The new chief executive officer of Food Lion has a plan to turn the chain around, and fresh produce is part of that plan.

Beth Newlands Campbell, who was named CEO of the Salisbury, NC-based retailer following the departure of Cathy Green Burns, told the Charlotte Observer, that clean stores, fresh produce, helpful associates and consistency from store-to-store are all key elements in her plan to better compete in the cutthroat world of supermarket retailing.

The apple industry has been calling them the NY1 and NY2 apples for a couple of years, but on Aug. 1, Cornell University announced that after a year of rigorous consumer testing, the two new apple varieties developed in partnership with the New York Apple Growers (NYAG) now have official names. They are “SnapDragon” and “RubyFrost.”

Market Fresh Produce, based in Nixa, MO, announced STACY HOLTHAUS as its new category manager on Aug. 2.

“I’m excited to have a person with Stacy’s background to help in taking our tomato category to the next level,” Market Fresh’s Director of Procurement Tyler Phipps said in a company press release.

There is no question that consumers are increasingly seeking out ripe pears in the produce department. And Yakima, WA-based Rainier Fruit Co. is expanding its ripening program to meet this demand.

“Ripe pear sales have seen an upward trend the last few years,” Director of Marketing Suzanne Wolter told The Produce News. “We continue to experience growing demand for our ripe pears and strongly believe there is tremendous growth potential for ripened D’Anjou pears.”

Klamath Basin Fresh Organics will introduce 15 new packaging options for its organic potatoes this season. “We chose our new packaging with the consumer in mind,” Director of Marketing Hollis Baley told The Produce News. “We chose materials that would ensure maximum storage efficiency, picked convenient sizes to cater to a variety of household sizes, and included educational information. Our new paper packaging has some unique features. It protects potatoes from greening.

SPARTA, MI — This season may very likely yield Michigan's largest fresh market apple crop ever.

Mother Nature is giving back after vicious freezes in the spring of 2012 devastated apple buds throughout Michigan. The 2012 crop was Michigan's smallest since 1944, according to several growers.