Questions begging in fresh-cut vegetable industry
It is important to understand that there is no kill step (no boiling, freezing or radiation) in the processing of raw, fresh vegetables, whether it's done in a home kitchen, in a restaurant, in a cafeteria or in a salad-in-a-bag factory.
Fresh means fresh. The freezer pouch and the can or jar are the only zero- tolerance food-safety solutions when it comes to vegetables.
Fresh-cut, salad-in-a-bag vegetables are safer than fresh, off-the-shelf vegetables.
FPFC names executive vice president
Emily Marlephansakul has been named executive vice president of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council. She joined the 42-year-old trade association in 2001 following her graduation from California State University at Fullerton. Following her affiliation with the council, she went on to obtain her master's degree while working as member development director and event coordinator. She was promoted to vice president in 2006.
Turkish lemons come to America
PHILADELPHIA - Anticipating that high-quality fruit and favorable ocean freight costs will make lemons from Turkey competitive with lemons from California and Arizona, where shippers face high truck rates, Twin Garden Sales Inc. in Harvard, IL, received its first load of Turkish lemons the second week of January. After a two-week voyage, the fruit arrived at the port of New York and then was shipped to Procacci Bros. Sales Corp., here, for distribution.
The large Turkish lemons were being handled by Twin Garden's Jack Lambke.
UglyRipe cleared to ship year round outside Florida
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a ruling that clears the way for UglyRipe tomatoes to be shipped outside Florida, superceding standards set forth in the Florida Tomato Marketing Order and enforced by the Florida Tomato Committee.
California citrus devastated; avocados, strawberries also affected
Several successive nights of prolonged sub-freezing temperatures across much of California Jan. 10-14 have caused extensive damage to the state's Navel orange crop, which was already lighter than last year, and to other citrus varieties as well, with early estimates of losses in the range of 70-80 percent of the unharvested crop and dollar losses expected to top $750 million.
Demand for global citrus spikes
International citrus suppliers have managed to gain a strong foothold in the U.S. market, and the devastating freeze that hit the California citrus industry the second week of January immediately created a demand for global citrus sources.
Bill Weyland, director of imports for Seald Sweet International LLC in Vero Beach, FL, said Jan. 17, "Obviously, marketers here are looking toward the overseas markets for potential supply," he said, adding that citrus marketers are now looking to Spain, Morocco or both for sourcing.
Fresh Express to fund E. coli study
SALINAS, CA -- Fresh Express, a leading producer of value-added salads in North America based here, announced Wednesday, Jan. 17 that it would provide up to $2 million to fund multidisciplinary research to help the fresh- cut produce industry prevent contamination by the deadly E. coli 0157:H7 pathogen.
Tottori 20th Century pears enhance Chinese New Year promotions
With Chinese New Year just around the corner - starting this year on Feb. 18 and celebrated for 15 days - Tottori 20th Century pears are a good pick for retail promotion, according to David Nelley, pipfruit category director for The Oppenheimer Group.
Oppenheimer is North America's exclusive marketer of the unique Tottori fruit.
"Tottori 20th Century pears are a favorite among discerning customers who appreciate the meticulous care involved in producing this fruit," Mr. Nelley.
New look, same program pricing for 19th OsoSweet season
OsoSweet is introducing new packaging for its 19th season of sweet onions from Chile, but it will keep the same program pricing that the brand has maintained for the past 15 years.
"The last time we updated our brand logo and graphics was in 1995," said Rodger Helwig, marketing director for OsoSweet. "After conducting a focus group to gain consumer feedback about OsoSweets, we decided that it was time to update our graphics to deliver a more identifiable brand message to the consumer."
Asian produce becoming more mainstream
Carcione's Fresh Produce Co. Inc. on the Golden Gate Produce Terminal in South San Francisco has long carried Asian produce items to service mostly small- and medium-sized retail markets and restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area. But that dynamic has changed over the years, said Pete Carcione, president of Carcione's Fresh Produce.
He said that it used to be more common that the Golden Gate Produce Terminal serviced retail markets and restaurants whose customers were exclusively Chinese. But now "maybe only 50 percent of the business is Chinese," he said.