LAS VEGAS, NV -- After nearly a year in development in close consultation with experienced package designers and several key retail customers, and after evaluating dozens of concepts, Pandol. Bros. Inc. in Delano, CA, is close to launching a truly innovative consumer packaging concept for fresh grapes -- a type of packaging that "has never been seen or used before in produce," according to Tristan Kieva, director of business development and marketing.

LAS VEGAS, NV -- Diagraph, an ITW-owned company based in St. Charles, MO, has recently installed in-line case-labeling systems on each of the 10 stone fruit packing lanes at Sun Valley Packing Co. in Reedley, CA. The systems print and apply labels with Produce Traceability Initiative-compliant GS1-128 barcodes.

With the Argentine garlic harvest completed, and the arrival of the new crops from California and China still a couple of months away, the strong garlic market that currently exists should persist well into summer, according to several U.S. marketers of the product.

"It's a little too soon to tell how the California and China harvests are going to end up," said Louis Hymel, director of purchasing and marketing for Spice World Inc. in Orlando, FL. "But we should have a strong market at least through June."

Demand among foodservice operators for locally grown produce is on the rise, but so are questions about how to ensure its safety. To that end, Pro*Act, one of America's leading distributors of fresh produce to the foodservice industry, has published two new guidance documents to increase understanding and use of proper food-safety standards and procedures in this burgeoning business.

The two Pro*Act documents are Food Safety Requirements for Suppliers of Locally Grown Produce and Food Safety Questionnaire for Locally Grown Produce.

Peirone Produce Co., headquartered in Spokane, WA, has expanded its storage capabilities with the opening of its new 77,000-square-foot, state- of-the-art warehouse facility.

The company, created by Joe Peirone in 1945, has been a wholly owned subsidiary of URM Stores Inc. since 1986. The new facility nearly triples available warehouse space.

Technomic, a recognized and experienced food industry consulting and research firm in Chicago, released its Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report March 25, providing the company's exclusive five-year sales forecast by menu category; update on franchise and international activity; five-, 10- and 20- year trend analyses; outlook for the future; and market share by menu category.

While the report indicated that the 500 largest U.S. restaurant chains registered an overall decline in annual sales of 0.8 percent in 2009, there were also some impressive bright spots.