'First strike' recorded against Northwest apples as codling moth larva found in shipment to Taiwan
Within days of learning the Mexican Ministry of Economy had reinstituted a 45 percent antidumping duty on certain apples from the Northwest, U.S. growers were informed that a live codling moth larvae was detected in a shipment of Washington apples shipped to Taiwan in early October. The Mexican antidumping duty, which had been imposed on Red Delicious and Golden Delicious apples in 2002 and suspended in May, was reintroduced Sept. 29 by publication in that country's federal register.
NPPGA planning promotions for Red River Valley potatoes
The upcoming marketing program planned by the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association in East Grand Forks, MN, is quite diverse, according to Ted Kreis, the marketing director for the group.
The association is revising its web site, nppga.org, which will also have a direct link to its marketing web page, redpotatoes.net. With operations beginning this fall, the site will include a marketing page.
FPFC membership rises and shines for annual Market Festival
LOS ANGELES The annual Fresh Produce & Floral Council Market Festival was held Wednesday Oct. 12 on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market, here.
The event, which began at 5 a.m. and included a buffet breakfast along with table-top exhibits, was well attended by numerous retailers, wholesalers and other prominent produce industry representatives.
George Sadoian of Sadoian Bros. dies at 89
Grower-shipper George Sadoian of Sadoian Bros. in Dinuba, CA, died Oct. 6. He was 89.
A former chairman of both the California Grape & Tree Fruit League and the California Table Grape Commission, Mr. Sadoian was a well-known figure in the fresh fruit industry.
He was born in Lynn, MA, and moved to California, where his father bought a 40-acre fig and grape ranch in Dinuba, in 1920. As a teenager in the 1930s, Mr. Sadoian and his younger brothers worked shipping fresh figs to the East Coast.
Gills rolls out clamshell pack
Oxnard, CA-based Gills Onions, a leading processor of fresh red and yellow onions, has converted its retail line of fresh onion products from zip-lock bags into clamshell packaging with resealable lids.
The newly launched product line features breathable under- film technology to lock in freshness while sealing in onion aroma. Included in the product line are 10-ounce diced yellow or red onions, eight-ounce sliced yellow or red onions and a 10-ounce celery and onion diced mix.
Mission Produce to build facility in Seattle
Oxnard, CA-based Mission Produce has completed negotiations to build a Mission Ripe Center in Seattle, scheduled to come on-line in late March.
Mission Ripe Center in Seattle will be more than 20,000 square feet and will house high-tech equipment and ripening rooms similar to those found in Mission's other facilities. The facility will have a staff of 25 people to run the operation and will service Washington, Oregon and western Canada.
Fresh Express launches new line in fresh-cut category
SALINAS, CA Fresh Express, based here, has introduced "Baby Blends," a first-ever line in the industry's fresh- cut category.
According to the company, the blends of lettuces and greens in the new baby segment are harvested when theyre at the peak of tenderness, color and nutrition and feature distinct flavors and contrasting textures.
Central American exports damaged by Hurricane Stan
In addition to killing more than 1,000 Guatemalans, Hurricane Stan inflicted a great deal of damage to the country's produce exports when it hit Oct. 4-5, according to Martin Maldonado, a native Guatemalan and an importer for Team Produce International Inc. in Miami.
Brazilian grapes to be available in late October
PHILADELPHIA The season's first imported Brazilian grapes arrived in Philadelphia Oct. 7-8, according to Tom Leonardi of Fresh Taste Produce USA & Associates Inc., here.
About nine or 10 U.S. receivers had fruit on the ship, which was being held for 15 days at Lucca Cold Storage in Mullica Hill, NJ, per USDA phytosanitary requirements for cold treatment. Mr. Leonardi said that the first Brazilian grapes will be on the market about Oct. 26. These grapes are the Festival variety of Sugraone.
Minnesota finds <i>E. coli</i> in lettuce bags
WASHINGTON Minnesota officials are calling it the "smoking gun." For the first time, a laboratory has found E. coli O157:H7 in two bags of prepackaged lettuce in connection to the Dole lettuce recall.
In Minnesota, 23 people have become sick because of an E. coli outbreak linked to bagged salads. State health officials began investigating reports of E. coli O157:H7 disease and followed the trail to prepackaged Dole lettuce purchased from at least four different Rainbow Foods grocery stores in the Twin Cities area Sept. 13-16.