WASHINGTON -- The United Fresh Produce Association Foundation joined first lady Michelle Obama Nov. 22 at the Riverside Elementary School in Miami as a new coalition of public and private sector partners launched the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative.

The new initiative builds on the pioneering work done by United Fresh to spearhead public health attention on the power of school salad bars as an effective strategy for increasing children's consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The first New York Produce Show & Conference drew lots of people to the Big Apple. Additional photos from the event appear in the Nov. 22 issue of The Produce News.
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A late start to the California clementine season, a good market and exceptional demand have DNE Imports Inc.'s Spanish clementine program starting with a bang.

"It’s starting off good," John Lazopoulos, DNE Imports’ sales manager for Spain and Morocco, told The Produce News Nov. 15. “Spain has been fortunate that California has a late start, prices are good, demand is exceptional — demand far exceeds supply — and we’re getting into the better varieties now from Spain.”

Florida authorities announced Nov. 15 that a peach fruit fly — Bactrocera zonata — was found earlier this month during routine surveillance activities in Miami-Dade County. It is the first time the species has been found in the state.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Nov. 15 that it will delay by 15 months implementation of a new set of numeric nutrient criteria water regulations for Florida's lakes, springs and rivers that the state’s farmers claim could drown them in a sea of red tape and increased costs.

The new rules, initially intended to go into effect Oct. 15, were first delayed until Nov. 15 and have now been pushed back until February 2012.

Desert Glory Ltd. and Ag-Mart Produce Inc., doing business as Santa Sweets Inc., announced Nov. 22 an agreement to resolve their dispute over the "SweetRipes" and “Cherubs” package designs.

In September, Desert Glory filed a lawsuit alleging that the “SweetRipes” package design that Ag-Mart/Santa Sweets test marketed late this summer infringed upon Desert Glory's trademark rights to its “NatureSweet” “Cherubs” brand packaging.