In 2012, the New England Produce Council proudly announced that it had joined the “Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools” program. The idea for the Council to become involved began when Tom Stenzel, the president and chief executive officer of the United Fresh Produce Association, made his presentation at the Council’s end of calendar year meeting in May 2011.

New York apple growers are helping to ensure that 1,000 local families facing hunger have apples to make charoset for Passover Seder this year.

Kingston & Associates Marketing LLC announced that Nick Proia has joined the company and will fill the newly created position of vice president of business development. He will focus on developing new business, strengthening strategic relationships and expanding product lines and current distribution channels.

An early March freeze took a nip out of Florida's sweet corn, green bean and blueberry crops, but otherwise growing conditions have been excellent and the Sunshine State is primed for a fine spring, though there are concerns about labor availability as production ramps up.

Total U.S. mango imports have grown 400 percent over the last two decades, and even over the past five years they are increasing at an average rate of 5 percent per year.

While this is good news, longtime importer Larry Nienkerk, president of Splendid Products LLC in Burlingame, CA, believes there is still untapped potential.

He has been selling mangos in the United States for 37 years and has seen a tremendous change during that time. He said that mangos have gone from an exotic, specialty crop to a staple sold in virtually every market in the United States.

GM Produce Sales LLC, which is among the larger importers of Mexican mangos into the United States, has added a new retail specialist and expects to increase its volume by close to 20 percent.

JoJo Shiba, who heads the Los Angeles office for the Hidalgo, TX-based firm, announced the hiring of mango industry veteran Tom Argyros as the western retail specialist. Mr. Argyros has been in the produce industry for more than two decades and has been concentrating on mango sales since 1995.