FPFC holds Southern California membership luncheon
CERRITOS, CA — More than 250 produce professionals packed the Sheraton Cerritos dining room June 24 for the FPFC Southern California membership luncheon. Master of Ceremonies for the event was Mark Carroll of Gelson's Markets, while Rob Fukuzaki, sports anchor for ABC7 Eyewitness News, was the featured guest speaker.
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NatureSweet unveils new tomato variety
CHICAGO — In the tomato category, there is a penchant to go big — with larger varieties, such as Beefsteak types — or go small — with the ever-growing grape and cherry types that have found a niche as a snack item. But there are few options in between.
NatureSweet believes it will fill a void with its new mid-sized Jubilee tomato.
Mike Joergensen, vice president of marketing at NatureSweet, based in San Antonio, TX, said each Jubilee tomato yields several slices, making it the perfect sandwich tomato.
Gem’s Margolis: Company’s Michigan tomato ramps up in July
Gary Margolis, president of Gem Tomato Sales Inc., said he is expecting the transition of tomato production from Arkansas to Michigan to be generally smooth. But he said ag producers in the Wolverine State are heading into a tough season when it comes to labor.
“Labor is extremely tight,” he told The Produce News in mid-June. “Growers are nervous.”
Margolis said Michigan has been promoting the H-2A guest worker program to fill out the ranks of temporary labor. “But there are now glitches at the border,” he said about the overall process.
Colorful blueberry season shaping up at Rainier
Rainier Fruit Co. continues to supply consumers with the highest quality blueberries grown the Pacific Northwest. Blake Belknap, organic sales manger, said the stage is set for another successful season.
IGA Montauk looks forward to New York state produce
MONTAUK, NY — After an especially long and cold winter, the weather in the Northeast in June was slowly but surely turning better, with warmer temperatures heralding all the bounty that New York state agriculture is known for.
The Montauk IGA store here on the far eastern tip of Long Island was ready to handle that bounty, and was expecting to have a wide variety of New York state items on hand for its customers by the end of June, as usual.
California Giant berries a summer salad star
Strawberries from California Giant Berry Farms are making their way into new places this summer at one of the nation’s largest fast-food chains.
Wendy’s is featuring fresh strawberries on its summer Strawberry Fields Chicken Salad, resulting in a lot of positive consumer attention along the way.
The fast food chain website has dedicated significant space to the new menu item along with beautiful video stories of where those fresh strawberries came from.
California Avocado Commission promotes sandwich campaign
The California Avocado Commission is sandwiching its summer outreach with a sandwich-themed program that encompasses consumer advertising, social media, retail and foodservice activity, public relations and influencer outreach.
Kroger expresses financial confidence with stock split
For the first time since 1999 and just the fifth time in company history, Kroger announced a two-for-one stock split June 25 at its annual shareholders meeting in Cincinnati.
Shareholders of record on July 6 will receive an additional share of Kroger stock, bringing the total of outstanding shares to 962 million from 481 million.
Black Gold Farms kicks off red potato harvest in southeastern Missouri
Black Gold Farms, a fourth-generation family farm based in Grand Forks, ND, that grows, ships and markets a variety of potatoes and other commodities, kicked off its fresh red potato harvest in southeastern Missouri the last week of June. The first few days of harvest has shown a lot of promise for this year’s red potato crop. With excellent quality in the fields and manageable weather, Black Gold Farms anticipates a very successful season.
Karen Brux shares the latest updates on Chilean clementines
The Chilean Fresh Fruit Association’s Karen Brux pays a visit Chile to bring you the latest crop updates on Chilean citrus. Chilean clementines, she notes, will be available May through August, followed by W. Murcotts, which will be available from August through October. Check out the video for more information on the Chilean citrus season.