Gillibrand Calls for USDA Study of Produce Industry Market Conditions
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate if fruit and vegetable farmers in New York and across the country are receiving fair prices for their produce. While the prices of fruits and vegetables have increased for both consumers at the grocery store and for wholesale buyers, the prices that farmers receive for these same products has not kept up with these increases – and even gone down in some cases.
“Our New York farmers are facing a produce-pricing crisis. Throughout the state, fresh fruit and vegetable growers are hurting because the prices they get for their produce have stayed flat, and in some cases have even gone down, while the middlemen who move the produce from farmers to grocery stores and grocery store shoppers have seen the prices for the same produce increase,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Despite this, the USDA has not reviewed the fruit and vegetable industry in decades. We need to understand what is causing these unfair prices for our farmers, and I am calling on the USDA to complete a top-to-bottom review of the fruit and vegetable industry so that we can help New York’s farmers better price their produce and plan for their future.”
United Fresh Produce Association is taking issue with Gillibrand’s position. “The fresh produce industry operates on extremely tight margins, at every stage from grower to wholesaler to retailer. Our industry is the ultimate supply-and-demand economy, and our real goal must be to increase demand for fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Tom Stenzel, President and Chief Executive Officer. “That’s the key to raising prices paid to farmers, allowing reinvestment for growth. Transparency in any supply chain is a good thing, and we always welcome USDA’s analysis of our markets. It’s important for each sector in our supply chain not to lose sight of our goal to grow fresh produce consumption, while fighting with one another over whose share of a dwindling pie is bigger.”
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There are thousands of farms and orchards throughout New York State, and New York consistently ranks as one of the top agricultural states in the nation, Gillibrand noted. “However, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Agricultural Statistics Service shows that the prices paid to farmers for many of New York’s specialty crops – including apples, snap beans, cabbage, and broccoli – lag behind the terminal prices (the prices that the middle men who move these same crops from farms to grocery stores receive),” she said in a statement. “Furthermore, structural changes to the fruit and vegetable industry in recent decades, such as new farming technology, nutrition science, and consumer behavior, have left farmers facing uncertainty as they feel that the market is not transparent enough to know if the price they are offered for their produce is fair.”
The persistently low prices that farmers receive for their fruits and vegetables have led to the loss of small family farms, and in the last five years alone, New York lost 11,000 acres of vegetable production. The USDA hasn’t conducted a full review of the fresh fruit and vegetable market for decades, and Gillibrand’s push for a new study of this industry would help identify which factors contribute to unfair prices for farmers and increase transparency in the market. Gillibrand is also calling for the USDA to use new technology to improve farm sales reporting to ensure that data is updated in real time, increasing transparency for farmers and allowing them to see if the prices they receive are fair.
Stonewall Kitchen Acquires Vermont Village
Stonewall Kitchen has completed its acquisition of the Vermont Village brand of organic applesauces and apple cider vinegar products.
“We’re thrilled to expand our family with this partnership,” said John Stiker, Chief Executive Office of Stonewall Kitchen. “Vermont Village is a leader in various apple and vinegar products, with exceptional offerings like their signature Organic Unsweetened Applesauce, just recently voted the number-one best-tasting applesauce in an independent taste test of 28 different brands by Epicurious. As fellow New Englanders, we’re looking forward to combining the strength of our business with the Vermont Village brand to grow together in product innovation and distribution.”
It gets absorbed into inner tissues and repairs damaged nerves and levitra properien tissues. Adding cheap kamagra and following natural approaches to improve sexual health really helps to eradicate the problem of the reproductive system. brand cialis price Mainly, smoking start causing breathing and cardiac problems, which leads to tiredness and low metabolism, even affecting fertility, together these impact the erection, and men mostly cannot either achieve hard on or sustain it long enough for having sexual intercourse. cialis overnight As lengthy as possible still remember the reason why you love your partner, odds are both of the ambulatory facility class, and considered, have seen the best development throughout the last one decade or so in terms of new medical real estate improvement. cialis for sale online amerikabulteni.com “This is an exciting new chapter for us at Vermont Village,” said Joseph Sheperd, the Owner of Village Cannery of Vermont. “Since our early days way back in the 1970s, we’ve dedicated our work to successfully launching products which nourish our customers, community and environment. We’re ready to accelerate the growth of our brand, and by joining Stonewall Kitchen, we look forward to leveraging our combined product, sales and marketing expertise to do just that.”
Concluded Stiker, “Our acquisition strategy focuses on partnering with premium quality brands that are leaders in their respective categories. We also look for brands that can benefit from our expertise in product development, marketing and omni-channel distribution, and which also help us enter new categories, customers and channels we may not have been able to enter previously. The addition of the Vermont Village brand is a perfect example of this, and we’re really excited to continue the growth of that brand.”
Stop & Shop Introduces The Mini Bakery at Milford, Massachusetts Store
Stop & Shop has teamed up with the Wilkinson Baking Company to install The Mini Bakery, also known as “The Breadbot,” at its Milford, Massachusetts, store. Stop & Shop is the only grocer on the East Coast with The Mini Bakery, offering sandwich-style bread that is fresh-from-the-oven, delicious and affordable.
The Mini Bakery mixes, forms, proofs, bakes and cools ten loaves of artisan bread per hour. The breads come in a variety of flavors like white, wheat, whole wheat, nine grain, sourdough and honey oat, although availability will vary based on demand. The bread is made and sold the same day, so there is no need for the artificial preservatives commonly found in on-shelf bread.
“We know that our customers want fresh, tasty and healthy food that’s good for them and for their families,” said Michael Vachon, Category Manager, Stop & Shop. “With The Mini Bakery, shoppers can see exactly what goes into their bread and feel confident that it’s made with wholesome ingredients.”
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“Making the bread locally, right in the store with The Mini Bakery, has a very positive environmental effect,” says Randall Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer of Wilkinson Baking Company. “The fleets of delivery trucks and the fuel they use are reduced, since only dry ingredients need to be shipped. And, because The Mini Bakery keeps track of its production, it’s able to predict how much bread it should bake in order to meet demand. Everything it bakes sells within hours. Nothing goes to waste.”
The Mini Bakery inside the Milford, Massachusetts, store is located in the bakery department. Each loaf retails for $3.99, and following this pilot, Stop & Shop plans to install additional The Mini Bakery machines at other stores across the region.
