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...
by Kevin Payne | Jan 29, 2019 | Digital Transformation
Digital transformation – the application of digital technologies to fundamentally impact all aspects of business and society – has been underway for years. Now, more recently, the wave of digital innovation has come to the fresh food supply chain and post-harvest technology. Growers, shippers, processors, logistics providers and grocers are looking to new software and hardware solutions to drive change that fundamentally improves their business and the products that they offer to their customers. Digital transformation for the...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Jan 22, 2019 | Sustainability
Fresh food sustainability is a far more complex subject that most of us would think. Last week I attended the Trust in Food Symposium which featured viewpoints on fresh food sustainability and food chain integrity from farmers, restaurateurs, food processors and a wealth of NGOs. (In fact, I had no idea there were so many NGOs involved in various aspects of food sustainability.) A representative of the International Food Information Council Foundation presented their recently published 2018 Food and Health Survey. Their research...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Jan 15, 2019 | Freshness Management
Here’s a food spoilage true story. Over the recent holiday break, I went to my local grocery store (who shall remain nameless) on a Wednesday and purchased a clam shell of name brand strawberries. As usual, they looked fine when I bought them. The next morning, less than 24 hours later, I took them out of my refrigerator and they looked like what you see in the photo above. Mushy. Fuzzy. Inedible. That morning, I took them back to the store and they offered to exchange them. I went to the produce department and looked for another...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Jan 8, 2019 | Freshness Management
Shelf-life variability of produce is a significant problem but one that many in the industry are unaware. It’s easy to assume that all pallets harvested from the same field on the same day will have the same amount of freshness or shelf-life. Unfortunately, that’s simply not true. There’s a lot of variability. A LOT. What are the five top causes of shelf-life variability of produce? Why do some fruits and vegetables spoil before we expect them to? What can we do to manage shelf-life and reduce the variability and premature spoilage...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Jan 2, 2019 | Freshness Management
What are key Fresh Food Industry Trends for 2019? Based on the current trajectory, what can we predict for the year ahead? If we thought the last two years in the fresh food industry were tumultuous, they may pale in comparison to 2019. Certainly, the last couple of months have been chaotic in terms of the stock market and various public policy initiatives and has led to talks of a recession, despite many healthy economic indicators. What does this mean for fresh food industry trends in 2019? Here are three trends or predictions...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Dec 24, 2018 | Good Causes
At Zest Labs, we consider ourselves fortunate to work in such an exciting industry and with such great people. As I meet with people in the agriculture industry, from growers to the produce managers at my local grocery store, I’m struck by their passion, dedication and humanity. It’s inspiring. There are many significant challenges facing our industry, food waste, sustainability, new and dynamic competitive business models and changing demographics and buying preferences, to name a few. We’re excited to be working with talented...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Dec 18, 2018 | Freshness Management
What’s So Bad About Wasting 10%? When it comes to fresh produce waste, the industry has a problem. Let me provide an analogy. Consider the Auto Industry Have you ever taken a tour of an automobile manufacturing facility? I toured what was then a General Motors factory when I was a youth. (That factory now makes Teslas.) It was fascinating to watch the parts arrive from the floor and ceiling, coming together at just the right time to produce a car. A lot of time, effort, expertise and money goes into making a car on an assembly...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Dec 11, 2018 | Blockchain, Freshness Management, Retail Grocery, Supply Chain
The Best of Zest – 2018 In 2018, the Zest Labs Blog provided a timeline for what was topical in the fresh food supply chain industry. Google Analytics details which blogs most resonated with our readers. Our analysis reveals a few interesting fresh food industry trends in 2018. In the “Best of Zest” we offer you highlights from the year and some hints of things to look for in 2019. Fresh Food Industry Trend #1: Food Technology Is “So Hot Right Now” New food-related technologies, particularly blockchain for the fresh food supply...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Dec 4, 2018 | Food Safety
On November 27, the FDA recommended a voluntary romaine lettuce labeling program for suppliers of processed and bulk romaine grown throughout the United States. This is in response to the recent E. coli issues that led to the FDA’s November 20 directive to remove and destroy all romaine lettuce in the fresh food supply chain. The FDA is requesting that all romaine lettuce be labeled, whether in bulk, processed or mixed, with the harvest date and location information. This label should be visible on all packaged produce and included...Continue Reading...
