SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TX -- As is increasingly the case these days when producers and purveyors of produce gather, food safety was an inescapable topic on the opening day of the 2010 Texas Produce Association convention, set to run Aug. 11-13 at the Sheraton Beach Hotel, here.

Several staffing changes have recently taken place in the produce ranks at Montreal-based retailer Metro Inc., one of Canada's larger retail chains, according to a company official.

Bernadette Hamel, who formerly served as Metro’s vice president of produce procurement and merchandising in Quebec, told The Produce News Aug. 2 that she was no longer responsible for merchandising and would now be in charge of national procurement. Her new title is vice president of national negotiation and procurement for produce.

The 2010 California avocado crop is much larger than the previous year's crop and will run much later into the season. For that reason, the California Avocado Commission in Irvine, CA, will continue its marketing programs well into the fall this year, according to Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing.

Created by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association as a pilot program, the Passion for Produce program provides rising stars within the produce industry the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the supply chain through mentorship and participation in various events.

Passion for Produce is meant as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for participants to learn about the produce industry in an interactive setting while receiving an education on key aspects of the produce supply chain from field to fork.

Overall damage associated with a storm cell that tore its way through the western Treasure Valley Aug. 6 is expected to be minimal for the region's onion growers.

"Time will tell whether it injured [our] crop," said Tiffany Cruickshank, transportation manager/sales and marketing associate for Snake River Produce Co. in Nyssa, OR.

Grant Kitamura, managing member of Murakami Produce Co. in Ontario, OR, who was out inspecting fields on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10, said, “There was very little damage to bulbs.”

Pat Pizzuto Sr., owner of the former Waltham Fruit Co. in Cambridge, MA, died July 4 after a brief illness. He was 90 years old.

Mr. Pizzuto, who grew up in Cambridge, lost his father at age 12 and dropped out of school at 15 to work at Waltham Fruit to help support his mother and eight siblings.

In 1943, Mr. Pizzuto opened three retail produce stores with his wife, Mary. In 1949, he returned to Waltham Fruit and purchased the company.