Is Produce Traceability Initiative
Worth The Investment?
We’ve written a great deal about traceability and, most recently, we were sent a copy of a letter that a Midwestern firm sent to David Gombas, Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Technology, United Fresh Produce Association, critiquing the Produce Traceability Initiative: 27 January 2009 Dr. David Gombas United Fresh Produce Assn. 1901 Pennsylvania […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Tackling Tree Fruit Turmoil From Different Perspectives
Our piece, Tree Fruit Industry In Turmoil, prompted Steve Kenfield, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for HMC Group Marketing, Inc., Kingsburg, California, to send a note, which we incorporated into a piece entitled, Pundit’s Mailbag — Reshuffling The Tree Fruit Industry, which brought a torrent of objections. One former tree fruit farmer, still active […]
Educational Entrepreneur Ed McLaughlin
Ed McLaughlin is well known in the food industry. As the director of the Cornell University Food industry Management Program, he also directs the Nestle-sponsored Food Executive Program. Furthermore, under the auspices of the Food Industry Management Program and under the directorship of William Drake, Director of Executive Education, Cornell University Food Industry Management Program, […]
‘Spiked’ Organic Fertilizer
Raises Consumer Doubts
About Organic Definition
A hat tip to David Sasuga , founder of Fresh Origins, for sending along this fascinating piece by Jim Downing in the Sacramento Bee, titled Organic Farms Unknowingly Used A Synthetic Fertilizer: For up to seven years, California Liquid Fertilizer sold what seemed to be an organic farmer’s dream, brewed from fish and chicken feathers. […]
Perishable Thoughts — Shovel-Ready
President Obama was still just a President-elect when he appeared on Meet the Press with Tom Brokow on December 7, 2008. During that interview he used a phrase that has become the very centerpiece of the American political debate over the President’s proposed stimulus package. The phrase he used? “Shovel-ready” — as in this quote: […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Reshuffling The Tree Fruit Industry
Our piece, Tree Fruit Industry In Turmoil, brought much attention, including drawing this letter from a man whose name is synonymous with industry efforts to make the consumer experience of consuming tree fruit a more satisfactory one: Thanks for illuminating the challenge in the tree fruit industry. There is a swifter current just under the […]
Aldi Challenges Wal-Mart
As Low-Price Leader
One of the great mysteries of American retail history is why supermarkets were so slow at emulating the Wal-Mart supercenter as it began to roll out across America over the last 20 years. Although Kroger purchased Fred Meyer, it did little to roll out supercenters across its marketing regions. Meijer remains privately held and regional. […]
FDA Scientists Allege
‘Corrupted And Distorted’ Review Process
A group of FDA scientists wrote a letter to the Obama transition team critiquing the way the agency was managed during the Bush Administration: “The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the scientific review process for medical devices at the FDA has been corrupted and distorted by current FDA managers, thereby placing […]
Sunkist And Brand Equity
At one point, we were writing a great deal about Sunkist. This was mostly because there were a series of dramatic changes after Jeff Garguilo left as CEO… from the loss of the co-op’s largest member, Paramount Farms, to the search for a new CEO first to replace Garguilo and then to replace Tim Lindgren, […]
Is Tesco Defrauding Consumers?Promising Only Nature’s Choice Certified Product But Delivering Cheaper Alternatives?
Whether the issue is food safety, sustainability, traceability or other supply chain issues, the industry model is now set. Retailers and other large buyers dictate a set of standards to their vendors. They may be established industry standards, say the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement metrics or they may be proprietary standards such as Marks […]
