Fancy food show a memorable one
NEW YORK -- When the World Cup final soccer game started on Sunday afternoon, July 9, attendees of the Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center, here, fell silent, if only for a minute. But over the next couple of hours, it was apparent that the attention was not only on food or on related business. Many left their booths and huddled in front of a television set at the rear of the facility.
For the next several hours, moans, screams, yelps, laughs and cries emanated from the crowd as the final game of the World Cup between Italy and France progressed.
SALINAS SCENE: Motorcycle drawing will benefit First Candle
Rocker Sammy Hagar and famed motorcycle customizer Arlen Ness are teaming up to raise awareness and funds among motorcycle enthusiasts in support of First Candle, one of the nation's leading charities dedicated to infant survival.
A one-of-a-kind motorcycle has been customized by Mr. Ness with original artwork by Mr. Hagar and will be included in a national drawing to benefit First Candle.
Nutrition discussion highlights FPFC Expo
A panel of produce experts took a hard look at what the produce industry has accomplished with regard to nutrition marketing and also discussed additional opportunities at the Fresh Produce & Floral Council Expo held Tuesday, July 11, in Anaheim, CA.
More than 1,000 attendees spent the day visiting scores of booths and listening to produce and floral experts discuss new products, innovative marketing ideas and cutting-edge merchandising concepts.
Hail pelts Washington pears and apples
KENNEWICK, WA -- Multiple hailstorms passed through the prime pear-growing regions of Washington state twice during Independence Day week, and early damage assessments indicated that losses could be substantial.
In addition, securing enough labor to thin damaged orchards could also be problematic.
Personal-sized vegetable snack trays new at Foxy Foods
GONZALES, CA -- Foxy Foods has added to its line of fresh vegetable trays with a new personal, single-serving size featuring three different vegetables and Hidden Valley Ranch dressing dip.
The new eight-ounce "Foxy" vegetable snack tray includes broccoli florets, sliced celery sticks and baby carrots, accompanied by a two-ounce container of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing dip.
D'Arrigo Bros. rolls out new broccoli rabe product
Salinas, CA-based D'Arrigo Bros. of California has introduced a new product: premium cut tops broccoli rabe, packaged under its "Andy Boy" label.
Margaret D'Arrigo-Martin, executive vice president of sales and marketing for D'Arrigo Bros. of California, told The Produce News July 10 that the broccoli rabe product would be introduced at the Produce Marketing Association's Foodservice conference in Monterey.
"Four or five years ago, broccoli rabe was a 15-pound loose product," Ms. D'Arrigo-Martin said. "Now it's a smaller cut using the tips - not the whole plant."
Celebrity chefs give insight into trends
Celebrity chef product endorsements are expensive propositions. Famous spokespeople like Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray, Paula Deen and Emeril Lagasse, who have achieved near movie-star status, cost about as much for an appearance as a college education. For a name endorsement on a product, their agents would negotiate a percentage of every piece of fruit or vegetable produced for the duration of a contract.
'Today Show' segment irks produce industry
When a "Today Show" nutritionist advised viewers to avoid certain conventionally grown fresh produce items because they may be unsafe, it was "so over the top that we had to respond," said Teresa Thorne of the Alliance for Food & Farming.
HMC to market Sierra Gold potatoes to foodservice
Discovery Garden's LLC in Oakdale, CA, and HMC Marketing in Kingsburg, CA, have reached an agreement for HMC to market Discovery Garden's proprietary potato, Sierra Gold, to the foodservice market.
Discovery Garden's is a newly established company built on the foundation of California Oregon Seed Inc. The founders have over 40 years of production experience in developing high-quality seed potatoes for growers. They created Discovery Garden's to distribute and market the firm's value-added, premium-quality branded potatoes to consumers worldwide.
Dale Liefer honored by FPFC
Dale Liefer, who joined Westlake Distributors in 1982, became a partner in 1984 and has been instrumental in growing the company from Westlake Distributors to Westlake-Miller-Brooks & Sims to now Westlake Produce Co., received the Norman H (Buz) Bolstad Produce Award Tuesday, July 11.
Given annually by the Fresh Produce & Floral Council at the FPFC Expo, a list of previous winners reads like a who's who of the Southern California produce scene. Previous winners of the prestigious award include Roger Schroeder, Frieda Kaplan, Dick Spezzano and Jan DeLyser.