The United Fresh Foundation launched Let’s Move Salad Bars to MIDWEST Schools, a new multi-year campaign to increase children’s produce consumption by donating salad bars to schools in six Midwest states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

United Fresh announced the campaign at its Winter Leadership Meeting in Miami, and introduced 12 Midwest produce industry leaders who will co-chair the campaign:

eHarvestHub, a leading provider of user-friendly and affordable technology for mid- to small growers, has launched its free produce traceability platform.

"Available to all mid- to small growers, it is the only free traceability solution that meets the Produce Traceability Initiative standards," the company stated in a press release.

The latest research on the effectiveness of commodity promotion programs has once again shown that advertising works.

Richard Sexton, an agricultural marketing economist and professor at the University of California-Davis, recently completed an extensive project with a colleague measuring the effective of the promotions done under the auspices of the Hass Avocado Board. These promotions include those done by the board as well as the California Avocado Commission, the Mexican groups that were forerunners to Avocados from Mexico and the Chilean Avocado Importers Association.

Market Fresh recently hired Dana Summer as its senior director of global operations. She will develop and execute strategies to improve procurement processes, policies and tools.

Fingerling potatoes are playing an increasingly important role in the current and future offerings of Bancroft, WI-based RPE Produce, Inc.

Randy Shell, RPE’s vice president of marketing and new business development, detailed this in an interview with The Produce News.

MIAMI — A gentleman. Humble. Hard-working. Those were just a few of the oft-repeated words used to describe Joe Procacci, chairman and chief executive officer of Procacci Bros. Sales Corp., who received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the United Fresh Produce Association at its annual Winter Leadership Meeting, held Jan. 21-23 at the Trump National Doral Country Club, here.