Pundit’s Mailbag — Leadership
I am so frustrated by what I call the ‘spreadsheet mentality’ of some key industry operatives (both suppliers and buyers). So many kids can make an Excel sheet sing and get management kudos for the short run, but they absolutely forget that it was the product itself that got the end user to enjoy the […]
Mistakes Happen…
But Never Too Small To Correct
Still, it is almost impossible to publish as many words as we do each year, on the daily schedule we do this work in, without a few errors creeping into the mix. Most of the time they are minor typographical errors, but, here at the Pundit, there is no error too small for us to […]
Do We Really Want To Eat Well?
Not only that, but obesity is starting to be a big problem not just in rich, developed countries but in developing nations such as China, where there is a major shift going on with diets moving toward animal products and vegetable oils. Professor Benjamin Senauer of the University of Minnesota explains: ‘The biggest increases are […]
More Bad News On Avain Flu
The basic problem is that, in practice, it is difficult to actually immunize 100% of a flock. This raises the specter of “silent spread” in which immunized birds carry the disease without experiencing symptoms. The following is from The Herald: ‘Silent spread’ occurs because immunised birds can still catch and pass on avian flu, but […]
What Andrew Young Should Have Said
Young resigned, in the uproar that ensued, after he was asked in an interview with a newspaper if he was concerned that Wal-Mart might drive small mom-and-pop stores out of business and force them to close. He replied as follows: ‘Well, I think they should; they ran the ’mom and pop’ stores out of my […]
Calendar Considerations:
Refrigerated Foods Conference
The industry is filled with terrific organizations that do the unheralded work that makes this industry hum. Among the best and most important of these smaller organizations is the Refrigerated Foods Association. This is the association that represents manufacturers of wet salads, which include staples such as potato salad, macaroni salad and cole slaw, popular […]
PR Away…
But In A Perishable Manner!
The Pundit is starting to get requests for submissions of press releases, so, to make sure I can pay proper attention to your announcements, please let your people know that they should be sending press releases to the following e-mail address: PR@PerishablePundit.com This is as good a time as any for a Pundit Peeve: The […]
South African Road Trip
Today’s modern retailers will go to the ends of the earth to make sure consumers have a selection of every fresh produce item on a year-round basis. And I’m going to fly about as far as you can go from Boca Raton, FL, to help make that happen. At the end of next week, I’ll […]
Keeping An Eye
On Food Blogs
Ok, tell the truth, how many produce directors have ever seen what happens when you let an artichoke bloom? It looks like this: The photo was taken by Paul McCann who, among other things, runs a food blog. Much like all the shows on the Food Network, there are thousands of these blogs influencing popular […]
As Organic Chasm Deepens,
A Solution Is Offered
There is an undercurrent of unhappiness in certain parts of society, not only with supermarkets but also with the entire food production and distribution system. Whole Foods, Wild Oats and similar concepts are one response, but to the extent they become large and national companies, dependent on national suppliers, even these concepts are not responsive […]
