http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/article en kwarren@greatamericanpublish.com Copyright 2012 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:15:50 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/20-years-and-counting/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/20-years-and-counting/#id:15519#date:19:15 Twenty years doesn't seem that long for an industry, but for the fresh-cut produce industry it's been two decades of constant change, development and refinement of a fresh and healthful product. Fresh Cut magazine will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and after looking through many past issues it is amazing to see how the industry has improved the fresh-cut product. The fresh-cut industry was first organized in 1988 when the National Association of Fresh Produce Processors (NAFPP) was formed. In 1995, the NAFPP became the International Fresh-cut Produce Association (IFPA). In late 2006,… Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:15 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/state-of-the-fresh-cut-industry/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/state-of-the-fresh-cut-industry/#id:15518#date:19:07 Like most fresh produce categories in grocery stores across the nation, value-added fruits and vegetables took a noticeable dip during the U.S. economic recession. However, frugal-fatigued shoppers are abandoning restrictive recession purchase habits, and value-added produce has rebounded in a big way. Unlike other categories that have struggled to gain footing amidst rising food prices, value-added produce has maintained sales, even flourished as a category, despite record high prices across departments. From 2006 through 2010, the value-added fruit and vegetable categories increased supermarket dollar sales by nearly 10.9 percent and 18 percent respectively. After slight… Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:07 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/building-bonduelle/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/building-bonduelle/#id:15517#date:19:01 For more than 100 years, the family-owned Bonduelle company has been devoted to one single and unchanging passion: Vegetables. Today, the French-based company is one of the major food processors worldwide and is present in more than 80 countries. In a sector where change is an ongoing process and where production methods are controlled ever more stringently, Bonduelle uses its professional knowledge across a range of different types of technologies, including fresh, canned, frozen products and ready meals, and also has become a leader in the fresh-cut market. Among the company's 40 processing facilities worldwide… Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:01 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/product-partnership/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/product-partnership/#id:15245#date:19:54 River Ranch Fresh Foods has partnered with Nunhems, a Bayer CropScience subsidiary specializing in vegetable genetics, to create Heritage Blend. This fresh-cut salad blend differentiates itself from every other salad blends available to consumer, featuring petite green leaf and red leaf lettuce instead of whole lettuce leaves. In the short year since the company released the blend to foodservice markets, it has gained wide industry attention, including the Best New Product Launch award at the Produce Marketing Association's (PMA) Fresh Summit convention in Atlanta this past October. "(The award) gave us incredible exposure for the… Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:54 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/total-package/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/total-package/#id:15244#date:19:43 The five winners of this year's Produce Marketing Association packaging awards all showed that companies can combine convenience, food safety, sustainability and effective marketing when developing consumer packaging. "PMA founded its Impact Award program in recognition of the important role packaging plays in connecting with consumers, enhancing food safety, sustaining the environment and improving supply chain efficiencies," said PMA's President and CEO Bryan Silbermann. "We're pleased to highlight those who have demonstrated such innovative thinking." The winners were announced during PMA's 2011 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in Atlanta, Ga. in mid-October. The award… Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:43 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/youve-come-a-long-way-baby-carrot/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/youve-come-a-long-way-baby-carrot/#id:15242#date:19:40 My daughters love pomegranates, but getting to the good part of the fruit is like trying to solve a Rubik's cube. The fruit is very difficult to cut open, and pulling the arils (seeds) off the peel is tedious and time consuming - not to mention dangerous when your teenager is wielding a big knife. We recently discovered a great new value-added pomegranate product with the arils in a resealable package that can last many days in your refrigerator. The pomegranate has now moved up from a treat we used to enjoy a few times… Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:40 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/fda-on-farm-inspections/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/fda-on-farm-inspections/#id:15136#date:14:48 The Food Safety Modernization Act has tasked FDA with improving the food safety