inside...The Pundit Looks At Whole Food’s London Store • Wal-Mart Pricing Report • Asian Marketing Industry Software • New York State Vegetables ALSO INSIDE Garlic • Dates and Dried Figs • FLORAL DISPLAYS 9TH ANNUAL PRODUCE FOODSERVICE PORTFOLIO Starts on Page 99 JULY 2007 • VOL. 23 • NO. 7 • $9.90 1010 TOPTOP TasteTaste ALSO INSIDE: TrendsTrends New York Regional Market Profile 2007 TheThe rolerole ofof produceproduce onon America’sAmerica’s menusmenus isis growinggrowing exponentiallyexponentially.. Starts on Page 43 Reader Service # 8 JULY 2007 • VOL. 23 • NO. 7 40 FEATURES ASIAN CONSUMER MARKET REMAINS LARGELY UNTAPPED . 40 Savvy retailers are looking for ways to enter this billion-dollar market. Photo courtesy of the Idaho Potato Commission: Idaho Potato and Chicken Gumbo SOFTWARE TARGETS A SAFER FOOD SUPPLY . 91 New functionalities open up more information sharing. COVER STORY NEW YORK STATE VEGETABLE REPORT . 96 10 TOP TASTE TRENDS . 18 In season, New York state provides the The role of produce on America’s East Coast with a long list of fresh vegetables. menus is growing exponentially. DEPARTMENTS COMMENTARY MERCHANDISING REVIEW THE FRUITS OF THOUGHT The Dish On Garlic . 123 Foodservice And Food Safety . 8 Consumers need garlic for many dishes and retailers should capitalize on that need. RETAIL PERSPECTIVE DRIED FRUIT AND NUTS Taste Or No Taste? . 134 Dates And Dried Figs — More Than Holiday Treats. 127 EUROPEAN MARKET Offering dates and dried figs year-round Global Warming will garner sales year-round. Will Not Go Quietly . 136 FLORAL AND FOLIAGE MARKETING Engineer A Stunning Floral Display (Part 2 of a 2-part series) . 130 IN EVERY ISSUE Customers are more likely to buy flowers from a display THE QUIZ . 4 130 that catches their attention — and holds their interest. WASHINGTON GRAPEVINE . 6 RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE. 10 SPECIAL FEATURES FROM THE PAGES OF THE PERISHABLE PUNDIT COMMENTS AND ANALYSIS . 11 Whole Foods’ London Store Gets Consumer Analysis . 16 PRODUCE WATCH . 12 WAL-MART PRICING STUDY ROUND XIV Wal-Mart Takes On Canadian Retailers. 30 INFORMATION SHOWCASE . 137 TH BLAST FROM THE PAST . 138 9 ANNUAL PRODUCE FOODSERVICE PORTFOLIO Starts on Page 99 New York Regional Market Profile 2007 At The Crossroads ..........................................page 43 Retail Trends....................................................page 48 Packaging Trends ............................................page 58 Imported Produce Burgeoning Despite Negative Indications ..........................page 66 A Bright Future For Hunts Point........................page 72 Hunts Point In The Community ........................page 74 Security A Priority............................................page 76 davidburke & donatella ....................................page 81 138 Extra Virgin ......................................................page 83 Corrado’s Family Affair ....................................page 86 DeCicco’s In Ardsley ........................................page 88 Change Service requested: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PRODUCE BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425. PRODUCE BUSINESS (ISSN 0886-5663) is published monthly for $58.40 per year by Phoenix Media Network, Inc., P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425. JULY 2007 • PRODUCE BUSINESS 3 PRODUCE QUIZ THIS MONTH’S WINNER: JULY 2007 • VOL. 23 • NO.7 Kevin Weaver President & Editor-in-Chief • JAMES E. PREVOR Vice President, Produce Merchandising [email protected] Marsh Supermarkets Publishing Director • KENNETH L. WHITACRE Indianapolis, IN Kevin has had a steadily upward career [email protected] with Marsh, where he has worked for 25 Editorial Director • LEE SMITH years. Having started with the company as a [email protected] bagger, he became vice president, produce SPONSORED BY merchandising in 2001. Marsh was founded Managing Editor • JAN FIALKOW in 1931 and has 104 supermarkets in Indi- [email protected] ana and western Ohio. It became a privately Special Projects Editor • MIRA SLOTT How To Win held company this past September. [email protected] To win the PRODUCE BUSINESS Quiz, the first Kevin is responsible for anything that has thing you have to do is enter. The rules are to do with produce — from merchandising Circulation Manager • KELLY ROSKIN simple: Read through the articles and to planning to promotion to marketing. [email protected] advertisements in this issue to find the He has been reading PRODUCE BUSINESS for answers. Fill in the blanks corresponding Executive Assistant • FRAN GRUSKIN to the questions below, and either cut along as long as he can remember. “I’ve been buy- [email protected] the dotted line or photocopy the page, and ing since the ‘90s, so I’ve been