A public-private partnership in Chile has launched the country’s first certified seal for early table grapes, highlighting quality characteristics unique to the Northern Atacama region.

Chilean early grapes have been popular with U.S. consumers for many years, but this new quality certification seal, called FreshAtacama, seeks to differentiate the product further with a consistent season guarantee.

Gourmet Trading Co., a leading distributor of fresh asparagus, announced that it has been named the exclusive supplier of “Green Giant Fresh” bagged asparagus. Furthermore, the Los Angeles-based firm will market its “Green Giant Fresh” branded asparagus under the Box Tops for Education promotion program.

LeighAnne Thomsen

With the appointment of LEIGHANNE THOMSEN as marketing representative for Oxn

ATLANTA — The industry-wide Produce Traceability Initiative continues to move forward, though very deliberately. At least that is the takeaway message if the opinion of industry members participating in a Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit convention workshop on the topic was typical.