United Fresh Produce Association released the following letter Jan. 23 from Co-Chairmen Maureen Marshall and Mark Miller.

None of us can deny that our fresh produce industry faces a different business world today than we did six months ago. We have all been impacted by the recent food safety issues in our industry. Each time any fruit or vegetable is implicated in a foodborne illness outbreak, we all suffer from lost consumer confidence in our industry as a whole. In the long run, this is simply not sustainable and certainly not acceptable.

Prime Produce International LLC announced a new retail and foodservice account manager and a new 40,000-square-foot packing and cold-storage facility in Orange, CA.

PPI has named Michelle Spelman to the position of retail and foodservice account manager. Ms. Spelman has been employed in the avocado industry for over 15 years, most recently as marketing director at the California Avocado Commission.

Having become one of the larger watermelon growers and one of the faster- growing produce brands in its first year of operation, San Francisco-based Sundia Corp. has set its sights on several new offerings, including mangos, onions and tomatoes.

Mission Ranches Co. LLC and Sam McKinsey Farms LLC, two long-standing farming companies on California's Central Coast, are combining operations in order to meet growing consumer demand and pursue new market opportunities.

The merger will allow both companies to improve efficiency and quality across a broader production base and to streamline parallel administrative and management functions. The combined company will be known as Mission Ranches Co. LLC and will be based in King City, CA.

MONTEREY, CA -- A voluntary marketing agreement for handlers of green leafy vegetables in California appears to be on its way to becoming a reality following a state hearing held Friday, Jan. 12 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, here.

The Colorado Onion Association will hold its annual meeting Jan. 25 in Greeley, CO, and like many other segments of the produce industry, immigration is a key issue for those involved in the Colorado onion deal. "Immigration is something in the back of everyone's minds," said Tanya Fell, executive director of the association.

Carol A. Hildebrand, an attorney who practices immigration and nationality law in the business and real estate department of Sherman & Howard LLC in Denver, will be the keynote speaker at the meeting.