Nash Finch Midwest Fall Food Show draws record attendance
Harry Morford, senior director of produce, procurement, merchandising and marketing for the Nash Finch Co. in Minneapolis, said that over 1,200 people attended the company's second annual Fall Food Show Aug. 20-22 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
"We operate in three regions of the country: the Midwest, Great Lakes and Southeast regions," said Mr. Morford. "We hold two shows in each region annually. This was our second, or fall show, for the selling season in the Midwest region."
Shakeups in executive ranks at Sobeys
MONT-TREMBLANT, QC -- Sobeys Inc., Canada's second-largest supermarket chain, recently went through a major shakeup in its produce division, both nationally and in Ontario.
Joseph Sbrocchi, Sobeys' national senior director of produce procurement, tendered his resignation Aug. 20, while two key staffers in its Ontario division, Stephen Rodrigues, its vice president of merchandising and replenishment for produce, floral and bulk, and Brian McDonald, its director of produce operations in Ontario, were let go within an hour of each other on Aug. 22.
Hurricane Dean crop damage in Mexico mixed
In Mexico, Hurricane Dean dealt a sizable blow to limes, but its effects on other crops appear to be negligible or non-existent.
J.B. Cutsinger, who oversees the lime program for Burlingame, CA-based Splendid Products LLC, said that Splendid's limes, grown in Veracruz on Mexico's eastern border, took "a good hit" from the storm.
"It takes a few days to assess the damage," Mr. Cutsinger said. "I guarantee that at least 50 percent of the crop was damaged." Splendid grows limes year round in the Veracruz area.
Wild Rocket Foods to launch processing facility in Southern California
Building on its success in the United Kingdom, Wild Rocket Foods soon will launch its first fresh produce-processing facility in the United States in Riverside, CA.
The company celebrated its upcoming fall launch on Wednesday, Aug. 29, with an event that included city officials.
Wild Rocket will supply whole produce, fresh-cut produce, fresh dips and salsas, plus freshly squeezed juices and lemonades, and it will have a mix of both conventionally and organically grown products.
Los Angeles Salad voluntarily recalls baby carrots
City of Industry, CA-based Los Angeles Salad Co. recently recalled its "Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots" with sell-by date codes of Aug. 8, 2007, and Aug. 16, 2007, because the product may have been contaminated with the bacteria Shigella.
Shigella infection can cause diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, nausea and vomiting. Illness usually lasts from four to 14 days. Infection can occur after eating and drinking food and water that is contaminated with Shigella, and can be passed from person to person.
Fewer U.S. apples forecast for 2007
CHICAGO -- While a few states will produce more apples in the 2007 harvest than in the previous year, the vast majority will produce fewer apples, and the 2007 national U.S. apple crop could be down as much as 10 percent from the previous year, according to estimates released by the U.S. Apple Association.
"By historical standards, the 2007 U.S. apple crop is a light crop," USApple Vice President James R. Cranney Jr. told those attending the association's Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference, held Aug. 23-24 at the Four Seasons Hotel, here.
Hamel is QPMA's first female president, Fogarty named Pillar of the Industry
MONT-TREMBLANT, QC -- For the first time in its 60-year history, the Quebec Produce Marketing Association has a female president, Bernadette Hamel, who also serves as the senior director of produce purchasing and merchandising in the province of Quebec for Metro Inc.
Ms. Hamel took over as president Aug. 25 when she ceremoniously received the gavel from the association's outgoing president, Michel Levac, at the closing banquet here at the Fairmount Tremblant.
RETAIL VIEW: Whole Foods and Wild Oats conclude merger deal
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's efforts to stymie the merger of Whole Foods Markets Inc. and Wild Oats Markets Inc. were thwarted in late August when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied the FTC's request for a stay to delay the closing of the deal.
Vidalia Onion Committee merchandising display contest winners chosen
The Vidalia Onion Committee, based in Vidalia, GA, has selected 10 winning produce managers from U.S. supermarket retail companies in its Sweet Rewards Merchandising Display Contest, which was held from May 1 through June 8.
Potentially record heat wave of 'some concern' for California
The AccuWeather forecast for Fresno, CA, on Aug. 29, called for high temperatures of 106-108 degrees every day through Sept. 2, cooling to 104 on Sept. 3 before dropping back into double-digit readings beginning Sept. 4, the day after Labor Day.
If the 108-degree high forecasted for Friday, Aug. 31, proves accurate, it will break the record for the date of 107 degrees, set in 1888, according to AccuWeather.