The California Date Administrative Committee and Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association joined forces to commission new research to determine the extent of antioxidants and polyphenols in dates.

Early studies have indicated exceptionally high levels of the compounds, well above those for other fruits, prompting considerable excitement among growers and consumers alike.

As the first shipments of Navel oranges from Chile are arriving in U.S. ports on both coasts, the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association is launching a media campaign to build consumer awareness for the latest addition to the summer citrus mix.

Navel oranges will be joining the successful clementine deal, now in its third year, with the first grapefruits scheduled to arrive in September. Lemons and mandarins round out Chile's citrus offerings.

Coastline Produce, based in Salinas, CA, and RedLine Solutions announced the successful launch of a pilot project this summer to enable Produce Traceability Initiative compliance across Coastline's product line.

The driver for PTI compliance at Coastline is to assure Coastline's current and future customers -- and ultimately consumers -- of the safety and wholesomeness of their food supply.

BOGOT?, COLOMBIA -- South America's largest agricultural exhibition, XVII Agroexpo Corferias 2009, which opened here July 16 and was scheduled to run through July 26, targeted Colombia's various agricultural production entities and was expected to draw more than 300,000 people.

At Bolivia's booth was F?lix Herrera, president of Asociaci?n de Productores Ecol?gicos Primero Aroma, or APEPA, which is based in Catavi in southern Bolivia. Mr. Herrera said that APEPA involves 650 families from 20 communities surrounding Catavi.

Richard Leibowitz is looking forward to the Produce Marketing Association's Foodservice Conference & Exposition.

Mr. Leibowitz, managing director of the newly formed Specialty Potato Alliance, based in Mountainside, NJ, told The Produce News that the organization will use the conference to introduce its products and its founding members, who are comprised of North America's premier growers and distributors of specialty potatoes.