Chiquita Brands International Inc. announced the opening of a new distribution center in Nogales, AZ, which serves retail and foodservice customers with "Chiquita" brand fresh fruits and vegetables.

The facility offers state-of-the-art inventory management and easier handling, loading and unloading of products. It is also certified to leading food-safety standards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Arizona Department of Health Services and Primus Labs.

Franklin Farms, marketer of the Portabella Veggiburger, a leading fresh veggie burger, as well as a variety of other vegetarian products, has added a gluten-free claim on the packaging of its products. Already all-natural, the company is incorporating more value-added product attributes to its vegetarian line.

The company recently discontinued several items that did not meet the gluten-free criteria and added a new product, Soyrizo, a meat-free version of the traditional Mexican sausage, chorizo. Not only is Soyrizo gluten free, but is also vegan.

River Point Farms in Hermiston, OR, one of the larger onion producers in the United States, announced that it was recognized by the Subway restaurant chain as the North American Supply Chain Partner of the Year during the vendor awards ceremony at the annual Convention of Subway Franchisees that took place Aug. 1 in Orlando, FL.

SEASIDE, CA -- The California Department of Food & Agriculture, which oversees the Salinas, CA-based California Lettuce Research Board, is taking steps to form a new research board that would focus on both lettuce and spinach research.

Mary Zischke, chief executive officer of the California Lettuce Research Board, shared the news with the audience assembled at the International Spinach Conference, held Monday, Sept. 24, at Embassy Suites Hotel Monterey Bay- Seaside.

If all goes as planned, CDFA would have the new board in place in March, said Ms. Zischke.

Rick Antle, chief executive officer of Tanimura & Antle Inc. in Salinas, CA, gave his marketing department a tall order this spring: He wanted Tanimura & Antle to own Father's Day.

So the company launched one of its more successful retail promotions ever, the "Hit A Home Run This Father's Day" retail promotion, which took the dad- friendly sport of baseball and combined it with Iceberg lettuce and the iconic Iceberg wedge salad.

Fusion Marketing, a Los Angeles-based full-service marketing company, and the NPD Group, a New York-based international consumer research firm, announced the formation of a perishables industry-focused alliance.