Mushroom industry hit with class-action lawsuits
A year after the U.S. Department of Justice cleared the actions of the Eastern Mushroom Marketing Council in Wayne, PA, the group was hit by a new series of class-action suits.
The suits were filed in mid-February in the U.S. District Court Eastern District, Pennsylvania, according to Jack Crooks, chief executive officer of the council. The suits claim that actions taken by the defendants artificially raised mushroom prices in 2001.
USDA announces new regulations for leaf lettuces
Relaxed grade standards for field-grown red and green leaf lettuce have been published by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service in the Federal Register and will go into effect March 23. While this is the first time there have been grade standards for these field-grown items, previously USDA inspectors would grade the product against the tougher standards in place for greenhouse-grown red and green leaf lettuce.
Publix kicks off RFID pilot with three suppliers
Three produce suppliers began shipping radio frequency identification-tagged cases to Publix supermarkets last month in a pilot program that will test the web-based tracking system and involve nearly 300 stores across Florida. "We're excited by the results so far," said Maria Brous, media and community relations director for Publix Super Markets Inc. We started reading RFID shipments in late January.
Japanese market opens for fresh U.S. chipping potatoes
An ocean vessel laden with 60 million pounds of fresh Idaho chipping potatoes is currently on its way to Hiroshima, Japan, marking the first time that fresh potatoes from the United states have been allowed into Japan since an import ban went into effect 55 years ago.
Agreement to put more Chiquita bananas in C-stores
Chiquita Brands International Inc., based in Cincinnati, and Core-Mark International, a leading North American distributor to the convenience retail industry, with U.S. headquarters based in South San Francisco, CA, have entered into an arrangement to distribute "Chiquita" brand bananas using Landec Corp.'s patented packaging technology to convenience stores throughout the Core-Mark network of C-stores.
Sunkist and Taylor Farms team on fresh-cut venture
Two of the bigger names in fresh produce are teaming up to expand their presence in the fast-growing fresh-cut fruit category. Sunkist Growers, a leading marketer of fresh citrus based in Sherman Oaks, CA, and Taylor Farms, a leading supplier of value-added fresh produce to the North American foodservice industry, based in Salinas, CA, announced a new joint venture, Sunkist Taylor LLC. The announcement was made Feb. 22 at Sunkist's 112th annual meeting in Ventura, CA.
Robert Tanimura of Tanimura & Antle dies at 76
The fields and hallways of Salinas, CA-based Tanimura & Antle are minus the smile of Robert (Bobby) Tanimura, who died in his Salinas home on Saturday, Feb. 18, after a long battle with cancer. He was 76. Though battling prostate cancer since the 1990s, Mr. Tanimura kept an active schedule as a director with the company. Farming was his lifelong passion, and right up until his final days, he could be seen patrolling the fields, dispensing advice about pest management and attending T&A board meetings.
Goodness Greeness touts Family Farmed Expo
For the second straight year, Goodness Greeness, a leading Midwest distributor of organic produce based in Chicago, will sponsor Family Farmed Expo, an event that brings together regional growers, chefs and consumers with an interest in organic and artesian food, local economies, fair trade, nature, and environmental and health issues. Family Farmed Expo will be held Friday, March 10 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, March 11 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Chicago at the historic Chicago Cultural Center on East Washington Street.
FreshPoint buys produce distributors
Houston-based Sysco Corp. announced that its FreshPoint produce subsidiary bought City Produce Inc., a leading independent produce distributor in Texas' Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Harlingen, foodservice markets, and Thomas Bros. Produce Inc., an independent produce distributor in Oklahoma. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
Kyle Moynahan growing into role with greenhouse company
When 25-year-old Leamington, ON, native Kyle Moynahan graduated from the University of Windsor with a bachelor of commerce degree, he wasn't sure of his future in terms of a career. He spent the next two years working as a student recruiter for the school.