SALINAS, CA " NewStar Fresh Foods LLC, based here, began shipping two-crown broccoli the week of Jan. 10.

The company introduced the two-crown broccoli at the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit 2004 in Anaheim, CA, in October. The rollout follows the company?s introduction of a three-crown broccoli in August.

OAKLAND, CA " Bananas, the most popular produce item in the United States, have a new player on the scene: Fair Trade-certified bananas from Uniban, a Colombia-based grower association.

The bananas are coming in through Turbana Corp., Uniban?s U.S. marketing arm based in Coral Gables, FL. The first shipments came in to the United States the week of Jan. 10.

Uniban attained Fair Trade certification through TransFair USA, a non-profit organization based here. TransFair is the only independent third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States.

Cary Crum, sales manager at D.J. Forry Co. in Reedley, CA, has announced that he is leaving Forry to start his own marketing company, Green Tree International Inc., in partnership with John Rast, owner of Rast Produce Co. Inc. in Visalia, CA.

The new company will be located in Visalia and will focus initially on developing marketing contracts with table grape growers in California and on building a year-round table grape program that includes imported product from Mexico, Chile and possibly Peru, Mr. Crum said.

?We are going to kick off our consumer advertising campaign? for California avocados "right before Super Bowl," Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for the California Avocado Commission, told The Produce News Jan. 6.

Consumption of avocados during Super Bowl weekend is traditionally heavy, and since it comes just about the time that the new-crop California Hass harvest gets going in earnest, it is a good time to begin building interest in the new crop.

River Ranch Fresh Foods LLC in Salinas, CA, announced the appointment of Mike Alliman to the position of chief financial officer.

Mr. Alliman will be responsible for all accounting and finance activities of the company, including grower accounting, payables, receivables and financial reporting.

A certified public accountant who holds a master of accountancy with an emphasis in cost accounting, Mr. Alliman reports directly to Jim Lucas, CEO and president.

WASHINGTON " U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman has been named to take over as head of the United Nations Children?s Fund, starting May 1.

?Her qualifications are outstanding," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said of Secretary Veneman, who has headed USDA since 2001.

The outgoing secretary will be in charge of more than 7,000 people spanning 157 countries who respond to the needs of children, ranging from running massive child immunization campaigns to mobilizing aid in disasters such as last month?s devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.