Produce

Michael Katz, an M.S. candidate and research assistant with the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Connecticut has been looking into consumer preferences for local and organic labeling in certain specialty crops in Connecticut. Katz is working on a research project with assistant professors Ben Campbell and Yizao Liu through a grant from the USDA/CT Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant program. In a talk given at The New York Produce Show & COnference entitled, “How Local and Organic Labeling Influences Consumers,” Katz examined choice experiments in conjunction with eye-tracking technology. …

Foodservice operators around the country are expanding their use of produce in myriad ways, working with their vendors to navigate supply and execution challenges as they recast their menus to satisfy evolving consumer tastes and preferences. …

Research data can help to correct declining sales or enhance sales of particular fresh produce items at retail by understanding why consumers do what they do. That was the key message put across to delegates by Kantar WorldPanel U.K. at the Global Trade Symposium during last week’s New York Produce Show and Conference 2014. …

Over 60 representatives from the consumer media explored unique and exotic fresh produce items during a luncheon and presentation at The New York Produce Show and Conference, held December 3. Journalists from cooking magazines, food blogs, radio programs, news services and TV spent one-on-one time with specialty produce supplier Frieda’s and Israeli date supplier Devik International. The opportunity allowed them to explore several exotic items as well as understand more about dates. …

This December, the National Watermelon Promotion Board’s director of marketing and communications, Gordon Hunt, announced his departure after a ten-year tenure with watermelon and a career in produce to take a position as managing director of a new Southeast Asian-oriented company. This change prompted the NWPB to rebalance the resources within our organization and implement a significant restructuring. …