Retail & FoodService

Sandy Ortiz gets all his fresh fruits and vegetables from Jetro Cash and Carry, a wholesale warehouse in Hunts Point that has long been city bodegas’ go-to source for cereals, paper towels, bottled waters and other staples with long shelf lives. In recent years, the warehouse has responded to changing appetites by significantly expanding its fresh produce and meat offerings, adding a fish and seafood market, and sponsoring health fairs and cooking demonstrations that teach bodega owners to make, for example, salad with grilled tilapia. …

This Fourth of July, Americans will pay more for their backyard barbecues than ever before. The inaugural 2014 Rabobank BBQ Index examines the composition of a ten-person barbecue and how rising commodity prices have impacted the cost over the years, showing an overall price increase from $51.90 in 2004 to $55.62 during the financial crisis in 2007, to a total of $66.82 in 2014. …

Portland city councilors voted  to charge consumers a nickel for every disposable shopping bag they get and to ban foam containers for food and beverages in an effort to reduce trash that pollutes waterways. …

The new issue of United’s Fresh Insights for Foodservice report explores how innovative chefs are adding fresh fruits and vegetables to create flavorful summer menus. The summer issue reports how the classic tastes of watermelon adds the perfect warm-weather refreshment, and that menus featuring butter lettuce add an upscale touch. These trends and more are part of the Summer 2014 edition of Fresh Insights for Foodservice, a quarterly report from United Fresh showcasing the latest innovations in fresh produce use in foodservice. …

Sodexo, a leader in delivering sustainable, integrated facilities management and foodservice operations, has partnered with music superstar and best selling cookbook author Trisha Yearwood for its In My Kitchen culinary series. Recipes by Yearwood, who also hosts Trishas Southern Kitchen on Food Network, will be featured at Sodexo operated locations across North America. …