MARICOPA, CA -- Grower Keith Mori, owner of FRUSA Cal. Corp. in Los Angeles, is "the finest grower I have ever seen, and I have worked for an awful lot of growers," said Richard Spalding, sales manager at FRUSA. "I have worked for some amazing [growers]. I have worked for Sam Perricone. I have worked for Blue Banner. I have worked for Bee Sweet, [and Mr. Mori] is by far, hands down, the finest grower I have seen. The fruit is just spectacular" in size, color and quality.

SAN DIEGO -- Produce Marketing Association President Bryan Silbermann announced Oct. 21 that the association's board of directors approved the outline of a comprehensive new program to ensure consumers' continued confidence in the safety of produce.

At its annual meeting, held Oct. 20 here at PMA's Fresh Summit, the board authorized $1 million in new funds to be allocated over the next 14 months to a four-pronged program designed to reinforce existing and determine new industry standards for food safety that extend from field to fork.

The San Diego retail supermarket scene, like the community itself, is very diverse and offers a wide range of options for both the discerning and the discount shopper.

Steve Kenfield, who spent the last several years as president of Ripe 'N Ready in Parlier, CA, has moved to Nogales, AZ, to take a position as vice president of sales and marketing with SunFed.

"I have known [SunFed founder] Danny [Mandel] for a long time," said Mr. Kenfield. "We worked together way back when I was with Amerifresh" in Seattle.

Five years ago, Pinos Produce Inc. in San Diego, which grows tomatoes and cucumbers in Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, undertook a program to transition all of its production from the open field into shade houses. It was envisioned as a five-year program, with "more and more" shade houses being built each year "until we had 100 percent shade houses," and it is "right on schedule," said Daniel Uribe, sales manager.

As a result of softening marketing conditions, Irwindale, CA-based Ready Pac Produce Inc. will idle its salad-processing plant in Plymouth, IN, next month. Steve Dickstein, vice president of marketing for Ready Pac, said that the plant would be idled Nov. 9. Production at the facility will return when market conditions warrant it, he said.