Choosing the Right Path: How your produce business can seize strengths, limit weaknesses
The European fresh produce industry is witnessing a significant shift in companies adopting specific roles to sustain their success. With increasing competition and growing supply chain transparency, companies are faced with a crucial decision: should they become specialists, focusing on a few products that can be consistently supplied year-round to large-scale retailers, or should they […]
Fyffes on track to meet targets of sustainability, ‘ethical performance’ by 2030
Fyffes published its second sustainability report, which highlights the company’s progress towards its 13 sustainability targets during 2021 and 2022. These targets have been set against a 2020 baseline year and are expected to be met by 2030. Fyffes targets align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and include six human rights targets; four targets […]
UK startup NatureMetrics captures first place at annual Agri T-Jam competition
NatureMetrics, a company which measures biodiversity using eDNA analysis of soil, water and insects, beat out nine other UK startups in earning top prize at this year’s Tesco’s Agri T-Jam competition. With the victory, NatureMetrics earned the right to work in a trial with a Tesco supply chain partner and also gained access to its […]
Lidl’s new automated warehouse in Luton is a site to behold at nearly half a kilometre
Lidl GB has officially opened the doors to its massive new distribution centre in Luton, where it expects to deliver more than 9,400 pallets per day to 150 of its nearly 1,000 stores in the UK. At 1.2 million square feet, it is triple the size of any of its other facilities. But two features […]
Business sustainability requires new retail pricing model
In my previous column, I discussed the subject of natural sustainability in the industry. This time, I will be moving to another area of sustainability, and that is the overall sustainability of current produce retail pricing. The current retail pricing model is inherently unsustainable. The practice of raising retails arbitrarily to generate profits and inflate […]
How one company’s innovative drones could change agriculture in the UK
ABZ Innovation, a Hungary-based drone pioneer, is readying its technology for use in the UK that could help alleviate Britain’s farm labour shortage. The drones have seen success in five countries in Europe, buoyed by their lower-cost, high-efficient means of spraying fields and orchards. The revolutionary technology allows farmers and growers to benefit from a […]
Sustainability in fresh produce: It’s just common sense
Sustainability has become a popular topic across all industries throughout the world. It is the latest fashion, in terms of companies scrambling to convince consumers they are more sustainable than their competition. In the produce industry, however, this is not a new concept — it has been around and in practice for hundreds of years. […]
Hiking, fresh food and health: Why Portugal should be an example for the world
This article was written as I hiked for 16 days along Portugal’s northern coastline while doing the Camino Portuguese, a popular pilgrimage route. It was an amazing experience from a food and fresh produce perspective, as Portugal’s cuisine is a celebration of fresh, locally sourced ingredients that are bursting with flavor. During my 220-mile hike […]
