Whenever a commodity organization makes claims regarding the health benefits of its product, no matter how solid the science might be to support a "superfood" status for that product, I think one is naturally inclined to anticipate a certain degree of hyperbole and perhaps even a little spin to make the good news sound even better than it is.

I therefore naturally approached the California Table Grape Commission's new document titled The Health Potential of Grapes: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature, with a certain amount of healthy skepticism (as one rightly should).

Multi-generational, family-owned-and-operated Orchard View Farms in The Dalles, OR, will be featured in a Sept. 1 segment of "How'd That Get On My Plate?" a new program that premiered earlier this summer on the Food Network.

According to Eric Patrick, director of marketing for Grant J. Hunt Co., the exclusive sales and marketing agent for Orchard View's cherries, filming for the show took place in the orchards on Thursday, July 10, with show host Sunny Anderson explaining the progression of cherries from tree to plate.

WENATCHEE, WA -- In a recently forged agreement between two major Northwest fruit grower-shippers, Wenatchee, WA-based Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers has taken on exclusive sales and marketing for Diamond Fruit Growers in Odell, OR.

Oneonta Marketing Director Scott Marboe told The Produce News that a new label, "Diamond Starr Growers," is being introduced this season on cartons, totes and bags, and will be used in addition to the "Oneonta Starr Ranch" and "Diamond" labels.

With its starfruit program ramping up for the season, Homestead, FL-based Brooks Tropicals has introduced a new clamshell pack for the product that will improve shipping and merchandising.

"The launch of our new starfruit StarPac was timed with the season revving up," said Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for the company. "The package is being released in August. It's basically a clamshell with two divisions for one starfruit each."

Mike Martin, president of Rio Queen Citrus Inc. in Mission, TX, said that the company is making the best of a bad situation following a June 11 fire that destroyed the company's main office and citrus packingshed.

"What is most important is that we take care of our commitment to our customers," Mr. Martin told The Produce News July 21. "We're emphasizing rebuilding and making everything more efficient."