Tree fruit growers strengthen position through joint venture
Two tree fruit growers in the Pacific Northwest have joined forces in a joint venture designed to enhance marketplace competitiveness and implement operational efficiencies.
The new business entity, Legacy Fruit Packers LLC, officially began operations Jan. 1, according to Dean Gardner, Legacy's chief executive officer.
New studies explore possible avenues of contamination from reusable packaging
A new series of studies conducted independently by the University of Arkansas’ Department of Food Science points to a potential avenue for contamination from bacterial residue sometimes found in reusable plastic containers.
While there have been no outbreaks of produce-based foodborne illnesses traced to RPC residues, the Arkansas research, led by the center’s director, Steven C. Ricke, represents a possible entry point for contamination in the food-safety chain.
Food safety, immigration discussed at United Fresh town hall meeting
NOGALES, AZ — Common issues shared by the Nogales produce community and the United Fresh Produce Association membership were discussed at a United Town Hall meeting, here, Feb. 24.
Volm’s new packaging line offers convenience, breathability
Volm Cos. Inc., an industry leader in providing quality packaging and equipment solutions to the fresh produce industry, recently introduced a new line of packaging, the Half-N-Half Pouch.
Nature Fresh Farms to unveil eat brighter! theme at Southern Exposure
With the start of the Canadian greenhouse season just a few weeks away, Nature Fresh Farms is putting the final touches on its new brand packaging with help from Sesame Workshop and the Produce Marketing Association’s eat brighter movement.
Allen Lund Co. promotes Kelly Miller
The Los Angeles sales office of Allen Lund Co. announced the promotion of Kelly Miller to operations manager on Feb. 9.
“I am excited to take on my new role and proud to work for such a great company,” Miller said in a company press release. “I look forward to continuing to build the Los Angeles office with the support of a great team.”
Washington apple industry applauds port settlement
The tentative agreement between the International Longshore & Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association is positive news for the Washington apple industry, which has seen several challenges on the export front during the current season.
The deal struck Feb. 20 means that normal work flow is being resumed at the 29 ports on the West Coast, including the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, which are responsible for much of the apple export volume out of Washington state.
Grower Alliance enjoying a ‘pretty busy’ time
RIO RICO, AZ — Describing his upcoming shipping plans, Jorge Quintero, Jr., concluded, “We will be pretty busy.” The bear of a young man then flashed his infectious, big, warm grin.
He is very humble but deservedly happy about the ongoing success of his distribution company.
Quintero is the managing partner of Grower Alliance, LLC, based here.
“We’ve been going full blast since November,” he said in mid-January.
Del Campo expanding in many directions
NOGALES, AZ — On Dec. 1, Diego Ley, became the general manager of Del Campo Supreme, Inc.
In the process of his new responsibility he is “marrying the departments” of sales and operations of the grower-packer-shipper.
In 1980, Ley’s father, also named Diego Ley, initiated Del Campo operations with 100 acres of Italian squash and bell peppers. Since that time, the firm has greatly expanded in volume, commodity diversification and technical sophistication.
AFF successful at counteracting ‘dirty dozen list’
A five-year analysis of media coverage of the Environmental Working Group’s annual release of its “dirty dozen” list showed efforts to counter this misinformation by the Alliance for Food & Farming resulted in EWG’s once dominant one-sided media coverage to decline by more than half (99.8 percent down to 48 percent).