Dole Fresh Vegetables opens its doors for tour of operations
SOLEDAD, CA -- In an industry that is increasingly moving toward transparency of its operations, Salinas, CA-based Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. hosted a media tour of its Monterey County operations on Thursday, April 26.
Banana cargo alignment move gives Chiquita flexibility
Chiquita Brands International Inc., based in Cincinnati, has agreed to sell its 12 refrigerated cargo vessels for $227 million. The ships will be chartered back from an alliance formed by Eastwind Maritime Inc. and NYKLauritzenCool AB.
The parties also entered a long-term strategic agreement in which the alliance will serve as Chiquita's preferred supplier in ocean shipping to and from Europe and North America.
USDA funds to benefit Idaho potatoes
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that it will send Idaho nearly $11 million to eradicate the potato cyst nematode, an announcement that came just days after Mexico agreed to reopen its market to Idaho potatoes.
Mexico joined a handful of other countries in suspending imports of Idaho potatoes after PCN was detected for the first time in a soil sample collected from an Idaho processing facility in April 2006. Since then, studies found PCN in seven fields within a one-mile radius.
NewStar sheds commodities, plays to strengths in products, service and food safety
SALINAS, CA -- As of June 15, NewStar Fresh Foods, based here, will focus its attention and energies fully on its green onions, asparagus and spinach value-added line.
The company no longer will be involved with Iceberg lettuce, Romaine, leaf lettuces and celery. About a year ago, NewStar got out of broccoli and cauliflower. Its transition out of its commodities business is a positive and proactive step, said John Killeen, vice president of sales and marketing for NewStar.
RETAIL VIEW: Marketplace exploding with options
PALM SPRINGS, CA -- Competition for the consumer's retail food dollar is still intensifying as the lines continue to blur between various retail sectors. At least that is the view of retail expert Ed McLaughlin, director of food industry management at Cornell University, who gave the keynote address at the United Fresh Produce Association's FreshTech conference, held here April 25-28.
Government food safety oversight endorsed
PALM SPRINGS, CA -- There is no doubt that improved food safety measures are being used by most companies since the spinach crisis of last September. The big question, however, relates to whether there should there be a mandatory, government-regulated component to the food safety issue.
Veto clouds prospects for farmer disaster assistance
WASHINGTON -- Spinach producers may not see the $25 million bailout money, but farmers are hopeful that more than $3 billion in disaster assistance will be part of the next Iraq war supplemental bill.
On May 1, President Bush vetoed the latest bill that would have funded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying it would mandate an artificial date for troop withdrawal and was "loaded with billions of dollars in non-emergency spending that has nothing to do with fighting the war on terror."
CTFA releases 2007 crop estimates
PARLIER, CA -- The California Tree Fruit Agreement is projecting a combined crop of 50.5 million boxes of California peaches, plums and nectarines for the 2007 season, up from 47.5 million boxes in 2005. Estimated starting dates for each variety are a week earlier than last year, which was later than normal.
The crop estimates were released at the CTFA spring meetings held here on May 1 upon their approval by the respective commodity committees, which are administered by CTFA.
UglyRipes ready for national distribution
PHILADELPHIA -- It's been 100 days since the U.S. Department of Agriculture cleared Florida-grown UglyRipe tomatoes for distribution outside the Sunshine State, and the product's grower-marketer is now anxious to meet the large consumer demand for the tomato.
Mike Maxwell, president of Procacci Brothers Sales Corp., here, told The Produce News that his firm expected to be shipping much larger volumes of tomatoes than it had in the past.
Food safety dominates FreshTech conference
PALM SPRINGS, CA -- Not surprisingly, food safety was the dominant topic of conversation at the United Fresh Produce Association's FreshTech conference, held here April 25-28.