HAMILTON, NJ — The trend toward promoting locally grown produce has reached a new level this year as one of the country’s leading wholesale club stores has stepped up a pilot program it launched last summer.

With Eastern produce deals in full swing, BJ’s Wholesale Club, based in Westborough, MA, is taking advantage of consumers’ preference for locally grown product by promoting its “Farm to Club” program.

Costco Wholesale Corp. has begun requiring fresh produce and beef vendors to test for a wide range of E. coli strains, including O104:H4 that caused a massive outbreak tied to sprouts in Europe.

“We’ve had test and hold for ready-to-eat vendors for four to five years,” Craig Wilson, Costco’s food safety director, told The Produce News July 20. “This is the next step in the evolution.”

WEATHER

Salinas, CA: Daytime temperatures will be in the upper 60s to low 70s through July 26 with overnight lows in the low to mid-50s. Patchy morning and evening fog will persist into late July.

Mendota, CA: Daytime temperatures will be in the low to mid-90s through July 26 with overnight low in the mid- to low 60s.

DEMAND

Demand for California melons exceeds very light supplies. Russet demand continues to greatly exceed the remaining supply in all shipping areas.

TRANSPORTATION & FUEL

MONTEREY, CA — Naturipe Farms LLC, a leading marketer of a full line of berries, headquartered in Estero, FL, is hoping the increasing popularity of its new “Berry Quick” line of single-serve blueberry packs will translate to higher foodservice sales for blueberries.

The “Berry Quick” pack offers the convenience of a pre-washed and ready-to-eat single-serving of fruit in a 1.5-ounce resealable pack, offering chefs and foodservice operators the option of a having a pre-measured serving to accompany a meal or the ability to add a partial serving into a salad or other dish.

ANAHEIM, CA — Jack Gyben of Progressive Produce in Los Angeles and Deborah Jackson of Supervalu/Albertsons received the top annual awards for produce and floral, respectively, at the Fresh Produce & Floral Council Expo, held July 19, here.

Mr. Gyben, who is a partner at Progressive and also is the firm’s vice president of marketing and business development, was cited for his tireless devotion to the industry and particularly to the FPFC. He has served several terms on the board of directors and was chairman of the organization in 2006.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service has cleared Peruvian avocados to enter the United States without cold treatment.

"This approval by APHIS will go a very long way toward the development of the U.S. market for Peruvian avocados in the May-through-September marketing window," Mark Greenberg, senior vice president of procurement and chief operating officer of Fisher Capespan in Montreal, told The Produce News July 19, the same day the announcement was made.