“Our one and one-half-pound steamer bags of sweet potatoes, packed 12 to a case, are growing exponentially in demand,” George Wooten, president of Wayne E. Bailey in Chadbourn, NC, told The Produce News.

“We actually ran out of the product from the 2012 crop that was in storage, and then when the new crop came in we jumped right back on getting them out as quickly as possible,” he said.

The item’s popularity is in part because it’s a perfect family-size bag of sweet potatoes. Another reason is that it is available under the Green Giant Fresh label.

On Nov. 9, Daryn Pittman edged out Donny Schatz for the 2013 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship. With his 12th place finish in the season finale, he became the ninth different World of Outlaws champion in 36 years.

WASHINGTON—Two trade associations are asking FDA for a significant rewrite of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) proposals in comments submitted to FDA before the agency agreed today to give stakeholders one more week to submit them.

ATLANTA — It was a beautiful day Saturday morning, Nov. 2, at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Strong Legs Run at Turner Field, here. The Southeast Produce Council was a Silver Sponsor of the Strong Legs Run supporting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Strong 4 Life.

The Ontario Produce Marketing Association's Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony was held Nov. 8 at the Liberty Grand - Exhibition Place in Ontario. The annual social outing and networking event brought together produce industry partners and honored those who have significantly contributed to improving the industry.

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Crunch Pak, based in Cashmere, WA, is voluntarily recalling 5,471 cases of Crunch Pak Apple Slices due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported in association with this recall to date, and no other Crunch Pak products are affected by this recall. FDA is aware that the company is undertaking this voluntary action.