LIMA, PERU — Since the U.S. market opened to Peruvian citrus in 2006, shipments have increased approximately 20 percent per year, due in part to the quality of the product but also to the work of the association charged with promoting the category to foreign markets.

New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, Al Murray, said the agency will be exhibiting at the New England Produce Council Produce & Floral Expo 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel & Spa on Sept. 11.

“Joe Atchison, agricultural coordinator for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture will join me at the expo to meet and greet visitors and exhibitors alike,” said Murray. “On behalf of the agency, we will be promoting New Jersey’s produce industry as well as the ‘Jersey Fresh’ advertising and promotional program to the attendees.”

Bill Litvin, vice president of sales and national account manager for Giorgio Fresh Co., headquartered in Blandon, PA, said the company is pleased to be exhibiting at the New England Produce Council Produce & Floral Expo 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel & Spa on Sept. 11.

Washington apple producers are rising to the occasion, changing the notion of what the “new normal” is looking like for the state’s industry. This season, the Evergreen State is predicted to market 140.2 million 40-pound boxes of apples, another large crop and anticipated record-setter.

Jon DeVaney, executive director of the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association, said the growth track has been a calculated one. “These are the kinds of crops people are expecting,” he told The Produce News. “It’s what the industry has been preparing for.”

Capitalizing on the growing popularity of convenience-driven fruit and vegetable snack items, Baloian Farms has expanded its product line with a new offering: sweet mini peppers with fat-free ranch, packaged together in a single-serving cup.

Whole Kids Foundation is kicking off back-to-school season with a goal of raising $3 million to fund salad bars and gardens for schools and nutrition education classes for teachers.