NEW YORK — The 2025 New York Produce Show at the Javits Center, Dec. 2-4, offered a look at what's new and next, featuring an array of innovation aimed to appeal to the coveted younger produce shopper, vibrant commodity campaigns, labor-saving solutions for retail and foodservice, and much more.
Fresh-Cut That Caters
Easing labor challenges for its retail and foodservice customers is just one aim of Baldor's value-added cut fruit and veg program that can be customized to the needs of each operation.
“The program is labor- and yield-saving with great shelf-life,” says Baldor's Ryan Nelson. Whether it's 50 pounds of peeled onions, pineapple chunks and spears, or fresh-cut mangoes with high sugar content, Baldor is listening to the needs of chef and retail customers and delivering what they need most, he says.
Baldor employs a team of 250 people focused on “cutting the highest quality produce,” says Nelson, adding the company continues to grow both the retail and foodservice sides of its business.
“Demand for quality is so strong in independent markets,” he says. “We want to take the same catered customer experience [available in] restaurants and give it to retail.”
Like Melon for Water
Watermelon isn't just for the summer, says the National Watermelon Promotion Board's Juliemar Rosado.
To encourage consumption, the board promotes seasonal recipes year-round and goes deep on nutrition and hydration in the winter months, she says. The board plans to launch a fitness and nutrition promotion in January.
And when it comes to reducing food waste and maximizing produce dollar spend, the board wants to remind consumers that the entire watermelon is edible, including the rind.
Video and Chill
The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market brought its new booth and video to the New York Produce Show, where Chilly Philly was on hand for photo ops to remind the fresh produce industry that the market is “fully closed and fully refrigerated, because produce is No. 1,” says Christine Hofmann.
Walnuts Take a Crack at Snacktime
The walnut industry's efforts to get the word out about walnut nutrition and snackability are showing signs of success.
“Consumption of walnuts has nearly doubled in the last five years,” says Darryl Bollack of Mariani Nut Co., pointing to the nut's nutrition credentials, including omega-3s, antioxidants, fiber and nutrients, as reasons for heightened consumer engagement.
Aiming to fuel this trend, Mariani has launched a kettle-cooked walnut snacking line in three varieties: Walnuts with a Touch of Maple; Walnuts with Honey and Sea Salt; and Walnuts with a Touch of Cinnamon.
All three contain 3 grams of sugar or less, says Bollack.
It's a Date!
Joolies is expanding retail penetration of its flavorful Date Pops snacking innovation, says Amanda Sains-Harris. It just launched nationally in Whole Foods Market and is a recent addition in Hy-Vee stores and The Fresh Market.
“Snacking is such a great way to bring the consumer into dates,” says Sains-Harris, who sampled Joolies Date Pops, Date & Nut Energy Bites in four varieties: Cinnamon Bun, Lemon Bar, Brownie, and Peanut Butter Jelly.
Joolies offers merchandising units for retail that feature a number of packaging options including organic pouches and retail tubs for a one-stop shop for dates.
Sains-Harris says retailers are taking notice.
“We've had retailers come to us and say, ‘I'm so embarrassed that I don't have you in my store yet,'” she says.
“It's been fun to watch this brand grow up,” she adds.
Sains-Harris says the younger generations “really love the brand.”
Millennials and Gen Z, who are having children, are also discovering dates as part of prenatal care, she adds.
Salad Kit Sneak Peek
Fresh Express offered a sneak peek of its latest innovation set to debut in March 2026: chopped salad kits in four varieties, including Zesty Hawaiian Crunch with macadamia nuts; Tropical Mango Crunch with roasted cashews; Creamy Mushroom Caesar; and Italian Herb & Parmesan.
The innovative kits with unexpected ingredients are designed to appeal to the Gen Z shopper segment that “we all need,” says Caitlin Tierney of Fresh Express.
The brand is also using its partnership with Chef Giovanni, who has over 50 million followers — many of whom are younger consumers — to reach Gen Z and millennial shoppers.
“And our salad kits are not just for salads,” adds Tierney. “They can be sauteed for tacos, nachos or unique recipes that make younger shoppers more curious.”
Prized Potatoes
It was all about Potato Lover's Month at the Idaho Potato Commission's booth, where Ross Johnson and the team showed off this year's retailer prize: a mobile 4K projector.
Every store that participates in the merchandising contest for Potato Lover's Month will receive a projector, says Johnson, adding that more than 2,000 stores typically participate each year.
Apples in the Big Apple
Cynthia Haskins says this time of year the New York Apple Association is promoting apples as part of holiday entertaining — think charcuterie boards, fruit plates, baking and snacking. But come the new year, NYAA will roll out its new health and nutrition blog on its website as well as a new monthly newsletter that will tout a different apple variety in each edition, she says.
“We'll also be working more with registered dietitians after the new year,” says Haskins. “We're developing a good portfolio of RDs who will serve as spokespeople.”
The RDs will also create content for the health and nutrition blog as well as assist with recipe development, another area of focus for NYAA, she says.
The association currently offers more than 300 recipes on its website that range from the healthy to the indulgent, says Haskins, who adds that with scores of consumers visiting its website each year, the association will continue to enhance its digital offerings.
Citrus Gets Colorful Brand Refresh
Trinity Fruit Co. highlighted its rebranded Buddies citrus line. Everything in the portfolio including lemons, easy-peel mandarins, blood oranges, minneolas and more has been rebranded in colorful, kid-friendly packaging, says Trinty Fruit's Angela Hernandez.
What's Hot and Cool in Specialty
The team at Melissa's talked hot trends and cool new products for all, especially the highly desirable under-40-year-old consumer who wants more organics, time-saving solutions and super-premium choices.
Luxury offerings included Royal Vine Grapes at $375 a case, $395 pineapples and a Lunar New Year lucky red gift box filled with super-premium offerings.
Inspired by the Dubai chocolate-pistachio trend, Melissa's also featured Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Caramel apples.
Other specialty items on display included kishu mandarins; murasaki potatoes; tree-ripened mangoes; Dutch Yellow potatoes; and baby yams, which the Melissa's team says have seen a “huge uptick in sales.”
SNAP Cuts Impact Brighter Bites
Brighter Bites showcased silent auction items to raise much-needed funds in the wake of $4 million in budget cuts.
“We lost 40% of our budget due to the federal SNAP cuts,” says Brighter Bites' Melanie Button. “And we're still serving hundreds of thousands of families a year.”
Auction items included everything from a golf experience with Bruce Taylor of Taylor Farms to an Indy 500 experience with Tanimura & Antle to wines from Produce Business founder Jim Prevor's private collection.
“We're working to make sure families have access to produce who wouldn't otherwise,” Button says of the fruits and vegetables Brighter Bites distributes exclusively through schools.
About the organization's food access through schools, Button says: “We wanted to go where people were, especially in this moment of rising food costs.”
