ST. LOUIS — In the competitive sense, serving the St. Louis area foodservice business is “brutal,” in the view of Steve Wielansky, co-owner of Independent Fruit & Produce Co.

ST. LOUIS — Customized service is the key strength of Heimos Produce Co. Inc., located on the St. Louis Produce Market.

When Congress passed the farm bill earlier this year, they enhanced an incentive program for buying healthier foods by those using food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods, based in Oviedo, FL, has a large variety of citrus items available now in promotable volumes for summer citrus categories nationwide.

From premium grapefruit varieties to a wide selection of oranges and specialty fruits from Florida, California, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay, including Meyer lemons, Duda is working with retail partners on customized programs to fit specific chain needs.

“The summer citrus programs will see a slight increase over last season, mainly in Clementines and Navels,” said Kathy Hearl, marketing promotions manager for DNE World Fruit LLC in Fort Pierce, FL. “They are the most popular varieties in the summer citrus lineup and account for the majority of sales. Our summer citrus is available from Australia, South Africa, Chile and Peru between June and October, with a wide variety of citrus such as Navels, Clementines, Minneola’s, Mandarins and Cara Cara oranges.”

Miles Fraser-Jones, senior vice president of AMC Direct Inc. in Glassboro, NJ, the North American arm of the AMC Group, explained to The Produce News that the company is separated into three divisions that each has its own expertise and focus.

“AMC Direct is a vertically integrated company, in that we grow, pack and ship into the U.S. from various countries,” said Fraser-Jones. “We have production areas in Peru and Chile in South America, South Africa and in Spain, and product under this division is distributed across the U.S.