As a result of its acquisition last fall by Jacksonville, FL-based Crowley Holdings, Customized Brokers, a Customs-clearance company that specializes in refrigerated cargo that arrives by air and sea, now offers additional logistics services to its current and expanding customer base.

Patricia Compres, president and chief executive officer of Miami-based Customized Brokers, told The Produce News March 6 that her firm is stronger than ever with the Crowley connection, and that the company is expanding its Philadelphia and Los Angeles offices.

After close to three decades in the corporate retail environment in a number of different executive positions, Rick Rynke was a bit frustrated and wanted to get closer to his retail roots. So 19 years ago, he and his son, Bob, bought a small retail grocery company and haven't looked back.

By this time next month, mangos from Mexico should be arriving in the United States without having to undergo a hot-water treatment process that many feel compromises the quality and flavor of the fruit.

An irradiation facility in the Mexican state of Hidalgo has applied for certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and expects to be shipping irradiated mangos to the United States by mid-April.

With an all-time high of 37,914 planted acres of strawberries in California and with shipments by March 7 tracking ahead of last year, the 2009 season could be headed for another volume record for fresh California strawberries.

Strong volume is expected to come on in time for Easter promotions.

Statewide strawberry acreage for 2009 is up 3.8 percent over 2008 and up 16 percent over 2005, with steady increases each year.

WASHINGTON -- When President Obama spends a Saturday radio address talking about food safety, can federal legislation be far behind?

Legislation to modernize the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's food-safety authority got a huge boost March 14 when President Obama took the opportunity during his Saturday radio address to name the new FDA commissioner, criticize the current food-safety system and announce a new interagency working group to look at ways to improve the federal system.

BRONX, NY -- New York City and the merchants of the New York City Hunts Point Terminal Market have agreed on a plan to improve the market.

Based on interviews with market leaders, what follows is a basic description of the market as it stands today and how the market would be improved. The existing market has four rows, labeled A, B, C and D. Each of these docks is about one-fourth of a mile long. Row A is the first dock encountered upon entering the market.