Produce supplier to the UK hospitality sector Fresh Direct has partnered with vertical farming pioneers, Fischer Farms, to launch a range of British-grown herbs and leafy greens – giving its foodservice customers access to high quality, locally-produced fresh produce. read more

Global table grape breeder International Fruit Genetics (IFG) has announced that a plant variety infringement case in Yunnan, China, has concluded in its favour. read more

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver says all vulnerable children should be given free school meals and every pupil leaving education should know how to cook at least 10 dishes. read more

AgroFresh Solutions has acquired post-harvest solutions provider Tessara from global investment firm Carlyle. The deal, which remains subject to clearance by the South Africa competition authorities, expands AgroFresh’s footprint in food waste reduction and freshness solutions for
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A vertical farming project on the North Wales island of Anglesey has been extended after helping Welsh fresh produce growers expand, reports Wales Farmer. read more

Persistently low carrot prices have not translated into greater sales over the last 12 months. In fact, sales volumes for the 12 months to 14 May 2023, according to Kantar lastest figures, fell 2.3 per cent compared to the prior year – a further drop from the -7.7 per cent decline in 2022. read more

Fruit marketer Chiquita says a total of seven branded double-decker buses will bring brightness and cleaner air to parts of London this summer. read more

IG International and The Fresh Connection have signed a joint venture to boost exports of Indian fruits and vegetables to new and existing markets worldwide. read more

Taylor Farms has agreed to buy an undisclosed stake in Spanish salad and prepared food specialist Foodiverse. In a statement, Foodiverse said both companies will become partners through a capital increase in cash that will provide Taylor Farms with a significant share in Foodiverse’s capital. read more

International table grape breeder Sun World has announced the launch of its new Ruby Rush brand of red seedless grapes. read more

The South African avocado export crop has been reduced by around 2.5m cartons as the season reaches its halfway point. read more

Four years after major fruit producer Piñata Farms introduced Australian-designed technology to track the temperature and location of premium berries and mangoes along the supply chain, it has “more confidence than ever” in the quality and integrity of fruit despatched, according to a
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The Citrus Growers’ Association of South Africa (CGA) has asked the country’s National Disaster Management Centre to act with urgency and declare the recent floods in the Western Cape a provincial disaster. read more

The UK and Turkey have today (18 July) announced plans to begin talks on an updated free trade agreement (FTA). read more

Veg Power and ITV last week (12 July) announced five-year evaluation data from their multi-award winning Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign, which confirmed that repeated involvement leads to increased kids’ veg consumption over the long-term. read more

The impact of last summer’s record heat in Europe continues to be felt in the world of pears, but this time to the benefit of growers. Stocks of last year’s heat-affected crop had all gone a whole month before harvesting was due to start on the new crop. Meanwhile, Southern Hemisphere
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Grocery price inflation has seen its steepest decline since inflation peaked in March this year. read more

Cosco Shipping is to launch a new weekly service connecting Northern Europe and the Mediterranean with the East Coast of South America. From September, ESE2 will including the fastest transit time of only 12 days between Algeciras, Spain and Santos, Brazil. read more

South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority has selected International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) as its equity partner in the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2. read more

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges has revealed that total throughput stood at 139m tonnes during the first six months of this year, a fall of 5.5 per cent compared with the same period of 2022. read more