reading it send your answers along with a business since then,” he explains. European Bureau Chief • ROBERT ZWARTKRUIS card or company letterhead to the address “Any time I can get an up-to-date source [email protected] listed on the coupon. The winner will be on the trends of this business, that’s a great chosen by drawing from the responses help to me. PRODUCE BUSINESS is a great source Production Director • DIANA LEVINE [email protected] received before the publication of our of that kind of information,” Kevin notes. September issue of PRODUCE BUSINESS. The As the winner of the May quiz, he wins winner must agree to submit a color photo Production Leader • JACKIE TUCKER an iPod Nano. [email protected] to be published in that issue. Production Department WIN NOISE-CANCELLATION HEADPHONES FREDDY PULIDO Soft, memory foam padded leather ear cushions for comfort. Ear cushions swivel flat into slim JOANNA ARMSTRONG travel case. Neodymium magnetic stereo speakers with 40mm drivers for uncompromising full stereo sound. Powered by 2 AAA batteries (included). Trade Show Coordinator • Jackie LoMonte [email protected] QUESTIONS FOR THE JULY ISSUE Contributing Editors 1) What is the e-mail address for Western Fresh Marketing? _______________________________ CAROL BAREUTHER, DUANE CRAIG, LYNN GALANIS, MAURCIA HOUCK, BOB JOHNSON, PETER G. LAVERY, JACQUELINE ROSS LIEBERMAN, BILL MARTIN, ____________________________________________________________________________________ JODEAN ROBBINS, TRISHA J. WOOLDRIDGE 2) What is the phone number for the sales office at Kingsburg Orchards? ___________________ Advertising ERIC NIEMAN, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER [email protected] ____________________________________________________________________________________ SANDY LEE [email protected] 3) What is the toll-free number for Weyerhaeuser? _______________________________________ ELLEN ROSENTHAL ____________________________________________________________________________________ [email protected] Marketing Solutions and Integrated Sales 4) What is the fax number for Jerry Porricelli Produce?___________________________________ JIM DELEGUARDIA [email protected] ____________________________________________________________________________________ Send insertion orders, payments, press 5) What is the Web address for Mexico Quality Supreme? _________________________________ releases,photos, letters to the editor, etc., to: PRODUCE BUSINESS P.O. Box 810425 Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425 6) What is the street address for Potandon Produce? _____________________________________ Phone: 561-994-1118 Fax: 561-994-1610 E-mail: [email protected] ____________________________________________________________________________________ PRODUCE BUSINESS is published by Phoenix Media Network, Inc. This issue was: ❏ Personally addressed to me ❏ Addressed to someone else James E. Prevor, Chairman of the Board P.O. Box 810425 Name __________________________________ Position ____________________________ Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425 Phone: 561-994-1118 Fax: 561-994-1610 Company ____________________________________________________________________ Entire contents © Copyright 2007 Address ______________________________________________________________________ Phoenix Media Network, Inc. All rights reserved. City__________________________________________________________________________ Printed in the U.S.A. Publication Agreement No. 40047928 State ____________________________________ Zip _________________________________ Phone __________________________________ Fax _________________________________ Photocopies of this form are acceptable. Please send answers to: JULY QUIZ PRODUCE BUSINESS • P.O. Box 810425 • Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425 4 PRODUCE BUSINESS • JULY 2007 t Rosemont Farms, we don’t just look at local or A regional standards when establishing the metrics by which we operate. Instead, we benchmark against the highest standards of brand name nation- al marketers. And we pledge to meet or exceed these high standards. As a grower ourselves as well as a marketer for a Bell Peppers select group of exceptional growers, we often Cucumbers apply these benchmarks on products and in Pickles growing areas where our high standards really Zucchini set us apart. Yellow Squash Variety Peppers Traceability... biosecurity... food safety... cus- Eggplant tom packing... technological interface... we Beans exceed all the newer standards by which a Cantaloupes supplier is judged, plus we maintain the old- Asparagus time values of quality and service. Grape Tomatoes Turn to a professional standards organiza- Greenhouse Peppers tion to help maximize your retail or food- Greenhouse Tomatoes