The COVID-19 pandemic reduced big gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday, but retail produce sales data showed fresh produce continued to show strong gains compared with year-ago levels.

With 30 years invested in the agriculture industry, Richard Owen has come to appreciate the global reach and opportunities of the fresh produce industry.

Get a rundown of the news of the week from Tom Karst, Chris Koger, Ashley Nickle and Amy Sowder on topics from Trevor Suslow leaving PMA to Oleen Smethurst receiving the Canadian Produce Person of the Year Award.

Fresh produce sales at retail totaled $5.04 billion in the four September weeks, up 10.7% from the same period in 2019.

The Oppenheimer Group teased new apple packaging at the PMA’s Fresh Summit. The packaging pictured at the virtual booth is a pyramid-shaped paper-based graphic container and holds four Jazz apples. 

Pace International is presenting its Postharvest Academy through a series of web seminars on a range of topics affecting apple, citrus, cherries and pears.

Episode 18 of Tip of the Iceberg Podcast, brought to you by The Packer and PMG, features a discussion between editors Tom Karst, Ashley Nickle and Amy Sowder about the experience of Fresh Summit 2020.

The Packer's editor-in-chief Tom Karst, retail editor Ashley Nickle and Northeast editor Amy Sowder recap the final day of the big week of PMA's Fresh Summit, from celebrity appearances to education sessions.

For Zespri International, the Produce Marketing Association’s virtual Fresh Summit has been a great forum to push out merchandising information about the proprietary Zespri SunGold pack, Sarah Deaton said.

The Produce Marketing Association recognized four retail leaders Oct. 14 at Fresh Summit with its new Retail Merchant Innovation Award.