Official estimates for the 2008 California peach, plum and nectarine crops werel set to be adopted April 29 at joint meetings of the Peach Commodity Committee, the Nectarine Administrative Committee and the California Plum Marketing Board. But industry sources suggest that overall crop volume for the three commodities combined will be similar to last year's 56 million boxes.

Timing is also expected to be similar to last year, although temperature trends before harvest could adjust that by a few days either way.

Matt McLean, founder and chief executive officer of Uncle Matt's Organic, spent four hours April 19 at a Wal-Mart store in central Florida sampling product and discussing organic fruits and juices with the chain's customers.

The event in Ocoee, FL, was just one of many such demonstrations that take place at Wal-Mart locations throughout the country on a regular basis.

MONTEREY, CA -- Las Vegas and the United Fresh Produce Association convention will be the site for the inaugural Produce Excellence in Foodservice Award, sponsored by Pro*Act LLC, based here.

Pro*Act President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Grinstead, who serves on the board of directors of United Fresh Produce Association, came up with the idea of the foodservice award.

The award, sponsored by Pro*Act, honors chefs and their companies for their use of produce in the culinary arts.

The Riverside Co., a global private equity firm headquartered in New York City that specializes in leveraged buyouts, has added HerbThyme Farms Inc. in Compton, CA, to its portfolio as an add-on to GreenLine Foods in Bowling Green, OH, which Riverside acquired in September 2006.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Steven Curtis Smith, board chairman of the Food Marketing Institute as well as president and chief executive officer of K-VA-T Food Stores Inc., d/b/a Food City in Abingdon, VA, announced April 29 that FMI President and CEO Tim Hammonds has elected to retire.

Mr. Hammonds, the institute's second chief executive, will have served in that capacity for 15 years. A search committee is in place chaired by Ronald D. Pearson, chairman emeritus of Hy-Vee Inc.

Information continues to be gathered to determine exactly what caused a fire that destroyed the Evans Fruit Co. packing plant near Tieton, WA. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms "and the Tieton Police Department are investigating the fire," Tieton Police Chief Jeffrey Ketchum told The Produce News April 28.