Produce industry headlines: August 20, 2026

Good afternoon! It’s Thursday, August 20, 2026. Here’s what’s happening in produce and grocery today.

Read commentary from Walmart’s CEO on its Q2 report, a measure of the outbreak on salad sales, Albertson’s new marketing chief, Canadian regulators oppose a vegetable brand sale, smugglers caught shipping meth labeled as celery, and more.

To read about Walmart’s FY2027 Q2 financial report, click here.

As always, have something to share? Send us your feedback at news@bluebookservices.com.

Top Stories

Walmart touts low prices, meal offerings as key grocery levers

CEO and President John Furner told investors that Walmart’s price gaps to conventional grocers are strong, and they continue to widen.

Cyclospora Scare Costs Produce Aisle $280M a Month, Numerator Finds

Recent data from Numerator shows that more than 6.5 million U.S. households stopped buying salad mixes and kits in July.

Albertsons taps former Fresh Market exec as marketing chief

Emily Turner joins Albertsons after serving in a similar role at the specialty retailer.

B&G Foods’ Green Giant sale runs into antitrust concerns in Canada

Canada’s Competition Bureau says the sale of two vegetable brands to Nortera Foods could lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.

Smuggler lands in jail celery as veggie sticks out of $14M meth shipment

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility seized $14.98 million worth of alleged methamphetamine concealed in a shipment labeled as fresh celery.

Pricing expected to strengthen on California Valencias

Growers report rising demand as schools begin again with sizing trending toward large fruit.