Italmark Teams up with Amazon for Grocery Delivery
Italian regional retailer Italmark has partnered with Amazon to launch a grocery‑delivery service in Brescia, covering fresh meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, Consilia private‑label items and specialty ranges such as vegan, gluten‑free and lactose‑free products. The collaboration gives Italmark instant access to Amazon’s logistics and customer base, accelerating its digital transformation. The deal sits amid a wave of European grocery players embracing big‑tech platforms—Carrefour is expanding in Africa, Morrisons is cutting 200 UK jobs to fund AI‑driven restructuring, and Uber Eats has entered Denmark as part of a broader 2026 European rollout. Collectively, these moves underscore the sector’s rapid shift toward online fulfillment and technology‑enabled efficiency.
US (IO): Graduate Student’s Research Aims to Provide Solutions for Organic Vegetable Growers
Graduate student Smriti Chaudhary at Iowa State University earned the 2026 Graduate Program Research Excellence Award for her work on organic vegetable production. Her research evaluated nylon‑mesh mesotunnels as insect‑exclusion structures and compared them with organic insecticide programs, showing reduced...
"Working with Industry Leaders Enables Us to Accelerate the Path From Research to the Field"
Biotalys announced its first research milestone in a partnership with Syngenta to develop a novel bio‑insecticide. Laboratory tests using Biotalys’ Agrobody protein platform delivered promising in‑vitro activity against key insect molecular targets. The collaboration now moves to in‑vivo testing on...
Making Sure that the Investment in a High Tunnel Will Pay Off
High‑tunnel greenhouses are emerging as a cost‑effective alternative to traditional glass structures, offering growers a fast path to profitability. A 30′ × 96′ tunnel can house roughly 275 tomato plants, producing 6,875 lb and $20,625 in revenue at $3 per pound, covering the...
Cropshader Approved for Organic Farming in Europe
Lumiforte's Cropshader, a starch‑based liquid shading coating, has received Ecocert verification for organic farming in Europe. The product creates a reflective film on fruit and foliage, lowering canopy temperatures and cutting sunburn incidents. Field trials show it outperforms traditional kaolin...
Ghanaian Farm Plans 3,000-Ton Tomato Supply Expansion
Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture announced that Maphlix Farms will place 3,000 tons of tomatoes on the market by year‑end, using a mix of greenhouse and open‑field production. The farm has already begun harvesting, with three‑day picking cycles to maintain...
UAE Airlifts over 3,000 Tons of Produce From India for Vishu Demand
Lulu Group has air‑freighted more than 3,153 tonnes of Kerala fruit, vegetables and traditional items to the Gulf ahead of the Hindu New Year festival Vishu. The shipments, including jackfruit, banana leaves, kani konna flowers and coconuts, arrived via a National Airlines...
Steaming Strawberry Plants for a Smooth Start of the Season
Belgian grower Aardbeien Vergeyle has expanded its use of Moleda’s Plantsauna steam‑treatment to 17 pallets of Karima strawberry plants for the new season. The steam process gently heats plants with aerated steam, eliminating pathogens without chemicals. Early observations show steam‑treated...
Four Supermarket Chains Hit by Fraud over the Origin of Their Fruit and Vegetables
On 7 April 2026 France's consumer‑protection authority DGCCRF ordered Carrefour, Leclerc, Aldi and Lidl to halt misleading practices around fruit and vegetable origin labeling and, in some cases, promotional pricing. The regulator found origin information hidden in catalogs, using tiny fonts, ambiguous...
Nordica A81 Opens a New Chapter for Northern Highbush Blueberry Varieties
Blueberica’s Nordica A81, a northern highbush blueberry, has completed three commercial years in Chile, delivering yields of 3.5‑4.5 kg per plant (some exceeding 5 kg) and fruit over 18 mm with a 60‑65‑day post‑harvest life. The variety matches southern cultivars in size, firmness...
Spain's Corrugated Cardboard Sector Posts €7.2 Billion in 2025, Holding Third Place in Europe
Spain’s corrugated cardboard industry posted €7.168 billion in 2025 (≈ $7.7 billion), cementing its position as the third‑largest producer in Europe behind Germany and Italy. The sector comprises 66 corrugating firms operating 89 factories, generating 5.94 billion m² of board and consuming 3.35 million tons of paper....
War in Iran: Fertilizer Sector Warns of Lasting Supply Risk
A two‑week U.S.–Iran ceasefire will temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for roughly 30% of global fertilizer trade and 20% of natural‑gas flows. The closure has already forced several Gulf fertilizer plants offline, tightening worldwide supply and...
EU Exempts Wooden Pallets From PPWR Reuse Requirements
The European Commission clarified that wooden pallets are exempt from reuse obligations under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The guidance applies to pallets used for imports, exports and intra‑EU trade, as well as custom‑designed transport packaging. Industry concerns...
Agriplace Rebrands to Simvia as Compliance Data Platform
Agriplace has rebranded to Simvia, shifting its focus from a farm‑level compliance tool to a Europe‑wide data infrastructure for food and consumer‑goods companies. The platform now aims to unify fragmented regulatory, sustainability and packaging requirements into a single, audit‑ready system....
Albanian Tomato Prices Rise to US$8.40 per Kg
Albania’s tomato market has seen a sharp price surge, with cherry tomatoes reaching $8.40 per kilogram and standard varieties climbing to $3.70‑$4.65 per kilogram. The increase follows flood‑induced damage to greenhouse areas, reduced planting acreage, and higher input costs, which...
