PHILADELPHIA -- An April light may be shining for a new wholesale produce market, here.

After a Feb. 12 meeting of the board of the Philadelphia Fresh Food Terminal Corp., representatives for the group told The Produce News that the market was never so close to signing a deal, but there are a lot of contracts that have to be negotiated. A final agreement was expected to be reached by April 8.

Markon Cooperative, based in Salinas, CA, announced Feb. 13 the addition of ProPacific Fresh, a produce specialist based in Durham, CA. ProPacific Fresh is Markon's first California member and the first produce specialist to join the cooperative.

Tim York, president of Markon, said in a press release that the addition reflects increased demand for Markon's proprietary brands. He added that it would help Markon improve service to its existing and prospective multi-unit account customers.

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ -- The South African citrus industry has invested heavily to meet the special requirements and demands of serving the U.S. market. Details of those efforts were outlined to The Produce News Feb. 11 in the Gloucester City offices of one of South Africa's citrus importers, Fisher Capespan U.S.A. LLC, by two key leaders of the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum, headquartered in Citrusdal, South Africa.

From his in-store vantage point, produce clerk Ray Ortega can see that a good many consumers are confused about the produce they buy. They are not even that sure how to tell if an apple is good, let alone how to pick a ripe coconut or a juicy pineapple.

Integrated Fresh Solutions, a marketer of fresh tomatoes to the wholesale, retail and foodservice industries, announced Feb. 11 that it has formed a new company, Fresh Link Tomato, which provides sourcing opportunities from major tomato-growing regions.

IFS, a holding company based in Dallas, owns a portfolio of companies that are vertically integrated in the produce supply chain. Michael Leach, vice president of IFS, said that the inspiration behind the formation of the new company comes from the dramatic changes the tomato business has been experiencing.