I am truly getting excited about all the innovation and crazy things people in our industry are doing. It’s wild.
Read the digital edition of the May-June 2023 PMG magazine.
One moment comes to mind: when I discovered the Farmer’s Fridge vending machine in the Chicago O’Hare Airport on my way home from International Fresh Produce Association’s Retail Conference in June 2022.
I poked and swiped at the touchscreen. Relatively quickly, I figured out how to order a jarred Green Goddess salad with green leaf lettuce, quinoa, pecans, feta, chickpeas and pickled onions.
I was so giddy about the fresh tech that I had to make an Instagram reel about it. And I was kinda new to making reels. I didn’t realize there were utensils in a different compartment of the vending machine and instead asked a nearby airport convenience store clerk for that. But I did see I could return the emptied jar for recycling, which delighted me.
The experience is one example of the alternative ways we can do business.
Fresh produce vending machines, live-streaming shoppable videos, actionable data analytics, retail dietitian tips, blueberry charts, a crossword puzzle, perspective on menu trends, safety guidance and watermelons winning on social media — it’s all here in this issue. And more.
I hope to see you at the Sustainable Produce Summit and West Coast Produce Expo in Palm Desert, Calif., but if not, at one of the many other ways to connect. Either way, you’ve made my job as interesting as ever, and I expect you’ll learn something new and helpful inside these pages yourself too.
Amy Sower is the editor of PMG magazine and the retail and education editor of The Packer.