White House review may delay COOL
WASHINGTON -- The country-of-origin labeling program, scheduled to go into effect in March, may once again be delayed because the new administration has directed all federal agencies to review former President Bush's end-of-the-term regulations.
In a Jan. 20 memorandum, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel directed federal agencies to stop all pending regulations and yet-to-be-implemented rules, and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials confirmed that the Jan. 16 COOL regulation would be reviewed by new management at the department.
PMA calls for strong produce presence in Dietary Guidelines for Americans revision
NEWARK, DE -- Produce Marketing Association has urged the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to maintain the high profile of fruit and vegetables as it works to revise the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for the 2010 edition.
In testimony provided to the committee Jan. 29, Kathy Means, PMA's vice president of government relations and public affairs, noted that Americans have a long way to go to reach even the current fruit and vegetable consumption guidelines.
Florida freeze hammers corn, lettuce and beans, but strawberries and tomatoes spared
Crop damage assessments caused by the freeze that blanketed Florida Jan. 21 are still coming in, but early reports indicate that corn, lettuce and beans, predominantly in the Lake Okeechobee region, suffered about a 95 percent loss.
"The losses were very significant," said Paul Allen, co-owner of R.C. Hatton Farms in Pahokee, FL. "It was, in my opinion, the worst freeze we've had since 1989. About 95 percent of both corn and green beans in the Lake Okeechobee area were destroyed."
Founder of To-Jo Mushrooms dies at 53
Respected mushroom industry leader and innovator Joseph D'Amico, founder of To-Jo Mushrooms Inc. in Avondale, PA, died Jan. 17 after a five-year battle with cancer. He was 53.
Mr. D'Amico began his career with his family's business in 1974. In 1980, he established To-Jo Mushroom, named after his two sons, Tony and Joe, to pack and distribute fresh mushrooms.
Chris Henry joins Giumarra
Giumarra Agricom International, based in Los Angeles, has named Chris Henry director of sales and marketing.
Mr. Henry comes to Giumarra with more than a decade of sales and marketing experience. Most recently, he served as vice president of North American sales for Advantage Interconnections. He will be based in Giumarra Agricom's office in Escondido, CA.
Bruce Peterson steps down from Naturipe posts
Bruce Peterson, president and chief executive officer of Naples, FL-based Naturipe Farms LLC, no longer holds those posts at the company but will remain on its board of directors.
Robert Verloop, vice president of marketing for Naturipe Farms LLC, told The Produce News Jan. 29 that Mr. Peterson "has completed the task that the board of directors outlined for him when he was hired, and the decision has been made to shift his responsibilities" to occupying a seat on the board.
The Produce News names Lora Abcarian Northwest editor
ORADELL, NJ -- The Produce News has promoted Lora Abcarian to Northwest editor, where she will help direct editorial coverage in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Colorado. Ms. Abcarian had been a regional correspondent since joining the publication in 2005. Kathleen Thomas, who had held the position of Northwest editor, will now concentrate her efforts on advertising sales in that region.
New carton could put 'Snoopy' in more retail locations
In July 2006, Dan Hinkle, president of Hinkle Produce in Cissna Park, IL, entered into a long-term contract with the United Feature Syndicate, owner of the "Peanuts" characters' trademark. He then entered into an exclusive contract with International Paper to produce the "Charlie Brown" pumpkin patch bin wraps.
Sarah Alvernaz named general manager of California Sweet Potato Growers
Sarah Alvernaz, who was formerly a marketing coordinator for the California Tree Fruit Agreement in Reedley, has been named general manager of California Sweet Potato Growers, a grower-owned cooperative based in Livingston, CA.
Lightest California avocado harvest in decades now starting, but volume still months away
Historically, the California avocado harvest has begun in late fall and built to a peak in spring and summer. But with increasing volumes of imported fruit in the market, the tendency more recently has been to hold off until February or March, when Chilean volume is in decline, to begin picking in earnest.
This year, growers are not expected to start ramping up their harvest until even later in the year, largely because of an exceptionally small crop on the trees.