THE RETAIL FUTURE OF INDOOR GROWN PRODUCE

From enormous high-tech greenhouses to indoor vertical farms, indoor production of produce is emerging as an important category for retailers and foodservice customers. Once touted as a ‘hyper-local’ solution to providing fresh produce into urban communities, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) growers today employ local, regional and national strategies to serve their customers.

At the New York Produce Show, Wednesday, December 6, during the Industry Insights Educational Sessions, the 11:00 a.m. topic is The Retail Future of Indoor Grown Produce. This session brings together three of the country’s most successful indoor growers and a key retail leader to share their views on the future impact of this growing category for retailers and foodservice buyers.

Attendees will be especially interested in hearing from Irving Fain, CEO and Founder, Bowery; Ross Farnsworth, VP Produce & Floral, Wakefern Food Corp; Viraj Puri, CEO and Founder, Gotham Greens, and Paul Sellew, CEO and Founder, Little Leaf Farms.

Tom Stenzel, Executive Director, Controlled Environment Agriculture Food Safety Coalition, will serve as the moderator for this exceptional panel of industry experts.

Keen eyes from the retail side and foodservice arena are constantly on the lookout for reliable produce supply sources. It’s not enough for buyers to look mere months ahead when reality encourages the system to prepare for measures of prevention and initiating immediate solutions. Discussing these essential topics is a valuable feature of the New York Produce Show and Conference.

Now in its 14^th year, the NYPS, hosted by the Eastern Produce Council and Produce Business, welcomes show attendees to join the various educational sessions held on the show floor in the stage area designated for Industry Insights. According to Ken Whitacre, CEO/Publisher, “This year’s event will have the largest attendance of produce buyers – retail and foodservice – than we have ever had.” The NYPS is being held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., December 6^th in New York City.