Calavo Growers Inc. in Santa Paula, CA, announced Aug. 13 that it has entered into a marketing and distribution agreement with Agricola Belher, a major grower of tomatoes in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.

The initiative will "further enhance" Calavo's "diversified fresh products business with the planned introduction of 'Calavo' brand tomatoes late this fall," the release stated. "In conjunction with the agreement, the Mexican company will be making substantial investments in infrastructure to support the new program."

U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Mike Leavitt, FDA Commissioner Andrew Von Eschenbach and Associate FDA Commissioner Margaret Glavin toured the Del Monte Fresh port facility in Camden, NJ, Aug. 6 as part of a two-week tour of imported-food facilities around the country.

When shoppers enter the Porricelli's Food Mart in Old Greenwich, CT, the first thing they see is a display of fresh produce. This display, which changes every week, spotlights special promotional items as well as the most seasonal items available, inviting shoppers into the main aisles of the produce department.

In mid- and late summer, fresh fruits and vegetables from the retailer's home state of Connecticut take center stage on both the opening display and in the rest of the expansive produce department.

Extremely cold weather in Peru has delayed the asparagus crop, but U.S. importers expect heavy volume to start by mid- to late-August and total import to be up 12-15 percent this year.

Unique Cold Storage, headquartered in Pompano Beach, FL, recently announced that it is expanding its range of warehouse services for produce shippers.

"A full menu of services is offered for companies desiring support in the Florida area," said Brian Osborne, operations manager. "Our easy access to major interstate highways and our proximity to distribution centers for several large retailers make Unique Cold Storage a great choice for any company seeking advanced warehouse services in our area."

Apofruit Italia Soc. Coop. Agricola in Cesena, Italy, DiDonna Trade S.r.l. in Rutigliano, Italy, and Comercial Frunexa S.L. in Seville, Spain, have been granted approval to market new fruit varieties developed by Sun World International LLC, based in Bakersfield, CA.

The nomination enables the three companies to market fruit from proprietary fruit varieties grown by licensed Sun World producers throughout Europe, according to Sun World Senior Vice President David Marguleas.