inside... PUNDIT LOOKS AT WAL-MART’S PROCUREMENT PATTERNS •GRILLING WITH PRODUCE •MICHIGAN PRODUCE TRACEABILITY •NEW YORK VEGETABLES •SUSTAINABILITY IN SAN JOAQUIN •CORN •GARLIC 11th Annual DATES AND FIGS •FLORAL COLD CHAIN MANAGEMENT •INTELLECTUAL EATING Foodservice Portfolio starts on page 35 JULY 2009 • VOL. 25 • NO. 7 • $9.90 ALSO INSIDE: New York Regional Market Profile 2009 Market Moves In Positive Direction! Starts on page 67 Reader Service # 53 11th Annual Foodservice Portfolio JULY 2009 • VOL. 25 • NO. 7 starts on page 35 FEATURES GET GRILLING WITH PRODUCE ..................................................30 Move over hot dogs and hamburgers. The new kids on the grill are fresh fruits and vegetables. MICHIGAN PRODUCE POSITIONED TO GROW ...............................33 The Great Lakes State provides a slew of diverse commodities that stay fresh year-in and year-out. COVER STORY A LOOK AT TRACEABILITY ........................................................51 RESTAURANT PRODUCE STRATEGIES: Part I of II: Are we ready to make use of the tools available to meet the milestones? 9 FRESH IDEAS FOR BEATING THE RECESSION ............17 NEW YORK STATE VEGETABLES OFFER AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES .......56 From corn and cabbage to onions and potatoes, summertime in New York means one thing: local vegetables. SUSTAINABILITY IN SAN JOAQUIN ..............................................62 COMMENTARY Though most companies in the San Joaquin Valley are adopting sustainability measures, THE FRUITS OF THOUGHT controversy continues to arise when some try to promote sustainability. Casualties of Super-Sizing .................8 CORN GETS A FACE LIFT ..........................................................115 RETAIL PERSPECTIVE Innovative, value-added products are helping this staple Informing The Consumer .................127 summer veggie break out of its commodity mold. EUROPEAN MARKET UK’s Fresh Produce Concerns/Opportunities.................128 SPECIAL REPORTS TREND TRACKERS: FOOD FOR THOUGHT: INTELLECTUAL EATING IN EVERY ISSUE Concern for quality, health and the THE QUIZ ...............................4 environment spawns new way of approaching food. ..................28 WASHINGTON GRAPEVINE ...........6 28 RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES ...........10 SPECIAL FEATURES COMMENTS AND ANALYSIS ........11 FROM THE PAGES OF THE PERISHABLE PUNDIT PRODUCE WATCH....................12 Vendors Beware As Wal-Mart Alters Course On Procurement ..............................14 FLORAL WATCH ....................124 REGIONAL PROFILE: NEW YORK Market Moves In Positive Direction!..........................................67 INFORMATION SHOWCASE ........129 New York Leads The Way ............................................................68 BLAST FROM THE PAST ............130 The economy may be facing challenges, but business in the Big Apple is still looking up. The Food Emporium................................................................103 A veritable rainbow of produce and floral arrangements DEPARTMENTS await customers at The Food Emporium. MERCHANDISING REVIEW: Western Beef Knows Produce .......................................................105 Five Ways To Spice While the name might be misleading, stepping into Western Beef is produce perfection. Up Garlic Sales ........................117 Value-added, organics and creative Fairway Market ....................................................................107 displays play a significant role in The original Fairway, located in New York’s Upper West Side, has grown by leaps successful garlic sales. and bounds, yet, with its latest store opening in Paramus, NJ, the store stays true to its roots with beautiful produce at unbeatable prices. DRIED FRUIT AND NUTS: Dates & Dried Figs: Thank Goodness For Grace’s........................................................109 Not Just Holiday Items .................122 A new store with a decades-old pedigree combines the best of old Dates and dried figs demand visibility and new food retailing for its North Shore, Long Island customers. in the produce aisle for sales success. CRAFT-ed With Care................................................................110 FLORAL & FOLIAGE Tom Colicchio’s Craft continues to inspire MARKETING: diners with its unique, family-style menu. From Field To Vase ....................125 Part II of II: How maintaining the Fishtail ............................................................................111 floral cold chain influences profits. This new entry into David Burke’s growing empire pleases with a mix of simple preparations and surprising combinations. 