Experience the Many Benefits of Family Meals

Experience the Many Benefits of Family Meals

September is the Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Family Meals Month™. What do you like best about family meals and what are the benefits of getting the family together around the dining room table? To answer that question, I thought I’d try to think of great examples of families that would eat dinner together and where else would you begin but to examine the dining habits of great American TV families. It’s interesting to Google “Greatest TV Families” and look at the results. I was thinking I’d get shows like “Leave It To Beaver”...Continue Reading...
Improving Operational Efficiency: TQM for the Fresh Food Supply Chain

Improving Operational Efficiency: TQM for the Fresh Food Supply Chain

When it comes to improving operational efficiency, many cite the famous quote “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” This quote is often attributed to W. Edwards Deming (pictured left), the man who revolutionized the Japanese manufacturing industry, or Peter Drucker (pictured right), considered by many as the father of modern management theory. Apparently neither of them actually said this quote or used it in the way it is generally perceived according to these sources (citation 1, citation 2, citation 3). While some will debate...Continue Reading...
The Emergence of Brand Marketing in Produce

The Emergence of Brand Marketing in Produce

Steve Lutz recently wrote an article about brand marketing for The Packer “Three Major Trends That Moved the Produce Industry.” In the article, Lutz writes that he believes, from a sales and marketing standpoint, there have been three key trends over the last 25 years: Generic commodities were replaced by new varieties, but proprietary brands will control the future. Growers have gone from being data blind to become full category partners with complete access to a suite of supermarket sales metrics. Bulk items are being...Continue Reading...
Proactive Food Safety: Moving the Industry Forward

Proactive Food Safety: Moving the Industry Forward

An almost constant spate of food recalls should require us to think about proactive food safety. According to the Food and Drug Administration, there were 1,958 food and cosmetic recalls in 2018 and already 1,163 in 2019. Since 2012, there were 18,134 recalls. (This includes recalls for contamination, foreign particles, unreported allergens and other sources.) When it comes to fresh produce, we most commonly see issues related to E. coli, salmonella and listeria. And, while we may often identify the problem, too often we can’t...Continue Reading...
How to Feed a Hungry Planet: Food for Thought

How to Feed a Hungry Planet: Food for Thought

We need to come up with new approaches to feed a hungry planet. In a recent article in NPR’s The Salt, reporter Allison Aubrey makes the case that many people in the world today are malnourished and do not get enough fruits and vegetables. And, the problem is only going to get worse. In fact, according to a study in The Lancet Planetary Health, “If everyone around the globe began to eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, there wouldn’t be enough to go around.” What Will We Do When There’s More People to Feed?...Continue Reading...
Supply Chain Waste: Can We Fix the Problem? (Yes)

Supply Chain Waste: Can We Fix the Problem? (Yes)

Supply chain waste is a major contributor to the global food waste problem. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), supply chains cause 40% of food waste in North America. Yet, unfortunately, too few people realize that problems in the fresh food supply chain contribute to the waste experienced by retailers and consumers. All too often, the blame for the waste is placed on people that really can’t do much to prevent it. The USA is the Leader in Waste According to a recent article in Supply...Continue Reading...
Grocery Shopper Trends 2019: Key Insights

Grocery Shopper Trends 2019: Key Insights

FMI recently published their Grocery Shopper Trends 2019 report (free to FMI members, $250 for non-members but parts are available for free on the FMI website). This annual review of what’s happening in the grocery industry contains a wealth of interesting insights. When comparing myself to their results, I found I was inline with some trends and an outlier for others. Are you in the mainstream when it comes to grocery shopper trends? Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting ones. How Many Stores Do You Shop at Each Month?...Continue Reading...
Preventing Food Waste: Multiple Approaches

Preventing Food Waste: Multiple Approaches

A recent article in Forbes discussed several approaches to reducing or preventing food waste. The article, Can You Solve Food Waste With An Airbnb Model? begins by citing data from a recent Zest Labs food waste research study measuring and comparing the shelf-life (or freshness) of produce being sold at major grocery chain stores across the United States. Our research found that the freshness of produce – specifically strawberries, romaine lettuce and packaged salad mixes – varied significantly from store to store as well as within...Continue Reading...
New Zest Fresh for Produce Modules: Rapid Implementations and Faster ROI

New Zest Fresh for Produce Modules: Rapid Implementations and Faster ROI

Today, Zest Labs announced the availability of three new modularized components of our Zest Fresh for Produce solution, each of which are built on the Zest Fresh platform. The three new Zest Fresh for Produce modules make it simpler and faster for suppliers, restaurants and grocers to trial and deploy our solutions to improve operational efficiency and ensure delivered freshness, while reducing field-to-store food waste and increasing customer satisfaction. Solving the Food Waste Problem Food waste is a significant problem....Continue Reading...
Food Safety Tips: Three Things to Consider

Food Safety Tips: Three Things to Consider

It’s always good to think about food safety tips as we approach one of the biggest food and barbecue weekends of the year. Food safety continues to be a challenge as last week saw yet another food safety outbreak, this one related to salmonella associated with papayas from Mexico. Recent Food Safety Challenges The last two years has seen three E. coli food safety issues related to romaine lettuce alone. In 2018, according to Food Safety Magazine, we had 382 food product recalls. Some relate to undeclared allergens or some sort of...Continue Reading...