Al Murray, assistant secretary of agriculture for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, headquartered in Trenton, NJ, told The Produce News that the upcoming Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention & Trade Show, being held in Toronto April 17-19, presents a great opportunity for the department to promote the state’s agricultural products.

The Canadian Potato Museum is the happy recipient of a $49,500 donation from a joint promotion between Prince Edward Island Farm, W.P.Griffin Inc. and Sobeys.

During the February Potato Lovers Month promotion, Sobeys and Foodland outlets throughout Atlantic Canada sold 10-pound bags of W.P. Griffin potatoes, donating 25 cents from every bag purchased to the museum.

W.P. Griffin Inc. supplied the Heritage Netted Gems. The farm, located in Elmsdale, is a family-run operation, with approximately 3,000 acres dedicated to potatoes, grains and soybeans.

Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention Chair Bernadette Hamel, vice president of national procurement-produce for Metro Richelieu Inc., is ready to welcome the industry to the largest convention in CPMA history. Ms. Hamel — along with CPMA staff and the 12 committees tasked with bringing the annual convention to life — has been working hard to make Toronto’s event one that shouldn’t be missed.

Canadawide will be setting up shop at Booth 305 at the 2013 CPMA Convention April 17-19 to showcase its new Frescadel product line. The line features a new convenient clamshell used for a variety of products, including kiwifruit, grapes, clementines, peaches, plums and nectarines.

With today’s consumers looking for fresh produce full of flavor, packaging is a concern.

Jon Hyatt, son of the company’s namesake, who runs Jim Hyatt Produce Co. Inc., along with his brother Paul and General Manager Mike Goettsch, admits not much has changed for the firm over the years.

“I’d say we are pretty much the same as we were last year,” he said. “We’re one of those companies that’s just the same thing over and over again. It’s been the same since we began many years ago.”

Oren Shapiro had a booth along one of the main aisles of the World Floral Expo at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, and handled a steady stream of interested buyers at the show. Mr. Shapiro, president of Mrs. Bloom’s (Thai) Direct, pronounced himself satisfied with the foot traffic and the interest shown by buyers. “It was a great show for us,” he summarized.

Robert Ilsink, a director of Interplant Roses in Holland, was not unhappy with the show, but he wanted more. “There could be more people here. There could be more exhibitors here,” he said.