VINELAND, NJ — With New Jersey vegetables starting early this year thanks to an exceptionally mild winter and early spring, the Vineland Produce Auction likewise opened the 2012 season about a week earlier than normal, according to Joe Bonanno, auction master. Opening day this year was April 12.

Everything old is new again at Vivafresh, which claims a world record of 60 days for holding roses in storage in “pristine shape,” The five-year-old division of Atlas Technologies in Port Townsend, WA, has taken vacuum technology from the late 1960s and made it work commercially for floral products. Its developers think it could revolutionize the way flowers are grown, stored and shipped.

VINELAND, NJ — Krichmar Produce Co. has added one unit to its headquarters in southern New Jersey.

The unit has a cooler that can fit 300 pallets, and provides the company with four additional dock bays.

Taylor Farms California, Inc. of Salinas, CA, this afternoon rescinded a voluntary recall of foodservice bagged salads that were thought to have the potential of being contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Company officials told The Produce News they received notification at mid-day from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that the earlier test results were erroneous and “we should have an FDA letter in the next day or so” confirming that “per FDA,” said Taylor representative Alec Leach.

Potandon Produce announced May 30 that the newest addition to its growing family of Klondike Brands, the Klondike Goldust Express, will be available in early June. Klondike Goldust Express will join Klondike Rose Express as part of Potandon's shelf-stable line of microwaveable fresh potatoes.

Colorado-based Jensen Farms, which was the source of the Listeria-tainted cantaloupes that sickened and killed scores of people last year, recently filed for bankruptcy protection as there is no way its liability insurance coverage will cover the claims arising from the case.