Safeway is partnering with Olympic figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi to relaunch the highly successful Lunchbox Winners produce program in nearly 1,500 stores across the nation.

River Ranch Fresh Foods LLC, a leading processor of value-added salads and fresh-cut produce, announced the availability of a proprietary new salad blend that offers a robust and distinctive alternative to traditional spring mix.

Heritage Blend, a specially formulated variety of petite red and green lettuces, features a medley of compact leaves in an array of shapes, textures and vibrant colors. While crisp and full in appearance, Heritage Blend provides a smooth and delicious eating experience —the perfect foundation for a multitude of salad combinations.

Pro-Act, a Monterey, CA-based fresh produce supplier to the foodservice industry, has announced that Armstrong Produce, with headquarters in Honolulu, has joined the company's national distribution network.

Jeff Schwartz, vice president of Maurice A. Auerbach Inc., located in South Hackensack, NJ, believes that the Fruit Logistica show in Berlin is the show for companies like his to attend.

"I've attended the show five times, and I’m convinced that it’s the best show in the world for the produce industry," said Mr. Schwartz. “As our imports increased over the years, it was important to attend more international shows.”

With 1,500 corporate customers from 50 countries, it's not surprising that Purfresh Inc., based in Fremont, CA, is participating in the 2011 Fruit Logistica exhibition in Berlin.

But David Cope, president and chief executive officer of Purfresh, told The Produce News that the European market isn’t just any market for his firm. He credited Europeans for having a special interest in distributing safe foods. Such an interest has taken a foothold worldwide, he added, and is the basis of Purfresh’s genesis and ongoing success.

Texas citrus shippers were granted permission Dec. 22 to market fruit to other citrus-producing states. A federal order on Sweet Orange Scab allowing these shipments was based on a pest risk assessment completed in December by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, which concluded that fruit that goes through the normal packing operation is not epidemiologically significant as a pathway for transmitting SOS.