Relaxed grade standards for field-grown red and green leaf lettuce have been published by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service in the Federal Register and will go into effect March 23.

While this is the first time there have been grade standards for these field-grown items, previously USDA inspectors would grade the product against the tougher standards in place for greenhouse-grown red and green leaf lettuce.

Three produce suppliers began shipping radio frequency identification-tagged cases to Publix supermarkets last month in a pilot program that will test the web-based tracking system and involve nearly 300 stores across Florida.

"We're excited by the results so far," said Maria Brous, media and community relations director for Publix Super Markets Inc. We started reading RFID shipments in late January.

An ocean vessel laden with 60 million pounds of fresh Idaho chipping potatoes is currently on its way to Hiroshima, Japan, marking the first time that fresh potatoes from the United states have been allowed into Japan since an import ban went into effect 55 years ago.

Chiquita Brands International Inc., based in Cincinnati, and Core-Mark International, a leading North American distributor to the convenience retail industry, with U.S. headquarters based in South San Francisco, CA, have entered into an arrangement to distribute "Chiquita" brand bananas using Landec Corp.'s patented packaging technology to convenience stores throughout the Core-Mark network of C-stores.

Two of the bigger names in fresh produce are teaming up to expand their presence in the fast-growing fresh-cut fruit category.

Sunkist Growers, a leading marketer of fresh citrus based in Sherman Oaks, CA, and Taylor Farms, a leading supplier of value-added fresh produce to the North American foodservice industry, based in Salinas, CA, announced a new joint venture, Sunkist Taylor LLC. The announcement was made Feb. 22 at Sunkist's 112th annual meeting in Ventura, CA.

The fields and hallways of Salinas, CA-based Tanimura & Antle are minus the smile of Robert (Bobby) Tanimura, who died in his Salinas home on Saturday, Feb. 18, after a long battle with cancer. He was 76.

Though battling prostate cancer since the 1990s, Mr. Tanimura kept an active schedule as a director with the company. Farming was his lifelong passion, and right up until his final days, he could be seen patrolling the fields, dispensing advice about pest management and attending T&A board meetings.