Sidney Feinstein, a veteran of supermarket retailing for more than half a century and best known for his long tenure at Kings Super Markets, died Sunday, April 20, at Boca Raton Community Hospital in Boca Raton, FL. He was 86 years old and a resident of Boca Raton.

The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to his son Norman Feinstein.

Kicking off the prime California avocado season with a bang, the California Avocado Commission is supplementing its recently announced advertising campaign with promotional activities in support of Cinco de Mayo, the celebration in which guacamole and other avocado dishes are as ubiquitous as turkey is for Thanksgiving.

The commission's promotion plans include public relations outreach featuring celebrity chefs, an extensive on-line campaign and strong in-store merchandising support.

Salinas, CA-based Grower-Shipper Association of Central California has rolled out a new logo as well as a new web site that offers more information than its previous site.

A strong marketing and public-relations program has propelled "Wholly Guacamole" processed avocado products to lofty heights, with more than $100 million in annual sales. Similar efforts are enabling other products marketing by Fresherized Foods, based in Ft. Worth, TX, to enjoy similar success.

SEATTLE -- With the Food & Drug Administration reluctant to set national safety standards, big buyers and their risk-averse lawyers are driving food- safety standards and demanding more microbiological testing and audits, according to produce consultant Devon Zagory of NSF Davis Fresh.

No official estimate was available at this writing, but industry sources suggest that the total California cherry crop for 2008 could be similar in volume to last year's record 7.5 million boxes.

Bings, which accounted for nearly two-thirds of the state's total cherry volume last year, will be a little lighter this year. However, the early cherry varieties such as Brooks, Tulare and Sequoia are expected to be up in volume, due largely to new plantings coming into production or young plantings coming into fuller production.