During his March 4 keynote speech to attendees of the Southeast Produce Council annual conference and exposition in Fort Lauderdale, FL, United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association President Tom Stenzel announced the launch of a three-year, $1.5 million fundraising campaign for Project Fresh Start, a new nutrition and health policy project of the United Research & Education Foundation.

Global Pacific Produce Inc., a Henderson, NV-based fresh produce firm, and Lazopoulos Associates, headquartered in Kennett Square, PA, recently announced that they have entered into an agreement to import certified organic Regal (Sugraone), Thompson seedless, Sunred seedless and Black Dan Ben Hanna grapes from South Africa under the "Colors" brand. The label is already well recognized in many countries.

Oakland, CA-based Grant J. Hunt Co. has named Eric Patrick marketing director, and the produce industry veteran will be part of the Hunt division in The Dalles, OR.

Mr. Patrick will operate out of the company's Yakima office, he told The Produce News March 1.

Prior to his move to the Grant J. Hunt Co., Mr. Patrick had served as director of marketing for Domex Inc. in Yakima, WA, and had also held the position of domestic promotion director for the Washington State Fruit Commission/Northwest Cherry Growers.

Dole Fresh Vegetables has introduced three new salads: Spring Garden, Bacon Lettuce Toss and Sweet Baby Lettuces.

Spring Garden is the second in Dole's "Selections of the Season" salad kit line, which features seasonal greens with toppings and a custom dressing tailored to the season. Available March through May, Spring Garden is a light blend of sweet baby lettuces, crisp shredded carrots and crunchy toasted almonds.

Concerned for the integrity of the sweet Vidalia onion name, growers of the prized crop are taking legal action against National Onion Labs Inc. in Collins, GA, a company that uses scientific means to verify and certify the sweetness of its clients' onions.

Josh Archer, an attorney with Balch & Bingham in Atlanta, which represents a group of Vidalia onion growers who feel that the extra sweet certification claim is an infringement of the Vidalia trademark, said that a lawsuit was filed Feb. 27 against National Onion Labs that would force it to stop using the verbiage.

"It's getting better every day," said Nick Cusimano of Cusimano Produce Co. Inc. in New Orleans. Last week we did better than the week before, and weve got two more customers opening up today.

Six months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and its produce industry, both the city and the industry are coming back. Those small local grocery stores had been closed since the storm, but their reopening means a bit more business for local produce suppliers.