While consumers are busy firing up their grills and preparing for Fourth of July backyard barbecues, Turbana and Weber are slated to introduce a tropical twist on the traditional American holiday.

Not only is California the most populous state in the union, but the population of Southern California is, by itself, greater than the population of all but two other states, with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area accounting for more than half of that.

An ongoing trend in the demographics of Southern California is a shift in the ethnic mix. The Hispanic population continues to grow, but so do the Asian and Middle Eastern populations, and their influence on the Los Angeles produce industry, on the product mix and on the retail landscape is increasingly significant.

IFCO achieved a significant milestone this fiscal year: 1 billion annual reusable plastic container (RPC) shipments from producers to retail locations throughout the world. The record number represents more than 20 years of growth for IFCO RPCs and confirms the benefits retailers and grower-shippers continue to see from IFCO solutions.

Mann Packing is launching Snap Pea Sensations, proprietary vegetable kits developed in response to the popularity of complete kits and the growth of Mann’s signature sugar snap peas.

The Illiana Watermelon Association, which represents grower-shippers from Illinois and Indiana, launched a strong educational program to ensure that its membership was prepared for future food-safety expectations.

Brad Johnston, chairmen of the association, along with many other individuals, helped lead Illiana’s effort with a weeklong seminar in March 2013. Those grower-shippers in attendance who did not already have a food-safety program were trained in the 2013 season. Many firms who were already certified also participated in that March program.

The unbridled enthusiasm of the young has a way of rubbing off on everyone at Ben B. Schwartz & Sons Inc. and that includes Chief Operating Officer Nate Stone. “This is a great place to work,” he told The Produce News.

After more than a century in the fresh produce business, the work environment at the company has just the right balance of a work-hard, play-hard philosophy to keep things interesting.