There hasn’t been a fresh produce supplier or farm in the UK that hasn’t been impacted by COVID-19. In some instances, it has shown how fragile our supply chains are — in others, how robust they can be.

As disastrous as we all know COVID-19 has been to our nation and to the fresh produce industry, the collateral damage still brings me up short.

If you read the headline and shuddered a little inside, you’re not alone.

If you haven’t noticed, top-notch customer service is my pet peeve.

I have lost count of the number of times that I have been in a debate about local produce.

As produce supervisors, we were often looked at as retail “cops,” making unannounced visits around our 66-store chain to drop in on produce managers and see what kind of shape their departments were in that day.

Suddenly the industry’s attention on continuous improvement has wavered. The COVID-19 crisis refocused operators on simply surviving. Full steam ahead on plastics, recyclable or not!

At the beginning of March, I would have never imagined the world would be in its current state, when suddenly, my social media, news outlets and work e-mail were taken over by COVID-19 updates.

“You’re a produce person? I would buy more fresh produce if I only knew what was in season — you know, what’s really good right now.”

A black pickup truck emerged from the dawn fog on a chilly December morning, pulling into the hotel driveway in upstate New York. In the driver’s seat was Jim Allen, vice president marketing at New York Apple Sales.