by Kevin Payne | Mar 5, 2019 | Food Waste
How do we go about reducing fresh food waste in the supply chain? The size and scale of the fresh food waste problem is frankly astonishing. According to the National Resources Defense Council, America wastes up to 40 percent of its food from farm to fork to landfill. In terms of specific categories, the NRDC states that retail food waste alone is: 12 percent for fresh fruits 10 percent for fresh vegetables 11 percent for dairy 8 percent for fish and seafood 7 percent for eggs 4 percent each for meat and poultry That’s how much our...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Feb 26, 2019 | Industry News and Events
United Fresh, one of the major produce industry trade groups, held their annual BrandStorm produce marketing conference last week in San Francisco. Several hundred marketing staff from produce growers and suppliers – as well as service providers like Zest Labs – turned out for an opportunity to hear from experts from the produce and other industries to discuss trends and issues – and generate ideas. Produce Marketing: Improving Your Strategy Tamsen Webster’s keynote led off the BrandStorm produce marketing conference. She instructed...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Feb 19, 2019 | Operational Efficiency
How can AgTech innovation help address the top 10 food grower and supplier challenges and improve operational efficiency? Jim Bogart, President of the Grower Shipper Association of Central California, was part of a presentation hosted by Dennis Donohue at the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Salinas earlier this month. Bogart surveys his membership each year to build the Top 10 Challenges list for food grower and suppliers. Here’s what his members (which includes growers and suppliers in Monterey, Santa...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Feb 12, 2019 | Digital Transformation
Can IoT sensors reduce food waste? According to a recent article in Supply Chain Dive, sensor technology can reduce food waste by seven percent. The article references a new study published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in conjunction with McKinsey and Company. The Supply Chain Dive article states (and I quote directly from the article): The inefficient supply chain is one of the main reasons for food waste. Almost one-third of global food production ends up wasted, according to WEF. These loses then lead to added procurement...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Feb 5, 2019 | Retail Grocery
Online grocery shopping is supposed to be the future of how we buy food. But, are we there yet? Are we ready to give up brick-and-mortar stores and rely on someone else to select our fresh and perishable foods? A recent survey published in Supermarket News says, despite many online grocery shopping options, consumers still overwhelmingly prefer shopping for food in grocery stores instead of online. Why? According to the survey done by Vixxo, 87 percent of shoppers still prefer to visit brick-and-mortar stores for primarily two...Continue Reading...