If a Vidalia onion is certified sweet, does that detract from the "Vidalia" brand of onion, which already implies sweet onions? A Georgia Superior Court judge on April 19 answered that question: No.

National Onion Labs Inc. in Collins, GA, was the immediate winner in the legal case. But David Burrell, president of the company, insists that American consumers are the real winners.

WASHINGTON - When the Dietary Guidelines boosted the daily recommended allowance of fruits and vegetables to five-to-13 servings per day from five-to-nine servings, the produce industry eagerly awaited the design of the new graphic that would guide consumers in making smart dietary choices.

On April 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its long-awaited redesigned food pyramid to mixed reviews from members of the produce industry.

Two academics who recently published a paper that concluded that retail slotting fees were an efficient way to introduce new products have seen their study blasted by many in the grocery industry.

The report, Are Slotting Allowances Efficiency-Enhancing or Anti-Competitive?, was written by K. Sudhir, a professor at the Yale School of Management, and Vithala R. Rao, a professor at Cornell Universitys School of Management.

REEDLEY, CA - "Just as of today, we have an agreement with D.J. Forry to do the sales for us," Mark Nakata of California Tree Ripe in Fresno, CA, told The Produce News on Tuesday, April 19.

"We feel like we have a good synergy with these folks, he said. "We feel that they are people of high integrity, and we have every confidence we will be able to grow our program with them on a very positive basis.

California Tree Ripe is a certified organic packer and shipper that expects to have approximately 165,000 boxes of tree fruit this season.

As April gets long in the tooth, the relatively seamless transition between onion production from Mexico and south Texas is just about complete, as producers from the Lone Star State anticipate a better second half of the season.

On the heels of its recent "Golden Oldies" series of point-of-sale graphics and collateral material distribution, Columbia Marketing International Corp. in Wenatchee, WA, is rolling out a new campaign at the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association convention and expo in Chicago April 30 - May 3.

According to CMI Director of Marketing Bob Mast, this most recent strategy combines eye-catching high-quality graphics with education, and it brings in elements of cross merchandising as well.