Jason Bell, account manager for Sydney, FL-based Tater Man Inc., told The Produce News that the company is gearing up for the start of its 2012 sweet potato program with a new package size.

“We’ll be offering three-pound bags, 12 bags per box, under the ‘Suwannee River Sweets’ label,” Mr. Bell said. “There is a growing market for these bags, with Thanksgiving and Christmas bringing the strongest demand. We’ll now be able to accommodate our customers with an item that will help them to increase sales.”

A.J. Trucco Inc. is back in the pineapple business.

Nick Pacia, vice president of the firm, located on the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Market, told The Produce News that the company is readopting a pineapple program.

With fresh-cut sweet potato sales lagging behind the spike seen in frozen sweet potato sales, Mann Packing, a leading supplier of washed and ready-to-eat vegetables, conducted consumer research to find out how the situation could be remedied.

A hailstorm and high winds cut through south Georgia in a swath as wide as 40 miles at points late afternoon and into the evening of May 22, causing significant damage to crops in major production areas in Tifton and Colquitt counties.

"The unusual part about it was it was such a wide spread, a good 30 to 40 mile swath," said Charles Hall of the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Association. "Usually when you have hail in Georgia it's a small area, it's not widespread."

The Pacific Northwest cherry industry is using superlatives to describe the 2012 production season. Conditions: "Absolutely ideal," said James Michael, promotions director for Northwest Cherry Growers. "Plenty of blue sky and sunshine." Pollination: "Most growers are reporting a solid set across their trees," Mr. Michael continued. "They say the crop is well spread throughout the trees, almost as if they were painted on."

All bagged lettuce produce by River Ranch Fresh Foods in a specific part of its Salinas, CA, facility from late April through May 12 has been recalled because of random and target sampling that detected contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.