U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Incentives Pilot project increased produce consumption among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants.

Eden Prairie, MN-based C.H. Robinson announced the promotion of GARY YORK to director of sourcing for Europe.

The Chuck Olsen Co. in Visalia, CA, will see increases in three varieties of grapes for the 2013 season, according to Jeff Olsen, vice president of the company.

“We have increases in Autumn Kings,” a late season green seedless variety, he said. “On Crimsons we have a little increase” and have “an increase on Sweet Scarlets as well.” The company has “a fair amount of Sweet Scarlets,” he said.

Sweet Celebration is a new proprietary red seedless table grape variety from International Fruit Genetics that is being offered by Pandol Bros. Inc. in Delano, CA.

Pandol Bros. introduced the variety to the market last year on a commercial scale, and the “big news” from the company this year is a continuing increase in the volume of that variety, according to John Pandol, a director of the corporation.

Last year, the California table grape industry shipped a record volume of fruit at generally very good prices — a phenomenon growers, shippers and marketers attribute largely to the excellent quality of the grapes.

As of mid-July, the 2013 season was shaping up to be very much a repeat of the prior year, with once again a potential record volume of high-quality fruit moving briskly at good prices. Some said they saw even better quality than last year.

SHANNON BARTHEL has rejoined Pompano Beach, FL-based Central American Produce to take on the newly created role of director of marketing.

Barthel, a 25-year industry veteran, was most recently director of West Coast operations for Southern Specialties. Prior to that, she was with Central American Produce for nine years.