ORLANDO, FL -- The 2010-11 Produce Marketing Association's board of directors took office Thursday, Oct. 14, during PMA's 2010 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, here. Chairman of the Board Mike O'Brien, vice president of produce and floral at Schnuck Markets Inc. in St. Louis, is joined by three other officers and 29 directors.

Green Giant Fresh has become the exclusive Box Tops for Education partner for the fresh produce industry, according to Jamie Strachan, president and chief executive officer of Growers Express Inc. in Salinas, CA.

Through its Growers Marketing subsidiary, Growers Express is the master licensee for the "Green Giant Fresh" brand and manages all of the produce partners.

Fresh Express, a fully owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International Inc., announced Sept. 27 the launch of its new value-added salad kit program. As consumers increasingly demand new and flavorful salad options, Fresh Express has launched a unique program to meet their needs for complete and delicious salad meals.

Specialty produce firm Southern Specialties will be introducing its new "Southern Selects" packaging for its value-added line at the PMA Fresh Summit in Orlando, FL.

“The new packaging is in response to a survey that we initiated to gauge consumer response to our presentations,” said Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Pompano Beach, FL-based Southern Specialties. “New boxes for our blueberry and blackberry lines will also be introduced at the expo.”

It is a simple concept, but Church Bros. LLC believes it has developed the perfect sandwich leaf.

Utilizing old fashioned breeding methods, the company's seed specialist trialed many different Green Leaf lettuce varieties until he found the one with the exact right specification.

"It is the perfect leaf," said Ernst Van Eeghen, director of marketing and product development for the Salinas, CA-based firm. “It is 100 percent useable with no waste because it does not have to trimmed or snapped to fit a burger bun or sandwich bread.”

Shortly after a competitive sporting event, an interview is often held with a key player of the winning team. When asked how he or she felt about making a spectacular play to help win the game, the most common response is that the victory was achieved collectively by all teammates. The players were successful through teamwork.

Babe Ruth once said, "The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won’t be worth a dime."