It’s the winter, which means there is potential for cold weather even in sunny California and limited strawberry supplies when that weather hits.

California’s winter strawberry-producing districts had virtually no rain from Thanksgiving until the middle of January, but they were hit with several cold snaps that dipped temperatures down and retarded the growth of the plants.

As January comes to a close, strawberry shipments are inconsistent but running quite a bit ahead of the rain-plagued 2011 season to date.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has rolled out final school meal standards that will double the amount of fruits and vegetables and reduce sodium, a move that will affect 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day.

As people around the world rang in the New Year, many Hispanic households were celebrating with grapes. The California Table Grape Commission developed a media kit around a popular Hispanic New Year tradition -- 12 Uvas de la Suerte (12 Grapes of Luck) -- and generated media coverage in Spanish-language television stations, newspapers and web sites across the country.