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 2009 • PRODUCE BUSINESS 3 PRODUCE QUIZ JULY 2009 • VOL. 25 • NO.7 THIS MONTH’S WINNER: Chris Bass Chris Bass has relied on PRODUCE BUSINESS President & Editor-in-Chief • JAMES E. PREVOR Senior Buyer for twelve years. He has come to depend on [email protected] Wild Rocket Foods its “fresh perspective about what’s going on Riverside, CA Publisher/Editorial Director • KEN WHITACRE in the industry. Plus, it’s a different perspec- [email protected] tive than the Perishable Pundit. I enjoy them both,” says the senior buyer at Wild Rocket Special Projects Editor • MIRA SLOTT Foods, a full-line processor of value-added [email protected] SPONSORED BY fruits and vegetable. Among the company’s Assistant Editor • AMY SHANNON clients is Fresh & Easy, for whom Wild Rock- [email protected] et is the exclusive processor. Assistant Editor • JENNIFER LESLIE KRAMER How To Win After more than 30 years in the produce [email protected] To win the PRODUCE BUSINESS Quiz, the first industry, Bass has done it all — from box Circulation Manager • KELLY ROSKIN thing you have to do is enter. The rules are boy to produce manager to district manager [email protected] simple: Read through the articles and to quality control manager — and loved advertisements in this issue to find the every minute of it. “I’ve met so many won- Executive Assistant • FRAN GRUSKIN answers. Fill in the blanks corresponding derful people and traveled to amazing [email protected] to the questions below, and either cut along places. You see how valuable produce is and OBERT WARTKRUIS the dotted line or photocopy the page, and European Bureau Chief • R Z [email protected] send your answers along with a business that you are feeding the whole world!” When he’s not at work at Wild Rocket’s card or company letterhead to the address Production Director • DIANA LEVINE listed on the coupon. The winner will be Riverside, CA office, Bass can be found at his [email protected] chosen by drawing from the responses wife’s doggie day care. “She’s located in an received before the publication of our historic building in Upland, so I like to help Production Leader • JACKIE TUCKER September issue of PRODUCE BUSINESS. The her modernize the building. Or I’ll help train Production Department winner must agree to submit a color photo employees, install POS, basically whatever FREDDY PULIDO to be published in that issue. needs to get done.” JOANNA ARMSTRONG Trade Show Coordinator • JACKIE LOMONTE WIN A PORTABLE IPOD SPEAKER [email protected] JBL’s SoundSaucer provides extraordinary sound in a perfectly portable 6-inch package. The device also acts as a charger when the iPod is docked, includes a Contributing Editors USB cable for downloading music from your computer and is compatible with MEREDITH AUERBACH, CAROL BAREUTHER, MIKE DUFF, all iPod models, including the iTouch and the iPhone. KEN HODGE, JACQUELINE ROSS LIEBERMAN, DANIELLE OLDHAM, JODEAN ROBBINS Advertising QUESTIONS FOR THE JULY ISSUE ERIC NIEMAN, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER [email protected] 1) What is the phone number for the fresh-cut sales team at Boskovich Farms Inc.? __________ JENNIFER JORDAN [email protected] SANDY LEE 2) What is Driscoll’s slogan? ___________________________________________________________ [email protected] BILL MARTIN ____________________________________________________________________________________ [email protected] ELLEN ROSENTHAL [email protected] 3) Name two of the featured speakers at the upcoming Fresh Summit International Conven- Floral Department Marketing tion & Exposition. ___________________________________________________________________ E. SHAUNN ALDERMAN [email protected] 4) Where in the Hunts Point Market is Jerry Porricelli Produce located? ___________________ Marketing Solutions and Integrated Sales JIM DELEGUARDIA ____________________________________________________________________________________ [email protected] Send insertion orders, payments, press 5) In what year did Spice World begin its business?_______________________________________ releases,photos, letters to the editor, etc., to: PRODUCE BUSINESS 6) Which three companies partner with Del Monte for its Fitness Center promotion? ________ P.O. Box 810425 Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425 Phone: 561-994-1118 Fax: 561-994-1610 E-mail: [email protected] PRODUCE BUSINESS is published by This issue was: ❏ Personally addressed to me ❏ Addressed to someone else Phoenix Media Network, Inc. James E. Prevor, Chairman of the Board Name __________________________________