Latest news with #freshfood
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Just Harvest helps to make fresh, farmers' market food accessible
Rain or shine, it's farmers market time, around Western Pennsylvania. So, at PPG Plaza, customers are lining up to buy fresh food locally. This farmer's market is special, though, with the non-profit Just Harvest making fresh fruits, vegetables, and more accessible to all. "This year's very exciting because, along with our Food Bucks program, which provides shoppers additional money to get fruits and veggies, we also have a full SNAP match at select markets," said Just Harvest Communications Coordinator, Katherine Taylor. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. People apply and qualify for the federal food assistance. Taylor said this is the first year they're matching SNAP funds, dollar for dollar, at eight of the fifteen markets, thanks in part to the city's Food Justice Fund. "It's going to be a great opportunity for shoppers to be able to access more fruits and veggies and healthy food around the city," said Taylor. The Fresh Access program started in 2013, and it allows Just Harvest to bring tents to the farmers' markets. In turn, that gives the community the chance to transfer benefits into tokens, which are accepted by vendors at the market for their food. "People are so excited to hear that they can extend their shopping money further, just by shopping at a farmers market that is local to their neighborhood," said Just Harvest Fresh Access Program Manager, Amanda Sloane. The Fresh Access program is just one of many programs this non-profit provides. Program managers said, Just Harvest makes this possible, by holding a Snap Retailer License. It's a win-win for both sellers and buyers. "Oh, the farmer's markets are a great place to be for the customer and the vendor," Liz Calabro is with Mediterra Bakehouse Market, one of the vendors at the PPG Market, said. "The product representation. The customer gets fresh local products. It's the place to be." Gregory Manley is a Pittsburgh native who works at the farmer's market for the Jose Quiroz Farm. "We get whole buckets full of tokens at the end of our market on Fridays when people are shopping for the weekend, so it's a great benefit for us and hopefully for the shoppers as well," Manley said. They bring as many fruits as possible and vegetables to the market each week. As with many nonprofits, Just Harvest is working to keep its efforts going, hoping to help our neighbors for years to come. "Protecting benefits like SNAP right now is a really crucial time," Taylor said. "So, reach out to us. Get involved, and we'd love to work with anyone." The non-profit also helps people with applying for SNAP, Medicaid, and other benefits programs. Just Harvest also offers a free tax prep program, and the non-profit does policy advocacy work. They are always looking for volunteers. For more information on Just Harvest and how to get involved, go to their website at this link.
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Aurora College team looks to grow Fort Smith food independence with gardening
Food security is a growing concern in the North. Store-bought food can be expensive and not always fresh. Carla Ulrich has the story of a team looking to change that.
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
UK food group Greencore seals food supplier Bakkavor deal
May 15 (Reuters) - Convenience food manufacturer Greencore (GNC.L), opens new tab said on Thursday it had agreed to the terms of a recommended acquisition of UK fresh food provider Bakkavor Group (BAKK.L), opens new tab, in a deal valued at 1.2 billion pounds ($1.59 billion). In April, the parties said they had reached an agreement in principle on the key financial terms of a possible cash and share offer by Greencore for Bakkavor. here. The offer base consideration comprises of 0.604 new Greencore shares and 85 pence in cash, valuing each Bakkavor share at 200 pence, with potential for further value if there is a sale of Bakkavor's U.S. business, Greencore Group said on Thursday. ($1 = 0.7528 pounds)
Arabian Business
13-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
New stores propel Spinneys' Q1 revenue to all-time high of $246.7mn, up 11.3%
Spinneys' first-quarter revenue hit a record high of AED906 million (US$246.7 million), increasing 11.3 per cent year-on-year. Profit before tax grew by 23.2 per cent to AED102 million (US$27.8 million), with profit for the period increasing by 14 per cent to AED85 million (US$23.1 million), after absorbing the impact of 6 per cent additional tax on applicability of Pillar Two Rules, which provides for a minimum tax of 15 per cent. Retail growth momentum The region's fresh food retailer attributed the growth to the opening of three new stores during the quarter, increased Fresh and Private Label sales, strong like-for-like growth, and higher online penetration. Like-for-like sales increased 6.7 per cent with the opening of 10 new stores across the UAE and Saudi Arabia since April 2024. Fresh and Private Label sales were strong, with penetration growing by 1 per cent and 1.2 per cent, respectively. Online sales penetration grew to 15.6 per cent during the year, as compared to 13.7 per cent in Q1 2024. Transaction volume grew by 7.8 per cent YoY to 9.9 million. The average basket size also increased – to AED92 (US$25), up 2.9 per cent compared to AED89 in Q1 2024. Sunil Kumar, Chief Executive Officer at Spinneys, commented: 'We have carried the momentum we built in 2024 into 2025, and this is evident in our Q1 results. 