RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 19, 2024--
Performance Food Group Company (PFG) (NYSE: PFGC) today announced the launch of its latest product under its FarmSmart® brand – the Beef & Jackfruit Burger. This innovative blend combines the richness of premium beef with the clean, meat-like qualities of jackfruit, supplied by The Jackfruit Company, the leading plant-based meat alternative brand. The new product offers consumers a delicious way to enjoy the taste of meat while improving nutrition and reducing their environmental footprint.
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By blending beef with jackfruit, FarmSmart offers the ultimate juicy and flavorful burger while providing unique nutritional benefits such as 40 percent less saturated fat and 40 percent lower cholesterol than a 100 percent beef burger. This innovative product supports the broader movement transitioning the food system to lower carbon emissions and enables chefs to avoid any compromise on taste.
“The launch of our FarmSmart Beef & Jackfruit Burger marks an exciting step in our mission to provide sustainable, delicious options to our customers,” said Glenn Strickholm, president of Protein Brands at PFG. “By offering this blended product, we not only deliver the taste and texture that consumers love. Jackfruit was a natural choice for this blend—it’s the most naturally meat-like plant-based ingredient available and has already proven to be a favorite in the plant-based category.”
The Beef & Jackfruit Burger has been sampled among various audiences including college students and chefs, to extremely positive response on taste and juiciness. Additionally, from the chef experience, the item cooks like a regular burger, whether flame-grilled or cooked on a flat-top grill.
Jackfruit has gained recognition for its unique, meat-like texture and clean-label appeal, making it an ideal plant-based alternative in a variety of meat products. By selecting jackfruit over other plant-based options, PFG will deliver a product that resonates with both meat lovers and those seeking plant-forward options. Jackfruit’s versatility and minimal processing requirements further align with the FarmSmart brand’s commitment to sustainability and quality.
“We’re thrilled to partner with PFG’s FarmSmart brand on this exciting new product,” said Annie Ryu, CEO & founder of The Jackfruit Company. “Jackfruit is a powerful plant that allows us to create delicious, satisfying meals while reducing the strain on our food system. The Beef & Jackfruit Burger is a perfect example of how partnership can make sustainable options for consumers widely available.”
PFG’s collaboration with The Jackfruit Company is an important step in PFG’s aim to offer sustainable and innovative food solutions, and to support woman-founded and led companies. Both companies are committed to bringing products to market that deliver on taste, quality, and the needs of the modern consumer. The Beef & Jackfruit Burger is now available through Performance Foodservice sales representatives.
About Performance Food Group
Performance Food Group is an industry leader and one of the largest food and foodservice distribution companies in North America with more than 150 locations. Founded and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, PFG and our family of companies market and deliver quality food and related products to over 300,000 locations including independent and chain restaurants; businesses, schools and healthcare facilities; vending and office coffee service distributors; and big box retailers, theaters and convenience stores. PFG’s success as a Fortune 100 company is achieved through our more than 40,000 dedicated associates committed to building strong relationships with the valued customers, suppliers and communities we serve. To learn more about PFG, including how you can join our team, visit pfgc.com.
About The Jackfruit Company
The Jackfruit Company is the global leader in jackfruit food innovation and supply chains. Founded with a mission to create a sustainable and healthy future, The Jackfruit Company brings the powerful, plant-based versatility of jackfruit to consumers around the world.
Performance Food Group's FarmSmart brand Beef & Jackfruit Burger. This innovative blend combines the richness of premium beef with the clean, meat-like qualities of jackfruit, supplied by The Jackfruit Company, the leading plant-based meat alternative brand. The new product offers consumers a delicious way to enjoy the taste of meat while improving nutrition and reducing their environmental footprint. (Photo: Business Wire)
First, Robert Saleh. Now, Joe Douglas.
Woody Johnson is cleaning house for his woeful New York Jets in what has been a hugely disappointing season.
Douglas was fired Tuesday as the Jets' general manager, the latest shakeup for a franchise that had Super Bowl aspirations with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback but has limped to a 3-8 start and appears likely to miss the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year.
The dismissal of Douglas, who was 30-64 and had no winning seasons in his tenure, came exactly six weeks after Johnson fired Saleh as coach on Oct. 8 after the Jets were 2-3 to open the year.
“Today, I informed Joe Douglas he will no longer serve as the general manager of the New York Jets,” Johnson said in a statement issued by the team. “I want to thank Joe for his commitment to the Jets over the last six years and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
Johnson also announced that Phil Savage, who has served as a senior football adviser since 2019, will be the Jets’ interim general manager for the rest of the season. Johnson said the team would immediately begin the process of finding a new GM.
Douglas, who was in the final year of his contract after being hired in 2019, was not consulted by Johnson when the owner made the decision to dismiss Saleh and replace him on an interim basis with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. New York is 1-5 under Ulbrich.
Johnson said at the time he thought the Jets had “one of the most talented teams that has ever been assembled” in his 25 years as owner — and Douglas was largely responsible. But the absence of Douglas' input in the firing of Saleh was a clear indication that the GM's job could also be in jeopardy.
"I come in here every day and just want to do whatever I can to help this team reach its goals and reach its destination,” Douglas said two weeks ago when asked if he was worried about his job status. “And whatever happens, happens.”
The Jets were 3-6 at that time and Douglas insisted the team could turn things around and make a late run.
“Obviously, it starts with me,” Douglas said. “I can look back and there’s quite a few things that I could have done better. Obviously, when a situation happens like what happened four weeks ago (Saleh's firing), you have a lot of self-reflective moments on the things that you could have done better to keep that from happening.
“But we’ve got an opportunity here with these last stretch of games to change that narrative.”
The Jets have since dropped two more games, including a humiliating 31-6 loss at Arizona two weeks ago followed by New York blowing a late lead and losing 28-27 to Indianapolis last Sunday.
And Johnson apparently thought it was time during the Jets' bye-week break to complete what is a major overhaul rather than wait until the end of the season — when it appears likely the franchise will extend the NFL's longest active postseason drought.
Johnson's future outside of football could also be a factor in beginning the search now. He served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom during President-elect Donald Trump's first term, when Johnson's brother Christopher was in charge of the team and hired Saleh. Woody Johnson could potentially fill that role again with Trump elected for the second time, and that would cause him to relinquish day-to-day operations of the team at some point next year.
Douglas was widely celebrated when he swung the trade — with Johnson's urging — to acquire Rodgers from Green Bay. But the four-time NFL MVP tore his left Achilles tendon four snaps into the 2023 season opener and the Jets never recovered, finishing 7-10.
Rodgers entered training camp this summer healthy and with renewed zest for playing — and revived the franchise's Super Bowl hopes in the process. Instead, the Jets have been arguably the NFL's most disappointing team — and now the future of Rodgers, who will turn 41 on Dec. 2 and has a year remaining on his contract, is uncertain.
The failure of Rodgers to produce anywhere close to his usual level while with the Packers will be a stain on Douglas' resume. The GM's inability to successfully build a consistently solid offensive line will be another, along with the team's decision to trade quarterback Sam Darnold to Carolina and draft Zach Wilson as his replacement with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft.
But Douglas also made several key moves to establish a young core, including drafting cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson and running back Breece Hall in the first two rounds of the 2022 draft.
Savage has extensive NFL experience as an executive, including front-office stints with Cleveland, where he was the GM for four years in his second stint with the Browns, as well as Baltimore and Philadelphia.
He was also the executive director for the Senior Bowl for six years, and served as general manager of the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football in 2018 before joining the Jets.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas speaks to reporters at the team’s training facility in Florham Park, N.J., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Dennis Waszak Jr.)
