To beat heat, Lidl working with British suppliers to prevent produce waste

Discount retailer Lidl has reached out to fresh produce suppliers across the UK to ensure that their fresh fruits and vegetables baked by intense dry spells will not go to waste. Lidl officials say they will be helping “identify key crop challenges, and where possible work to accommodate these products within its existing lines.” In […]
G’s Growers and Plumford Farm will test pollination, yield efforts through M&S collaboration with AgriSound

Retailer M&S has entered into a three-year partnership with York-based start-up AgriSound to assist some of its select farmers in improving their management of pollinators while boosting yield. G’s Growers in Cambridgeshire and Plumford Farm in Kent will participate in the programme by installing listening sensors that will be able to track bumblebees, honeybees and […]
Veg Power teams up on cherry tomato Grow Strong Project with Edinburgh Community Food

The health-driven non-profit Veg Power added another strong partner to its growing stable of helpers, combining forces with social enterprise Edinburgh Community Food to help deliver its Grow Strong project. Grow Strong is an initiative whereby 38 schools are taking part in the production of cherry tomatoes that are converted to create pasta sauce. Former […]
UK’s Freshgro co-op looks to produce world’s first carbon-neutral carrots

Carbon neutral is all the rage across the globe as governments, businesses and individuals strive for a more sustainable planet. Growers are trying to do their part, as well. The Nottingham-based Fresh Growers, or Freshgro co-operative, is hoping to deliver the world’s first carbon-neutral carrots later this year. The 10 farmers said premium Chantenay carrots, […]
Blair Institute report suggests cities should aim to produce 30% of fruits and vegetables in the future

What might be the best future hedge against supply chain disruption issues and help deliver more sustainable growing of fruits and vegetables without worries of pandemics, wars and other challenges? According to a new report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, cities and suburban areas across the world should work toward producing 30 […]
How do consumers value produce and local vs. long-distance?

A new researcher at the New York Produce Show, Rebecca Wasserman-Olin, shared new research findings about how customers value various appearance characteristics and how a consumer value perception is affected when a strawberry is marketed as ‘local,’ among other key findings. While this work uses strawberries as an example, it provides important lessons for everyone in the fresh produce […]
UK’s Jones Food Company begins construction on huge new vertical farm

Ocado-backed Jones Food Company has broken ground on a massive new vertical farm in Gloucestershire it says will be the biggest in the world. At 148,000 square feet, the multimillion-pound site in Lydney will be the second for Jones, whose current farm in Lincolnshire is one of largest in the UK – the size of […]
Camellia-Bardsley partnership to propel agri-tech innovation

Earlier this month, Bardsley England , the UK’s second-largest apple supplier, was acquired by global agriculture group Camellia Plc – a grower-supplier of tea, nuts, avocados, blueberries, maize and timber in Africa, India, Bangladesh and Brazil. The tie-up is designed to allow both businesses to spearhead development and technology projects to transform how they grow food […]