'The continued execution of our growth strategy has again resulted in exceptionally strong financial performance. We have achieved robust growth in revenue driven by increased like-for-like sales coupled with the expansion of our store network in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Three new store openings in Dubai in the first quarter demonstrate that there is still a significant white space opportunity available to us, even where our footprint is strongest. 'While the UAE remains the core of our operations, we continue to explore growth opportunities throughout the GCC and look forward to more store openings in Saudi Arabia. These will include our first store in Jeddah in the second half of the year, which comes on the back of exceptionally strong consumer demand for us to expand beyond Riyadh.' Gross profit during the quarter increased by 11.7 per cent year-on-year to AED375 million (US$102.1 million), with a stable gross profit margin of 41.3 per cent, compared to 41.2 per cent in 2024. This was achieved through efficient sourcing and supply chain management and Spinneys' successful Private Label strategy, which emphasises high-margin products. Adjusted EBITDA was AED182 million, up 20.6 per cent year-on-year, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 20.1 per cent, up from 18.5 per cent in the corresponding quarter in 2024. Spinneys maintains a positive outlook for the rest of the year, expecting to open 10-12 new stores across the UAE and Saudi Arabia by year-end. Annual revenue growth is expected to be between 9-11 per cent, driven by new store openings and like-for-like sales growth of 4-6 per cent. The company expects to maintain an adjusted EBITDA margin of 19-20 per cent.
Malay Mail
07-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
DFI Retail Group and Dingdong Announce Strategic Partnership With first-year sales target of HKD100 million
Curtis Liu, Chief Executive Officer, Food, at DFI Retail Group (Left) and Changlin Liang, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dingdong (Right) attended the signing ceremony to announce the strategic partnership. HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 7 May 2025 - DFI Retail Group (DFI or the Group), and Dingdong (Cayman) Limited (Dingdong or DDL), a leading fresh food e-commerce platform in the mainland, recently announced their partnership to their supply chains and retail networks. Together, they aim to build a digitalised cross-border supply chain system. Through DFI's Wellcome supermarkets, they will provide Hong Kong customers a diverse selection of quality products at competitive price, targeting sales of HKD 100 million in the first year of its launch. The first phase began on 9April 2025, six selected Dingdong vegetables have already been made available in nearly 280 Wellcome stores, as well as Wellcome's Online Shop ( ) and food delivery platform foodpanda. The sales will gradually be expanded to other upscale supermarket brands, such as Market Place and Kong's fresh food market has long relied on imports, often facing price fluctuations of over 50% for leafy vegetables due to unstable weather. This collaboration allows DFI to leverage Wellcome's network of nearly 280 stores across Hong Kong while DDL utilises its nationwide sourcing and efficient transportation methods. This partnership aims to streamline the supply of fresh produce "from farm to table."The two parties plan to jointly build a digitalised cross-border supply chain and integrate their data. An AI prediction system will dynamically help adjust the inventory across DFI's supermarkets to reduce / minimise out-of-stock rates. For example, the system can anticipate fluctuations in demand for leafy vegetables based on weather changes and holidays in Hong Kong, ensuring accurate supply. This digitalised supply chain, from upstream planting to downstream retail, improves the efficiency of the fresh food supply addition, to ensure quality, DFI and DDL plan to adopt "one product, one code" traceability technology for vegetables supplied to Hong Kong. Customers can scan a code after purchasing DDL products at DFI's supermarkets to access planting records, inspection reports, and transportation routes, achieving full transparency., Chief Executive Officer, Food, at DFI Retail Group, said, "This partnership with DDL, is to fully leverage the core strengths of both parties to jointly build an efficient digitalised cross-border supply chain. It enhances the quality and cost-effectiveness of fresh produce for our customers, creating a win-win situation. We believe this innovative model will significantly improve supply chain efficiency, ensuring that every customer can enjoy fresh, high-quality products.", Vice President of DDL, said, "This collaboration integrates DDL's supply chain capabilities with Hong Kong's