Robert Sanderson, co-founder and former president of Jonathan Sprouts Inc., died Jan. 9 due to complications with pneumonia. Mr. Sanderson, along with his wife, Barbara, started Jonathan Sprouts in 1976, and the two have been credited as pioneers of the U.S. commercial sprouting industry. 

Mr. Sanderson was born June 23, 1943 in Boston and attended Phillips Academy-Andover, and University of California-Berkely where he was a Buckminster Fuller enthusiast, active in the free speech movement and played in several jazz bands.

Mann Packing Co. Inc., a subsidiary of Fresh Del Monte N.A. Inc., launched of its brand-new Mann Air Fryer Veggie Kits — ready-to-use veggie kits created for air fryers.

Officially launched during the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in October 2022, Mann Air Fryer Veggie Kits feature the company's new logo and exemplify innovation specifically developed for air fryer cooking. This convenient, in-home meal option comes at a time when Americans are becoming more cost-conscious.

The Texas International Produce Association general registration for the 2023 Viva Fresh Expo will open Jan. 25. The highly anticipated event will return to the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, TX, March 30–April 1. Attendee registration for the event will be open online at www.vivafreshexpo.com/attendees.

Westfalia Fruit is ringing in the new year with a strong supply of quality avocados sourced from multiple growing regions to meet shopper’s healthy eating demands as diets recalibrate after a season of holiday indulgences. Westfalia is wholly dedicated to providing sustainably grown, premium-quality fruit to the marketplace. Its extensive avocado growing regions and vertical integration enable them to provide retailers with consistent supply to meet year-round demand and quarter one being the key time to promote.

Vision Global Group LLC has been added to the William H. Kopke Jr. Inc. family of companies and is now in full operation. Vision Global Group is an industry leader in the lime, lemon and mango import-export business, and is headquartered in New Jersey, and complemented by teams in Arizona, Texas, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Legacy Farms LLC, based in Anaheim, CA, has acquired the assets of Frieda’s Inc. after more than a year of discussions. The company will now be known as Frieda’s LLC and its new CEO is Dan Madsen, who has been leading Legacy Farms since 2019.