NewStar now offering spinach packed in eco-friendly bags
NewStar Fresh Foods, a Salinas, CA-based grower, shipper and processor of fresh produce, announced the launch of a fresh spinach packaged in new eco-friendly, socially responsible EarthFirst PLA packaging film. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, began selling 10-ounce bags of NewStar's spinach packaged in PLA film in September.
Merger joins two Michigan wholesalers
Heeren Bros. and J.A. Besteman Co. announced Oct. 9 that they plan to merge, creating one of the larger family-owned produce wholesalers in Michigan.
The asset purchase will create a company with approximately 175 employees, three warehouses, a fleet of 40 trucks and the ability to serve customers throughout Michigan and into northern Ohio and Indiana. The new company will continue to do business under both family names, which enjoy strong brand recognition among their customers.
Salinas Valley's reputation on the line
In Salinas native John Steinbeck's famous novel "The Grapes of Wrath," there's a scene where a turtle encounters great obstacles trying to cross a highway. After much hardship for the turtle, a trucker swerves to hit the turtle, clipping its shell and sending it flying off the road. The turtle lands on its back but manages to right itself and move on. The scene encapsulated the theme of perseverance that wove through the entire novel.
Zespri kiwifruit powers up nutrition convention
With celebrated author Steven Pratt on hand to tout the "superfood" qualities of green and gold kiwifruit, the Zespri booth became an energy-boosting destination at the recent American Dietetics Association Food & Nutrition conference and exposition in Honolulu.
Known as Oprah's "Food Dude," the author of SuperFoods Healthstyle signed copies of his book and shared tips on the benefits of eating kiwifruit with over 5,000 members of the association during its annual food and nutrition conference in mid-September.
Scope narrowed in spinach case
The California Department of Health Services and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced Thursday evening, Oct. 12 that three positive samples of E. coli 0157:H7 with the same genetic strain as that which caused the recent foodborne disease outbreak in spinach have been identified in cattle feces on one ranch that supplied spinach to Natural Selections Foods on the day of production in question.
California Giant and Sesame Street partner to promote strawberries
California Giant Berry Farms, a leading strawberry shipper, and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind "Sesame Street," have teamed up to help educate children about the benefits of strawberries.
Recent independent research shows that strawberries are among kids' favorite fruits. Based on these findings, new educational programs will focus on fun and exciting ways to encourage kids to make eating fresh fruit, like California Giant strawberries, part of their daily routine.
Mindy VanVleck works hard, plays hard to keep life interesting
Work hard, play hard. If 25-year-old Mindy VanVleck had a life motto, that would sum things up nicely. This is the same person who approached Frank Davis, vice president of sales and marketing for Borton & Sons in Yakima, WA, to get an "informational interview" that turned into an internship. And it's the same person who set up a 280-foot slip-and-slide in her yard last year to give party guests a wet and wild time.
Kawamura addresses FPFC meeting
LA MIRADA, CA -- A.G. Kawamura, secretary of the California Department of Food & Agriculture, was the featured speaker Oct. 4 at the Fresh Produce & Floral Council Luncheon meeting, here. A large crowd of produce professionals heard Mr. Kawamura touch upon a myriad of agricultural topics, including the recent spinach crisis and the next farm bill.
Mr. Kawamura called 2006 a year of "outbreaks and heartaches" in California, because the state was also hit hard by flooding early in the year followed by a massive heat wave in early July.
Idaho potato crop looking good despite high August temperatures
Idaho growers will harvest approximately 328,000 acres of potatoes this year, yielding nearly 12 billion pounds.
Overall, the crop appears to be uniformly smooth and consistent. The extremely warm weather in early August did not have an adverse effect on the crop -- in fact it may have accelerated the harvest.
The Idaho potato industry's irrigation system ensures that despite high temperatures and even drought, the crop is managed quite effectively because irrigation is the primary water source.
Growers Express emphasizes Green Giant connection
SALINAS, CA -- Though the company hasn't officially changed its name, Green Giant Fresh by Growers Express is the new moniker of this well- established Salinas grower-shipper.
The firm has been affiliated with Green Giant Fresh for the past several years, and it claims to currently pack and ship more than half of the volume of that brand, which now has more than a dozen different categories and scores of SKUs.