As part of the American Rescue Plan, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing an additional $14 million to help strengthen the US supply chain.
Companion Baking’s new palletizing robot – affectionately called Bruce Banner (aka The Incredible Hulk) by the staff – enables this innovative St. Louis bakery the ability to achieve a higher level of production efficiency and equipment sophistication.
Los Angeles-based World Variety Produce, which ships under the Melissa’s label, plans to supplement its top-selling year-round melon, the Dominican Republic-sourced Charentais, with several other melons that are more season-specific, said Robert Schueller, the company’s director of media relations.
A combination of inflation, a labor shortage and supply chain issues have caused consumers to cut back on spending in recent months. However, consumers are still wanting good quality meals and demand remains strong in most convenience meat segments as shoppers continue to look for easy ways to create their favorite meals.
The pandemic has highlighted tremendous opportunities for technology to solve continuing challenges impacting consumer behavior in fresh, said Muntazir Mehdi, senior product manager for analytics and AI for Toronto-based Invafresh, whose technologies are currently being used in more than 25,000 grocery stores in 15 countries.
The volatility currently facing the food industry is unlike anything experienced in modern times, according to Nextec, a specialist in production management and other technologies.