WASHINGTON — The potato lobby has been frustrated with U.S. Department of Agriculture policies in recent months, but it received some good news in March. The American Heart Association has certified Idaho potatoes as heart-healthy, permitting the spuds to bear the association’s heart-check mark.

Potato groups have been turning up the heat in recent months to try to convince USDA to rethink a Jan. 13 proposal that would restrict servings of white potatoes to comply with revised meal patterns and nutrition requirements for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.

A demand-exceeds-supply situation led to sharply higher prices for Iceberg lettuce the week of May 16, with the situation expected to remain in place until at least early to mid-June.

Several other fruit and vegetable crops were also experiencing strong markets as unseasonably cool weather and rains cut into the volume of supplies from California.

WEATHER

Salinas, CA: The persistent stretch of cold weather was joined by rain May 14-17. Daytime highs recently have been in the upper 50s to low 60s with intermittent rain showers. The rain is expected to end May 18, but daytime temperatures will remain unseasonably cold through May 24.

Bakersfield, CA: Daytime highs will remain unseasonably cool through May 24 with daytime highs only in the mid- to upper 70s. The recent string of late-season rains will give way to mostly sunny skies beginning May 19.

Tex Starr Distributing LLC, a newly formed company based in Alamo, TX, has unveiled a new sweet papaya variety called Royal Star. The proprietary seed variety is a natural hybrid that is sweet, firm and brightly colored inside and out.

WASHINGTON — Produce groups praised an Obama administration proposal to launch a pilot program that would allow Mexico to conduct cross-border trucking, saying it would begin the process of lifting damaging sanctions to the fruit and vegetable industry.

Earlier this year, U.S. and Mexico officials reached an agreement that would end the retaliatory tariffs that Mexico slapped on a range of U.S. products after Congress halted a Mexican trucking program provided for under the North America Free Trade Agreement.

Mann Packing in Salinas, CA, is expanding its staff with the addition of CHRISTINE KELLER as the new director of marketing and innovation and FERNANDO AZEVEDO as a national account manager.