Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. Inc. will be selling 29 of its stores.

Bi-Lo Holdings LLC, parent company of the BI-LO and Winn-Dixie grocery store chains, has entered into a definitive agreement with Piggly Wiggly to acquire 22 of its stores, with approximately 1,200 store employees in South Carolina and coastal Georgia. An additional seven stores will be purchased by Harris Teeter.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PLEASANTON, CA — Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, discussed the produce industry's opportunities and challenges, including the all-important food-safety issue, as the keynote speaker at the Sept. 12 Fresh Produce & Floral Council luncheon, here.

Stenzel, who titled his speech "Growth or Stagnation," said there are some factors that point to great growth on the horizon, but there are also challenges that threaten to derail that growth.

PLEASANTON, CA —  Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, left attendees of the Sept. 12 Fresh Produce & Floral Council luncheon with an optimistic view of the future. He said many programs are exposing more and more young people to fresh produce and hopefully putting them on the path of lifetime consumption.

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Certified Greenhouse Farmers approved six new members from British Columbia. With these new members and those companies currently pending membership certification, CGF will grow to more than 50 greenhouse operations in Canada, Mexico and the United States this year.

The new CGF members are BJ Farms of Abbotsford, Canadian Valley Growers of Aldergrove, Delta View Farms of Delta, Peppertree Farms of Abbotsford, Sunnybay Greenhouse of Delta and Millennium Pacific of Delta.

“Giorgio Fresh Co. became a certified organic grower on March 11, 2004,” said Bill Litvin, vice president of sales and national account manager for the Temple, PA-based grower and shipper of fresh mushrooms.

“We are certified by PCO [Pennsylvania Certified Organic]. Giorgio is one of the largest growers of organic mushrooms in the country,” he added.

It has been about 15 years since Homegrown Organic Farms in Porterville, CA, opened its doors and it has been steady growth ever since.

The company began with citrus and tree fruit and those commodities continue to be the main focus of the operation, but it has also expanded into blueberries and enlarged its citrus line. Chief Executive Officer Scott Mabs said, “Right now, the growth we have experienced is in easy-peel mandarins and blueberries.”