pest management and water conservation, and bring new disease- and insect-resistant cultivars to our growers to assure an economically and environmentally sustainable California strawberry industry.”

According to a press release, Turechek welcomed growers, pest control advisors (PCAs), industry representatives, and agricultural researchers with an update on the current state of the California strawberry industry—which produces 90 percent of strawberries grown in the United States.

Nearly 220 million trays were harvested in 2023, making strawberries the fourth most valuable California crop, the release explained.

In addition to regulatory updates from the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner, Jose Chang, the meeting also addressed:

• An update on strawberry disease diagnostics from the Cal Poly Strawberry Center 
  Strategies to optimize irrigation management
• Progress toward the development of disease-resistant cultivars from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis)
• Background and strategies for combating pests like Lygus and Spotted Wing Drosophila
• Industry automation program updates, including the strawberry decapper, lygus bug vac, UVC application for powdery mildew and two-spotted spider mite management, and the hoop house arch remover

Turechek also shared updates on the current research underway in pathology and entomology and the top research priorities for 2025.

ANUK will continue to showcase the industry’s progress in farming and innovation, so stay tuned.