Mann Packing Co. in Salinas, CA, announced the promotion of veteran employee Tom Koster to the newly created position of vice president of sales and shipping. Mr. Koster will be responsible for overseeing the servicing of Mann's customers from order receipt to product shipment.

Bill Ramsey, co-chairman of the board, said in a statement, "Tom has an innate familiarity with these two aspects of our operations. By having him oversee both sales and shipping, we will not only streamline processes but provide a more efficient response to our customers' needs."

The Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Winter Conference "is an absolutely wonderful opportunity for the folks in Vidalia onions -- and in the industry -- to go down and meet vendors," said Wendy Brannen, executive director of the Vidalia Onion Committee in Vidalia, GA.

The photos in the television commercials soon to be aired on major cable networks will put Florida tomatoes in an enticing new light, and enticement is the precise goal of Florida tomato growers in a new national advertising campaign.

The U.S. Apple Association, headquartered in Vienna, VA, is compiled of 40 state and regional apple associations.

Its goal is to promote apples and apple products, and also to provide the means for all segments of the U.S. apple industry to join in appropriate collective efforts to profitably produce and market apples and apple products.

Those goals are accomplished through a number of promotion efforts on multiple fronts.

Morinaga Nutritional Foods Inc. in Torrance, CA, a leader in the soyfoods industry and maker of shelf-stable Mori-Nu Silken Tofu, has introduced new seasoned tofu to take the guesswork out of preparing the low-fat, protein-rich food. Morinaga is introducing Mori-Nu seasoned tofu in two varieties: Chinese spice and Japanese Miso.

After more than a decade of negotiations, the California tree fruit industry has gained access to markets in mainland China for plums from five California counties.

According to Blair Richardson, president of the California Tree Fruit Agreement in Reedley, CA, the Chinese market is "a huge opportunity" for California growers and could potentially surpass Canada to become the largest export market for California plums.