Fresh Cut Magazine

Online tracking tool: Good Growing Link helps communicate food chain sustainability

Bayer CropScience has launched Good Growing Link, a Web-based tracking tool powered by food safety and traceability technology leader FoodLogiQ Inc. The Good Growing Link helps users identify, measure and improve their sustainability efforts and provides a tool to merchandise these contributions to customers and other stakeholders. The Good Growing Link will help the entire food chain demonstrate and communicate its commitment to sustainability - starting at the farm level, according to the company. "Agriculture has been and must continue to be focused on sustainability due to the link between the land and growing practices and their impact on the world around us," said Brian Hrudka, food chain manager for Bayer CropScience. "However, we at Bayer see a growing interest from consumers and the food chain regarding the origin of food and how it is produced. That's why we worked closely with FoodLogiQ to create…  » Read more

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2011 listeria outbreak: U.S. cantaloupe contamination leads to lawsuits, search for detection method

In January, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee released a bipartisan staff report that details the findings from the committee's investigation into the September 2011 listeria outbreak, which was traced to tainted cantaloupes from Colorado's Jensen Farms. The report suggests potential causes for the outbreak. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 29 reported deaths from last fall's listeria outbreak. As of November, CDC reported 139 people with severe illnesses. Last September, CDC traced the listeria to tainted cantaloupes from Colorado's Jensen Farms. The outbreak led to national attention and a widespread drop in cantaloupe sales across the country, according to FDA, USDA and numerous news agencies. "I've had several customers ask me about cantaloupes every day," said Justin Weaver, the produce manager at Village Foods in Bryan, Texas. "People just aren't buying cantaloupes." In an unannounced…  » Read more

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Networking in a ‘fan,’ ‘like,’ ‘follow’ world

Meeting and interacting with people in your industry provides you with connections you need to move your business forward. Networking skills even provide you with connections you didn't think you would need - until you did. Luckily, there's an app for that. Several, actually. Never have there been more opportunities to engage your buyers. Social media, it seems, has overtaken the Internet. While some may bemoan its presence as taking away from that "personal" connection, social networking has created myriad opportunities for marketers to reach out to consumers and engage them on a whole new level. According to Social Media Examiner, there are more than 800 million active Facebook users - 53 percent of whom follow at least one brand on Facebook. Mashable.com went on to reveal that when consumers follow a brand, it's because they're current customers (58 percent) or want to receive promotions…  » Read more

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Love My Salad: Social networking website for salad lovers

  Salad enthusiasts now have a social networking site of their own called Love My Salad, an online destination that allows salad consumers to connect with fellow enthusiasts around the world. The website is one of the first to target produce consumers and professionals and offers an opportunity for salad lovers to share recipes and ideas while increasing produce consumption in the process. The site was developed in 2010 by Australian associates of Rijk Zwaan, a European seed developer specializing in produce seed. The creators had a love for vegetables and salad and saw an opportunity to share that love with salad enthusiasts the world over. "Rijk Zwaan decided to initiate Love My Salad, an international, interactive platform where consumers and professionals come together to inspire each other with their passion for salad," said Auke Ferwerda, Rijk Zwaan manager for marketing and business development. "With…  » Read more

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