For more than four decades, WP Produce, a family-owned and operated grower, packer and shipper of Desbry tropical produce for the U.S. grocery retail and foodservice industry, has been a leader in importing tropical avocados from the Dominican Republic and is a full-line purveyor of tropical and exotic items.

The fresh produce industry will be beaming up to Orlando, FL, the first weekend in March to attend Southern Exposure, the Southeast Produce Council’s annual conference and trade show.

Titan Farms has a new partnership with Verdant Technologies to bring the HarvestHold Fresh post-harvest solution to the peach industry. With more than 6,000 acres, Titan Farms is the country's second-largest vertically integrated peach operation. Through rigorous testing, the company plans to utilize HarvestHold Fresh to extend the quality, freshness and flavor of its peaches from harvest to consumption.

Schnuck Markets Inc. is joining supermarkets and food manufacturers nationwide in celebrating the annual Supermarket Employee Day. The Food Industry Association has proclaimed this holiday to recognize employees at every level for the work they do feeding families.

With more than 40,000 individual stores that sell food and grocery items in the U.S. alone, many supermarkets serve as the backbones of their communities. Millions of supermarket employees come to work daily to keep shelves stocked and to provide communities with essential services that help them survive and thrive.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture administered four produce businesses have received sanctions from due to failure to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. Suspencion of PACA licenses and barring principal operators from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA are included in the sanctions.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operation:

Riggio Distribution Co., doing business on the Detroit Produce Terminal, is a customer-driven company dedicated to making its customers profitable and competitive in the marketplace by providing them with safe, secure, quality produce.

“We choose our partners based on their willingness to share in our commitment to offer the finest level of quality and service available,” said Philip Riggio, owner of the company. “We measure our performance, not by how much we do, but how much we do right.”