More than 100 key stakeholders in obesity prevention from academia, community groups, government and industry, including United Fresh President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Stenzel, gathered in early April at the White House to discuss the growing epidemic of child obesity and ways to combat it.

Spring has brought good weather and a promise of increased supplies of onions, mangos and limes, but for each of those crops, to one degree or another, supply is still outstripped by demand, and strong markets prevail.

Crunch Pak, maker of sliced fresh apples, will introduce additions to its "Apple Snackers" line at the United Fresh Produce Association show, which was scheduled for April 21-22 in Las Vegas.

"Apple Snackers" are nutritious snacks that contain interesting combinations of fruits and other sides, such as dips and cheese, in a mini-tray. Crunch Pak now makes fresh "Apple Snackers" choices that include apples, cheese and grapes; apples, cheese and pretzels; and apples, cheese and caramel.

Pete Aiello is looking forward to late April.

Mr. Aiello, general manager of Uesugi Farms Inc., said that this is when the Gilroy, CA-based grower-packer-shipper will kick off its Bell pepper deal, and he expected this to be when the "high green and red Bell pepper market will come back down to earth."

"Markets should normalize when California really gets going with some volume," Mr. Aiello told The Produce News April 7. "We'll have red Bell peppers by the end of May in Coachella [CA]."

Coastline Produce in Salinas, CA, is now the exclusive shipper of the "American Classic" label. The label joins the company's "Coastline" and "Greenettes" labels, and current offerings include celery, lettuce and Romaine with additional products to come.

Earthcycle Packaging Ltd., a leader in the sustainable packaging industry, is set to deliver and lead one of the more highly anticipated speeches and discussions at United Fresh's 2010 inaugural Global Conference on Produce Sustainability.

The conference, set to take place Friday, April 23, at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, is designed to educate attendees not only about the importance of working toward long-term sustainability to protect the environment but also about how making the right choices can actually help increase market sales.