Rain at or just prior to harvest time can devastate cherries by causing the fruit to split. But in spite of an unusually wet spring in California's San Joaquin Valley, most of the early cherry varieties in the valley escaped serious damage due to a happy coincidence: the spring weather in the valley has been unseasonably cool as well as uncharacteristically rainy. The cool temperatures have delayed the maturity of the crop, so most of the cherries that saw rain were still too small and too green for the rain to do much damage.

Glory Foods Inc., a Columbus, OH-based privately held company that produces Southern-style products including canned vegetables, frozen entrées and fresh-cut bagged vegetables, has been purchased by McCall Farms Inc. in Effingham, SC. The purchase, for an undisclosed price, was finalized in December but was announced publicly May 3. McCall Farms had served as Glory Foods' contract packager for its first 10 years in business.

Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, a Leamington, ON-based member organization that lobbies, conducts research and promotes for Ontario greenhouse vegetable growers, is looking to connect its products with the locally grown concept via a new consumer initiative.

George Gilvesy, general manager of the organization, told The Produce News that its new locally grown program, known as "Oh-So-Local" and with the tagline “Request Ontario Greenhouse Freshness,” launched April 30 and will focus on greenhouse-produced vegetables.

In 1962, the Herrán and Guerra families opened their first grocery store in Miami, offering familiar fare to the ever-increasing influx of Hispanics into south Florida. By the time the company entered the Orlando, FL, market with three new stores earlier this year, Sedano's Supermarkets had grown to become one of the nation's larger Hispanic grocery chains, employing more than 3,000 people.

Continuing on its mission to reignite the packaged salad category and less than six months after introducing its revamped Dole salads line, Dole Fresh Vegetables, based in Monterey, CA, has launched the first Dole salad kits with a commitment to wholesome, all-natural ingredients that extends to the very bottom of the bag.

Dole's all-natural salad kits now combine farm-fresh lettuces and vegetables with all-natural toppings, including nuts, croutons, cheeses, seasonings and dressings. The kits began shipping to U.S. stores in April and the rollout will continue through June.

WASHINGTON -- Fresh produce businesses can for the first time compare third-party auditor services thanks to a working group spearheaded by the United Fresh Produce Association.

The Audits Benchmarking Matrix, which was released April 30, allows users to compare eight organizations that perform pre-farm gate audits, seven businesses that perform post-farm gate audits, and four organizations whose standards have been benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative.