Equitable Food Initiative announced a two-year, $2 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to support implementation of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices.

Tanimura & Antle promoted two key sales team members. Anthony Mazzuca has been promoted to vice president of sales strategy and Steve Souza will now serve as director of product management.  Both promotions come as the next step in the company’s succession planning and as a result of both individuals’ years of service, industry expertise and contributions to the company.   

The Fresh Produce & Floral Council held its 16th annual Northern California Golf Tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at the Course at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, CA. The tournament boasted 144 players with four on-course demo stations. The first place team was Bob Borda, Erick Proffitt, Daniel Russell and Michael Antongiovanni of Grimmway Farms; the second place team featured Jeff Knight (Edge Sales + Retail Services), Mil Mijanovic (Safeway), Rich Thompson (Giumarra) and Geoff Ratto.

On Monday, Oct. 10, veteran vegetables salesman Denny Donovan was unabashed in his prediction for the following day: “I think we will see a record breaker on carton lettuce in tomorrow’s Market News (USDA’s daily Market News report). Today, I heard quotes of $55 (per carton) to near $70, but there’s nothing around.”

Donovan, who is sales manager for Fresh Kist Produce in Guadalupe, CA, said the FOB price on many of the core veg items “are a little bit crazy.”

Chelsea Consalo has been elected the new vice president of Spirit & Truth Ministries/Vineland Soup Kitchen, which works with the community and local churches to provide hot nutritious lunches to the low income and homeless population in the surrounding community.

“As Chelsea is a respected member of the surrounding community and with her background in her family business, we felt this is just what Spirit & Truth Ministries needed for our organization to lead us to a new level of serving and helping the less fortunate,” said Matt Milam, president.

Fresh Del Monte Produce, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, distributors, and marketers of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, has invested a 39 percent stake in Decapolis, a Jordanian and UK-based startup technology company that provides a blockchain-driven food safety and quality traceability technology for the food industry.