of the U.S. food supply, and imported food products are a focus for the agency. Typically, FDA has not conducted on-farm audits, but this is changing as the agency is tasked with certifying imports. "We have an emerging interest in farm inspections," said Crystal McKenna, produce safety specialist with the Office of Compliance. "I think the trend is going to increase." On-farm inspections are just one way FDA is addressing the challenge of food imports. About 15 percent of the U.S. food… Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:48 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/e-verify-splits-ag/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/e-verify-splits-ag/#id:15135#date:14:43 E-Verify, the electronic verification system for U.S. worker eligibility managed by the Department of Homeland Security, is a voluntary system used by 287,000 employers in the United States. The site will handle an expected 16 million cases this year, and that is expected to increase as more states mandate E-Verify. There is a push in Congress to mandate E-Verify on a national level, which has agricultural producers worried about finding labor in an already tough environment. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) has pushed for mandatory E-Verify for years, and this may be his final opportunity to get… Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:43 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/cool-creations/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/cool-creations/#id:15134#date:14:26 The past two decades have seen exceptional growth for C&C Produce. Sales have risen every year they have been in business, and the customer base has spread across the Great Plains and Midwest to meet the needs of retailers and food service outlets. But it is the sister company, Cool Creations, that has defied expectations, dramatically expanding its line of value-added products in only a year's time. C&C ProduceThe C&C Produce story dates back to 1992 when the doors opened as a produce wholesaler in Kansas City. Growth has been steady during the past 20… Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:26 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/undocumented-woes/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/undocumented-woes/#id:14423#date:21:01 Department of Justice fines grower for pattern of hiring illegals Eurofresh Farms, Wilcox, Ariz., a year-round grower of greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers, has reached a settlement with the United States Department of Justice over the hiring and employment of unauthorized workers going back more than 10 years. The company pleaded guilty for "knowingly hiring and engaging in a pattern and practice of employing unauthorized aliens," according to the agency. The court issued a criminal forfeiture against Eurofresh Farms for $600,000 and ordered the company to remain on probation for five years. "This judgment is a… Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:01 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/titan-farms-stone-fruit/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/titan-farms-stone-fruit/#id:14422#date:20:57 Last year, Fresh Cut featured the research done by Fruit Dynamics to develop a fresh-cut peach and nectarine program. Since then, South Carolina's Titan Farms has launched a test-market for a line of fresh-cut stone fruit. Titan Farms Ridge Spring, S.C.-based Titan Farms is situated in The Ridge area of South Carolina, the largest peach-growing region in the state. The company has been a fresh market grower and packer for the last 13 years, since its founding in 1999 by Chalmers Carr and his wife, Lori Anne. They leased land for the first two years,… Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:57 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/detecting-bacteria-in-the-field/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/detecting-bacteria-in-the-field/#id:14421#date:20:54 Recent foodborne illness outbreaks and new estimates on foodborne disease illness from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC could possibly have been the impetus that spurred the recent passage of the food safety bill S.510. As part of that legislation, FDA will be required to create new produce safety regulations for producers of the highest-risk fruits and vegetables. This heightened sense of urgency for safe food has food growers and processors reevaluating their options for testing food at the source or in the field. EXISTING TESTING TECHNOLOGIES Growers and processors historically have… Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:54 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/research-reduces-labor/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/research-reduces-labor/#id:13992#date:12:35 Automated lettuce thinner might save growers money on labor Labor is one of the biggest input costs for vegetable growers. With lettuce, the average cost for thinning and weeding in the fields is more than $120 an acre. A new automated lettuce thinner developed by the University of Arizona (UA), which could be available commercially within the next year or two, might change that. The thinner was demonstrated at a field day at the Yuma Agricultural Center in Yuma, Ariz., in March, and in Salinas, Calif., in May. In general, lettuce seed is sown at… Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:35 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/healthier-happy-meals/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/healthier-happy-meals/#id:13991#date:12:33 