United Fresh will host a series of stakeholder meetings held in conjunction with the Food & Drug Administration’s public hearings on the proposed Produce Safety Rule and the Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule. The first will be held Feb. 27 in Washington, DC, immediately prior to FDA’s public meeting Feb. 28 to March 1.

The United Fresh meetings will provide opportunities for fresh produce industry stakeholders to learn about and respond to the proposed rules.

Awe Sum Organics, based in Santa Cruz, CA, announced the hire of DEBORAH YASHAR as marketing coordinator on Jan. 14.

In her new position, Ms. Yashar will help to drive the company’s branding initiatives, manage its online presence, and enhance the company’s visibility and reach through strategic marketing, the company press release stated.

A friend working in the dry freight business introduced Lance Dichter to the transportation industry and the dynamic pace convinced him that the hauling of fresh produce was the area to specialize in.

“I love the fact that at 8 a.m. the rate [on a cross-country load] can be $6,000 and by 6 p.m. it can be 10 percent more, simply because of supply and demand,” he said. “That’s what led me to this phase of the business.”

“We handle an ever-increasing catalog of organic items, with our largest selling commodities being red, yellow, russet and fingerlings potatoes, lemons and oranges and seasonal specialties,” said Lara Grossman, sales and marketing manager for Tomorrow’s Organics, headquartered in Monterey, CA. A division of FoodSource, it is a C.H. Robinson company.

The Chilean Blueberry Committee is redoubling its efforts to spread the positive nutritional message about summer-fresh blueberries by engaging Jonny Bowden, nutritionist and author, in a nationwide promotional effort.

To engage all levels of buyers — from importers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers — the CBC is focusing on communicating the strong nutritional benefits of fresh blueberries as well as their wide availability throughout North America during the winter months.

Leafy vegetables caused more illnesses than any other commodity from 1998-2008, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The new report, "Attribution of Foodborne Illnesses, Hospitalizations, and Deaths to Food Commodities by using Outbreak Data, United States, 1998–2008," split up foods into 17 categories and matched them up with outbreak-associated illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths.