Cherry industry leader Stemilt Growers is gearing up for a big crop of late-season Half Mile Closer to the Moon cherries and encouraging its retail partners to promote the variety aggressively.

Juliemar Rosado, director of retail and international marketing for the National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), Winter Springs, Florida, says with a category item like watermelons, good merchandising is important because it confirms the value, health and versatility of the product, which are some of the primary drivers for watermelon sales.

As things heat up this summer, shoppers are looking for unique produce options to energize their outdoor party platters and for poolside snacking.

A big crop of SweeTango apples is expected to begin shipping in late August.

The devastating 2018 E. coli outbreaks linked to California-grown romaine lettuce drove home the point yet again: food safety is job No. 1 for growers, processors and marketers of bagged salads.

Growers Express has issued a voluntary recall of select fresh vegetable products over listeria fears.

Chiquita is putting fitness front and center with its latest promotion.

Avocados continue to excel as a top fruit drawing customers into produce departments coast to coast. And although the California crop was greatly reduced this season due to extreme heat and wildfires, the industry remains optimistic that there will be plenty available to spread on toast and liven up parties in guacamole dishes.

In the U.S. fresh pear industry, pre-ripened — or “conditioned” — fruit is critical to consumer acceptance.

Few things turn off a fresh produce consumer more than biting into a piece of fruit before it’s ready to eat. To ensure that the buyer of that banana, avocado, pear or mango becomes a repeat purchaser — even a loyal customer — shippers continue to refine their ripening capabilities and to work with their retail partners on selling fruit when it’s at its peak.