United Fresh honors Wegmans’ Bill Pool
Bill Pool, Wegmans Food Markets manager of produce safety, has been named the United Fresh Produce Association’s 2015 Technical Award recipient. The award is presented to an individual who has made significant technical contributions to the fresh produce industry.
Year-round Honeycrisp within reach
Year-round availability of Honeycrisp apples will soon become a reality for some retailers and their apple-loving customers. Honeybear Marketing, owner of the commercial rights to the Chilean Honeycrisp, will bring its largest crop of Southern Hemisphere Honeycrisp apples to the United States in late April. This will enable Honeybear retailers to carry Honeycrisp until the grower’s domestic harvest is available in early Fall.
McEntire Produce debuts ChefBuddys Southern Slaw
McEntire Produce, a leading family-owned, fresh-cut produce company based in Columbia, SC, is expanding its value-added “ChefBuddys” product line with the introduction of Southern Slaw, Coleslaw with a southern accent.
Approximately $23 million available for citrus greening research
At an Orlando grocery store filled with Florida citrus, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of $23 million in USDA funding to support research and extension projects for producers fighting citrus greening disease.
Huanglongbing, commonly known as citrus greening, threatens the future viability of the citrus industry in the United States, having infected more than 75 percent of the Florida citrus crop. This funding is available through the Citrus Disease Research & Extension Program, part of the 2014 farm bill.
Veg-Fresh Farms hires new vegetable commodity manager
Veg-Fresh Farms has hired Barry Parisotto as a vegetable commodity manager. For more than 18 years, Parisotto has served the fresh produce industry in a multitude of capacities, including sales, procurement, retail and organics.
Spring means watermelon, sweet corn and asparagus for Scotlynn Sweet-Pac Growers
As consumers begin bursting from their doors to enjoy the warm spring air, produce companies that produce and ship typical spring and summer crops will inevitably feel a strong push.
Scotlynn Sweet-Pac Growers LLC produces sweet corn, and it is a good example of a company that will likely reap the benefits of spring following the long, extremely cold winter storms that — one after another — swept across the nation.
Mastronardi Produce/Sunset ready to launch new items at the CPMA show
Mastronardi Produce/Sunset, headquartered in Kingsville, Ontario, is strongly promoting its “Campari” and “Y.E.L.O.” tomato campaign. The company also plans to launch some exciting programs around these products at the CPMA Convention & Trade Show, April 15-17 in Montreal.
AFM announces brand spokeswoman with Hispanic promotion launch
Avocados from Mexico has named Maggie Jiménez as brand spokeswoman in its first ever Hispanic campaign, “Echale.” Jiménez is a professional host, celebrity chef, lifestyle expert and mother, regularly hosting a cooking segment on Univision’s “Despierta América.”
Diaz Foods opens state-of-the-art distribution center in Virginia
Diaz Foods, one of the larger distributors of Hispanic food products in the United States, announced the opening of its newest state-of-the-art distribution center, which was converted from a USDA-approved food facility. The new center is located in Manassas, VA, just outside the metro Washington, DC, area.
Meijer investing nearly $50 million in Dayton supercenters
In an effort to further enhance its customer shopping experience, Meijer will invest nearly $50 million in extensive remodel projects for four supercenters located in Ohio.