This is a season of redesign and reimaging for Black Gold Farms. “This past season, we took a look at our Black Gold Farms label and designed a new high-impact poly bag,” National Director of Sales Glen Reynolds told The Produce News Sept. 17. “The imagery and copy points highlight the benefits of red potatoes as well as tell the Black Gold Farms story in an easy-to-read and attractive layout.”

Bryan Silbermann, president and chief executive officer of the Produce Marketing Association, was honored Oct. 5 with an Award of Distinction from the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences at the University of California-Davis.

During the month of October, California Giant Berry Farms’ packaging will again take on a new color to convey the company’s commitment to breast cancer prevention to shoppers. And this year, the company is offering those shoppers and other consumers an opportunity to select the non-profit recipients of California Giant’s breast cancer awareness donations.

New research suggests that eating an apple a day might in fact help keep the cardiologist away, according to information coming out of Ohio State University.

In a study of healthy, middle-aged adults, consumption of one apple a day for four weeks lowered by 40 percent blood levels of a substance linked to hardening of the arteries.

Taking capsules containing polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in apples, had a similar, but not as large, effect.

The Mexican Association of Protected Agriculture held its fifth annual Business & Technical Congress Aug. 22-25 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, featuring a global perspective of the challenges and opportunities faced today by protected agriculture.

Attendees included representatives from five countries, federal and state government agencies, international associations, products and services suppliers, as well as leading growers, distributors and marketers from the North American produce industry.

“This season’s harvesting began on August 16 and will continue through the end of October,” said Stephanie Williams, domestic sales and marketing manager for Scott Farms Inc. in Lucama, NC. “In terms of weather, the overall season has seen plentiful: above-average rainfall; midsummer was very hot, but we had a fairly temperate spring and a milder late summer.