C&S looking to acquire Associated Wholesalers, White Rose
C&S Wholesale Grocers has entered into an agreement in which it will acquire substantially all of Associated Wholesalers Inc.'s assets, including its White Rose distribution business. Under terms of the agreement, C&S will serve as the "stalking horse bidder" in a court-supervised auction process. Accordingly, the agreement is subject to higher and otherwise better offers, among other conditions.
Chiquita to reconsider previously rejected Brazilian buyout
The merger agreement Chiquita Brands International Inc. had announced with Dublin, Ireland-based Fyffes plc is once again at risk. Fyffes has granted Chiquita a waiver permitting it to engage in discussions with the Cutrale Group and the Safra Group, a pair of Brazilian companies that submitted an Aug. 11 buyout proposal.
Former Kroger exec Claude Allen Moldenhauer dies at 76
Claude Allen Moldenhauer, a 38-year veteran of the Kroger Co. who rose to vice president of produce and floral before retiring in 1999, died Sept. 6. He was 76.
Stenzel says new poll shows it's not time to roll back school nutrition standards
WASHINGTON — United Fresh Produce Association Chief Executive Tom Stenzel said a new poll that shows parents overwhelmingly support new school meal standards that require more fruits and vegetables shows it's not time to roll back the standards in the nation's schools.
Some 500 produce representatives are in Washington, DC, this week for the group's annual Washington Conference, and school nutrition standards are on the agenda during a session, "Why fighting for Healthier School Meals is So Important."
RedLine Solutions' RedLine Transporter to advance data integration
RedLine Solutions, a leader in produce traceability and inventory solutions, introduced RedLine Transporter, a data integration tool intended to eliminate the data silos common in many produce industry applications.
“RedLine Transporter solves a common customer complaint: Data from the assorted applications used is consistently stuck in a 'data silo,'" Todd Baggett, chief executive officer of RedLine Solutions, said in a press release. "The data gathered isn’t easily shared from one application to the next and, more important, isn’t easily transported from supplier to vendor."
FPFC holds bocce event in Northern California
On Friday night, Sept. 5, members of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council met at Camp di Bocce in Livermore, CA, for a bit of camaraderie and competition.
The networking event drew a crowd of about four score to spend the evening learning the finer points of bocce ball as well as some of the wine grown in the nearby vineyards surrounding the venue. Teams of four tried to play by the rules, or made up their own as the night wore on.
Driscoll’s grant to benefit student nutrition choices
Driscoll’s, a leader in fresh berries, has awarded a $10,000 grant to Whole Kids Foundation as part of its school garden grant program. This grant will support five new edible school gardens, which help foster healthy relationships between students and their food.
Mi Pueblo hires new chief financial officer
Mi Pueblo Foods, the San Jose, CA-based family-grown Hispanic grocery chain, announced that effective immediately industry veteran Martin Cortes will oversee the company’s financial and accounting operations, risk management and technology as its chief financial officer.
Eastern Fresh ‘skirted’ by bad weather, in great shape for the season
On Aug. 19, Tom Sheppard, president of Eastern Fresh Growers Inc., in Cedarville, NJ, told The Produce News that some areas of New Jersey had rough weather during the fall growing season, but that the company was spared nearly all of it.
SLV research center a beneficial public-private partnership
Jeffrey Steiner, deputy director of the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, said the San Luis Valley Research Center has proven to be an invaluable asset to the region’s potato industry.
“We support in seven of eight of the college campuses. In the San Luis Valley, the primary focus is on potatoes,” Steiner told The Produce News. “What we take pride in is a truly public-private partnership. Because of this, the industry has provided great support.”