retail network. We will utilise our direct sourcing and digitalised supply chain to efficiently deliver high quality, safe fresh food to Hong Kong, enriching local shopping options, and making choices more affordable."The initial six types of vegetables available this time – Chinese Lettuce, Indian Lettuce, Choy Sum, Baby Bok Choy, Chaozhou Mustard Greens, and Spring Greens – are all selected from DDL's direct supply bases in mainland. The products meet both mainland and Hong Kong safety standards, ensuring quality and safety control at every stage from farm to shelf. The fresh vegetables are pre-cooled and freshness-locked within 2 hours after harvesting and transported in temperature-controlled trucks. Before arriving at the stores, they undergo a second manual sorting process, with strict control over quality and weight to ensure the freshness of shelf products. Within a month of launch, total sales exceeded 100,000 selected vegetables are available in nearly 280 Wellcome stores and on Wellcome's Online Shop and foodpanda. The partnership plans to add regular categories such as bitter melon, okra, and green beans in 2025, along with vegetables popular on Chinese social media platforms and other regional specialties. This will give Hong Kong customers to enjoy a taste of seasonal specialties like Hubei Hongshan Cabbage in winter, Yunnan wild mushrooms and purple lettuce in spring, and Shandong cucumbers and Yunnan corn in summer. Notably, Yunnan's edible Banlangen and Red Little Spinach will be available in Hong Kong for the first time, meeting customers' diverse tastes and nutritional needs. Additionally, fruits, as well as soy products, ready-to-eat meals, snacks, and alcoholic beverages will be introduced, with over 150 products expected by the end of the products will cover all 18 districts of Hong Kong through Wellcome stores, Wellcome Online Shop, and foodpanda, achieving omni-channel availability and allowing customers to enjoy seasonal fresh vegetables from across the country. The two parties will actively explore expanding the cooperation to DFI's supermarkets in Macao and Cambodia, benefiting more customers in these #DFI #DFIRetailGroup #Wellcome #MarketPlace #DDL #StrategicPartnership The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. DFI Retail Group DFI Retail Group (the 'Group') is a leading Asian retailer, driven by its purpose to 'Sustainably Serve Asia for Generations with Everyday Moments'. As at 31 Dec 2024, the Group, its associates and joint ventures operated over 10,700 outlets, and employed over 190,000 people. The Group is dedicated to delivering quality, value and service to Asian consumers through a compelling retail experience, supported by an extensive store network and highly efficient supply chains. The Group, including associates and joint ventures, operates a portfolio of well-known brands across six key divisions: health and beauty, convenience, food, home furnishings, restaurants and other retailing. About Wellcome, Market Place Established in 1945, Wellcome is Hong Kong's longest established supermarket chain with the largest store network. Since 1964, the company has been wholly owned by DFI Retail Group. Together with Market Place, 3hreesixty and Oliver's, Wellcome operates a network of over 320 stores serving more than 14 million customers every month. With the mission of 'Always Fresh, Always Value and Always Here for You', we take pride and passion in providing a quality range of fresh and grocery products, great value and an exciting shopping experience to help our customers save more and enjoy more. As a market-leading supermarket, Wellcome constantly innovates to serve our communities better. In 2021, it introduced a new format, Wellcome Fresh, which offers great value and high-quality fresh produce in an environment that combines the atmosphere of a wet market with the convenience of a supermarket. More recently, it has accelerated its e-Commerce development, enhancing the omnichannel customer journey by offering a more convenient, flexible and personalised grocery shopping experience. For more information about Wellcome, please visit Market Place offers Hong Kong people a unique and contemporary Western store environment, customised product range, knowledgeable staff and attractive prices. Customer satisfaction is at the core of our business. We are here to fulfil the needs and wants of local customers. We present our customers with a higher quality international food store, offering the finest and widest range of local, regional and international tastes. Combining the energy and vibe of a true marketplace, Market Place brings a modern environment and vibe to everyday grocery shopping. About DDL Founded in May 2017, DDL is an entrepreneurial company focused on good food. DDL focuses on the business of "food" and strives to satisfy more people's "what they want to eat". Through the supply of good ingredients, the development of good flavors, and the incubation of food brands, DDL constantly provides people with solutions for a better life, and strives to make more people eat freshly, save money, eat richly, and eat healthily. With better culinary experience, we create deliciousness and happiness for families.
