“Rather than getting stronger, the demand for locally grown produce is more mainstream today,” Tony Vitrano, president of Tony Vitrano Co., located at the Maryland Wholesale Produce Market in Jessup, MD, told The Produce News.

“But for the most case, customers just want the best-quality produce at the best possible price,” he said.

The company has always handled western fruits and vegetables, and while that part of its business remains strong, today it also sources from local growers as well as other growing regions around the country.

The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association selected RedLine Solutions as the traceability solutions provider for its member sales organizations and growers.

“After several months of discussions, the group has found the RedLine team to be true leaders in the industry who stay knowledgeable about the current requirements as well as those that may become apparent in the future,” Dana Rady, director of promotion, communication and consumer education for WPVGA, said in a press release.

FoodLink, a leader in supply chain and commerce solutions for the fresh food industry, announced Sept. 18 that Wuhl Shafman Lieberman Co. will implement the company's produce traceability solution on all packed and shipped produce within the United States.

Wuhl Shafman Lieberman, a well-established produce wholesaler based in Newark, NJ, handles a complete line of fruits and vegetables through its fresh-cut produce division, including onions, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, peaches, citrus, grapes and cantaloupes.

ROSHOLT, WI — In the view of Bob Johnson, president of Katz Produce Sales LLC, based here, a somewhat-small size profile, which generally characterizes the 2013 Wisconsin potato crop, tends to suit Midwestern markets.

Johnson noted that large-sized potatoes have a tendency to sell in urban markets, where families lean toward buying only enough large bakers to have with a steak cookout. Midwestern families are inclined to buy larger volumes of small-sized spuds to serve families that tend to be larger, he noted.

ANTIGO, WI — Potato shipper Dave Cofer offers a wide range of potato varieties and packs from his office at Farmers Potato Exchange Inc., located here.

“We have a lot of white potatoes,” he said. “Whites are the largest part of our volume. That keeps a little niche for me.” White potatoes tend to be most-commonly produced in this part of the state, as well as central Wisconsin, he said.

As Florida producers and industry affiliates prepare for the 70th annual Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association Convention Sept. 21-25 at the Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton Resort, they find themselves facing an agenda that in many regards is a replica of last year's. The basic issues are the same, and while progress has been made on some fronts, the schedule gives the overall impression of a series of time-lapse photographs that has advanced just a few frames in 12 months' time.