Pundit’s Mailbag — Wal-Mart’s Nature
Our piece, Did Wal-Mart Have A Role In Ballantine’s Fall? — continues to bring in an avalanche of mail. Roughly 90% of the notes we receive at the Pundit are one-liners and we don’t typically run too many of them because they are just words of appreciation. This time we received some short notes with […]
Got Produce? Is $30 Million Sufficient?
One might think anyone who opposes the proposal for a national generic promotion campaign is not in favor of the idea. Yet from our conversations we would say that this assessment is not true. Quite a number of people may oppose this particular proposal not because they fear being taxed too much, but because they […]
Perishable Thoughts — Wasted Turnips
“A lot of chefs don’t have a natural sense of economy. I was with one guy the other day and I had to show him how to peel a turnip, because the way he was peeling turnips, he was throwing half of it in the garbage. It’s not about being cheap. It’s about being proper.” […]
Economic Reality Trumps
Official Policy Every Time
Our piece, Pundit’s Mailbag — Mike Stuart Of FFVA Speaks Out On Ballantine And Buyer/Seller Relations, included these words from Mike Stuart: At the end of the day, how are these firms going to make significant investments in food safety, traceability, sustainability and other important industry initiatives if the profitability of the business is squeezed […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Financial
Shake-Ups And South Pacific
We received a nice note and a reading recommendation that we thought we would pass along: Thanks so much for the Perishable Pundit. I learn something every time I read it. I’ve found it especially useful for my policy class. Regarding the financial crises, I would recommend reading: The Ascent of Money: A Financial History […]
Testing Sprout Seed Before It Ships
When we published our piece, Alfalfa Seed Company, FDA, USDA And Supporting Cast Comment On Seed Withdrawal, which highlighted an interview with Lyle Orwig, a PR professional who was functioning as a spokesperson for Caudill Seed Company, we expressed some skepticism regarding some of the claims being made in the interview. Later we ran another […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Response To Ballantine’s Fall: ‘Just Say No’
We received an avalanche of letters related to our piece, Did Wal-Mart Have A Role In Ballantine’s Fall? We thought this one raised an interesting point: Very astute observations in your article (Did Wal-Mart Have A Role In Ballantine’s Fall), but it really gets down to Economics 101 and the classic business decision of when […]
Cancer Society Accumulates $1 Million From 50 Years Of Produce Industry Support
Some of the things we like most about this industry are the sense of family and history and the big heart of the people who toil in the trade. All these attributes were on display at an event this past weekend. A hat tip to Cindy Jewell of California Giant Berry Farms for sending this […]
Another Sea ChangeAt Wal-Mart
In a sense, it is not a particularly important piece of news that Pam Kohn, who had been named to succeed Bruce Peterson when he left Wal-Mart as Senior Vice President, Perishables and General Merchandise Manager, has left the division to move over to global procurement. Although doubtless important within Wal-Mart, she never took much […]
Got Produce? Both SidesNeed To Be Heard
Our piece, Got Produce? Generic Marketing Program Dialog Begins, But Is It Right To Use PBH Donor Funds To Lobby For A Mandatory Assessment? — brought many opinionated letters. We will be dealing with the various pros and cons in later articles but thought this note on our current subject — which is how the […]
