Isador (Izzy) Albinder, owner of Hudson River Fruit Distributors in Milton, NY, died April 5 at the age of 91.

Mr. Albinder, who had homes in Poughkeepsie, NY, and Hollywood, FL, was born in Russia in 1914 and came to the United States in 1930. He settled in Brooklyn, NY, where he went into business with a small retail fruit store in 1941, selling apples first from a pushcart, then from a horse-drawn wagon and ultimately from a truck.

More than 1 million packages of Irwindale, CA-based Ready Pac Produce Inc.'s European-style salads will move through supermarket shelves this month as Ready Pac's Your Ticket to the Movies promotion entices consumers to eat their greens.

The free movie ticket promotion rewards purchases of any three Ready Pac European-style salads made from April through the end of July.

THERMAL, CA " One of the larger table grape grower-shipper operations in the Coachella Valley " Rivera Vineyards " has removed itself from the 2005 fresh table grape shipping season, which is set to start in early May.

The grocery industry and consumer press seem to be inundated with stories about the advantages of in-store sampling lately.

One Florida newspaper article recently sang its praises, outlining efforts by stores with pepper jelly and cream cheese on pretzels, French bread with a dipping sauce, and a pre-mixed meatloaf.

WASHINGTON - Coming from Nebraska, USDA Secretary Mike Johanns admitted he was not up to speed with fresh fruit and vegetable industry issues at a March 29 meeting with leaders of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association.

But United President Tom Stenzel said that the new secretary was very supportive, asked many questions and expressed interest in touring produce operations to become more familiar with an industry that will be demanding more attention from USDA in the upcoming farm bill debate.

SunSelect Produce in Aldergrove, BC, is the latest greenhouse producer to join marketing forces with Vancouver, BC-based The Oppenheimer Group. Oppenheimer signed a multi-year agreement with SunSelect in mid-March, and began shipping the first bell peppers grown by its new partner a week later.