by Kevin Payne | May 14, 2019 | Food Safety, Supply Chain
Recently, I saw the Produce Marketing Association’s Dr. Bob Whitaker present on food safety and the supply chain. Dr. Bob, as he’s affectionately known, was the opening keynote speaker at the Salinas AgTech Summit in March and also the closing keynote speaker at this month’s PMA TechKnowledge conference. At both events, his message was about the need to rethink how we, as an industry, address food safety challenges and the supply chain. For me to summarize his presentations would be challenging as they were quite comprehensive and...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Mar 26, 2019 | Digital Transformation
Is a technology roadmap for digital transformation a priority for your company? For a lot of us, we often get caught up in our day-to-day activities and run the risk of losing sight of the longer term goals. (That never happens to me though.) In today’s hyper-competitive fresh food market, knowing where you are and where you’re going is critical to your survival. Technology, particularly post-harvest technology, can be a key factor in enabling competitiveness in times of increasing regulations, food safety requirements, labor...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 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 | Oct 23, 2018 | Freshness Management
The PMA Fresh Summit did not disappoint! This year’s Produce Marketing Association’s annual conference had over 21,000 attendees and over 1.1 million square feet of trade show floor space housing 1,200 exhibitors spanning 55 rows from one end of the hall to the other. In addition to a plethora of produce – from apples to zucchini – there were a number of technology vendors exhibiting, some new and some who’ve been exhibiting for years. What’s Changed at the PMA Fresh Summit? Last week’s blog discussed my expectations for this year’s...Continue Reading...