McDonald's to offer more fruit, fewer fries with kids' meals McDonald's announced a new nutrition program in July that will improve the nutritional value of its meals, particularly the company's kid's Happy Meals. According to McDonald's, Happy Meals will automatically include a fruit side and low-fat milk, and a smaller 1.1-ounce portion of french fries. The immediate impact will be a 20 percent reduction in calories in the most popular Happy Meals. The new lineup will be the default order, but customers can substitute the milk for a soft drink or a second order of… Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:33 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/snack-takes/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/snack-takes/#id:13990#date:12:18 Freshway Foods rolls out Snack Takes, its first fresh-cut snack line The snacking segment continues to be a growth opportunity for fresh-cuts, and new products are finding great success with health-conscious consumers. Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, introduced its first snacking line this summer, called Snack Takes. The line features four single-serve fresh-cut items with a dip side for on-the-go convenience: sliced apples and grapes with caramel dip, sliced apples with caramel dip, celery and carrots with ranch dip and whole strawberries with chocolate dip. The low-calorie snack packs are perfect for sack lunches, afterschool… Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:18 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/next-gen-sanitizers/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/next-gen-sanitizers/#id:13466#date:14:43 Cutline: Tanya Mason, vice president of business development for New Leaf Food Safety Solutions, accepts the Best New Food Safety Product at the United Fresh show in May.   Correction: Tanya Mason, vice president of business development for New Leaf Food Safety Solutions, and the company were misidentified in the cutline of a photo in the Next-Gen Sanitizers story in the July issue of Fresh Cut. We regret the error and congratulate New Leaf on the award for the Best New Food Safety Product at the United Fresh show in May. For more on SmartWash,… Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:43 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/pure-flavor/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/pure-flavor/#id:13465#date:14:41 The city of Leamington, Ontario, is known as the "Tomato Capital" of Canada and as the country's southernmost point has earned another nickname - the Sun Parlour of Canada. It's also home to North America's largest concentration of commercial greenhouses. It's been a farming area for many years, primarily growing tobacco, but as demand for that crop declined many growers switched over to hydroponic greenhouses. The hydroponic industry is only 70 years old, but the benefits of year-round production are helping to meet the demand from foodservice and retail alike. Pure Hothouse Foods is one… Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:41 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/european-e.-coli/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/european-e.-coli/#id:13464#date:14:37 Western Europe is facing its own "spinach moment" on the heels of an E. coli outbreak that killed 32 and sickened more than 3,000. The illnesses affected primarily Germans or visitors to Germany, but the regional transport of fruits and vegetables throughout the European continent has led to a devastating drop in fresh produce consumption. On May 24, German officials reported three deaths and a significant number of people sickened by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Subsequent testing found that the STEC serogroup O104:H4 strain, a unique one that first appeared in 2000, was responsible. O104:H4… Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:37 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/innovation-everywhere/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/innovation-everywhere/#id:13238#date:17:43 No industry segment is immune from change The produce industry has seen a revolution of change over the decades, from the introduction of ice packing produce for cross-country travel in the 1930s to the introduction of fresh-cut produce in the 1980s. Some innovation has been pressed on the industry by necessity and some by mandate, and over the next few years the fresh and fresh-cut industries will have to adapt to both. Innovation was the focus of the Global Conference on Technology and Innovation, May 6 in New Orleans. Representatives of each market segment sat… Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:43 GMT http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/very-fresh-berryquick/ http://freshcut.com/index.php/magazine/article/very-fresh-berryquick/#id:13237#date:17:41 Naturipe introduces single-serve blueberry snack When Naturipe was developing its latest product offering, the company had one question it was trying to answer: "How can we enhance the snacking options that are out there?" said Robert Verloop, executive vice president for marketing at Naturipe Farms. Innovation has been slow coming to blueberries. Growers and packers have typically used size to differentiate products, "and that's not innovation," Verloop said. So Naturipe looked at some of the best practices in the snacking industry and tried to apply those to a blueberry product. "We didn't think of ourselves… Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:41 GMT