Advertise on podcast: For the Love of Avocados

To close out National Nutrition Month, we hear from board-certified, licensed nutritionist Monica Reinagel, on how you can “up the nutritional ante” in your day-to-day lifestyle by power pairing avocados with other fresh produce. Monica tells us it’s less about following the “perfect diet,” and more about small, sustainable shifts that lead to healthier eating habits.

In continuation of For the Love of Avocados’ Avocado Demand series, we dive into the art of ripening. Featuring America’s “favorite fruit,” the banana, we sit down with Charles Johnston, Ripening Manager at Dole Food Company, Inc., to hear how two of the most popular ripe fruits in the U.S. compare.

In anticipation of the Big Game 2022, Mission sits down with Katie Austin (@katieaustin), Health & Fitness Influencer, Host of Austin AF Podcast, and Kim Charon (@charcuterie_n_things), Owner of Charcuterie & Things, LLC, to talk entertaining, food, and how to make the best game-time #guacuterie board with Mission Avocados.

For this episode, we’ll be taking a look at the state of the avocado category, how it performed in 2021, and analyze the key sourcing and consumption trends we’ve seen throughout the year.

As we wrap up 2021, who better to speak with than Matt Britton, CEO & Founder of Suzy, the consumer intelligence platform used by over 300 leading global brands? As a Suzy client ourselves, we use the platform to get quality consumer insights on demand. So, in this episode, we take a look back on 2021 with Matt, and analyze some key happenings: how consumer shopping habits are reacting to inflation, eating out vs. dining in, and Matt’s predictions heading into 2022.

Dana Gunders, national expert and strategic advisor for food waste reduction, joins us to look at the state of food waste in the home. We discuss major causes and practical solutions for food waste at the consumer level, and how to reduce waste around the holidays, including Thanksgiving.

In this special episode, we are joined by none other than Steve Barnard, CEO & Founder of Mission Produce, to open up a series on the birth of the global avocado phenomenon. Steve introduces us to the growth of the avocado category and gives an overview of where global supply and demand are today.

In this episode, we dive into all things food safety with industry experts Dr. Max Teplitski, Chief Science Officer of PMA, and Tim York, CEO of California LGMA. We debunk the myths around keeping food safe, look at the importance (and increase) of produce recalls, and learn what consumers can do to prevent food-borne illness.

Harvard Nutritional Psychiatrist, Dr. Uma Naidoo, author of national bestseller, “This Is Your Brain on Food,” speaks to us about eating for brain health and mental well-being. We discuss the importance of eating your greens, grains, spices, and the doctor’s go-to healthy fat, the avocado.

Growing the perfect avocado is no easy feat. So, what does it take to manage a farm and keep the trees producing bountiful fruit? In this episode, we sit down with 5th generation avocado farmer from California, Scott Cummings, about the process of growing avocados and his lifestyle in the groves. We speak about the 2021 California season, manual labor, water and irrigation, how input costs affect the end-price for consumers, and how his avocados ultimately make it around the world!

So how has the pandemic affected how consumers shop for groceries? Are they eating healthier? Are they ordering online more? We look at the data and the latest shopper insights with Jonna Parker, Principal of the Fresh Center of Excellence at Information Resources, Inc. (IRi). We discuss consumer trends we saw during the pandemic, changes in purchase habits, increases in e-commerce, and how consumer behaviors are anticipated to change moving forward. And, of course, what this all means for avocados, produce, and grocery shopping overall.

Have you ever wondered how that guacamole got on your plate? Or the tomato in your burger, or the onions in your salad? In this month’s episode, we discuss all aspects of the produce supply chain, known as the field to fork model that brings food to your plate. We hear from industry leaders across a variety of commodities, including Marcus Shebl, Vice President of Operations at Taylor Farms, Richie Keirouz, Senior Director of Sales at Mastronardi Produce, and Shay Myers, CEO of Owyhee Produce on how they keep our favorite produce stocked all year-round.