The Fresh Produce & Floral Council held its annual membership luncheon to benefit the City of Hope, a Southern California cancer and research hospital. The luncheon, held Aug. 9 in Cerritos, CA, drew more than 200 people from various FPFC member companies. Master of Ceremonies Rebecca Calvin of Stater Bros. Markets was joined by Marvin Quebec of Quebec Distributing Co., patient speaker John Cloer, and Dr. Charles Brenner from the City of Hope.

By all accounts, 2023 has been a unique year in the fresh avocado marketing business as there may never have been such a disparity in FOB price between large and small fruit.

“We are seeing a $50 gap between 40s, 48s, 70s and 84s,” Rob Ybarra, executive vice president at Villita Avocados, based Pharr, TX, said earlier this month. “We are seeing Cadillac prices for the large fruit and very low prices for the smaller fruit.”

Ark Foods Chopped Salad Kits, part of its Clean Label Eats line of products, are now available nationwide.

The tradition of apple growing in Michigan is rich, as the state has 775 family-run farms, some dating back five or six generations. This makes Michigan apples available virtually year-round — and they are sold in 32 states and 18 countries. Plus, more than 12,000 retail grocery stores in the United States sell Michigan apples.

Hundreds of apple varieties are grown in Michigan. Some of the most popular varieties are Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp and Red Delicious. Additionally, there are many managed varieties grown in the state, such as EverCrisp, SweeTango, Smitten and Kiku.

Shuman Farms began its farming operations in Peru more than a quarter of a century ago, developing a vertically integrated program that allows the grower/shipper to supply  the same consumer-recognized and preferred sweet onion from September to March. The organization is heavily invested in the region with a full-time staff and infrastructure to support the program. This allows Shuman Farms to be a reliable and consistent year-round supplier, taking the guess work out of the sweet onion category.

MASHANTUCKET, CT — Bozzuto's Inc. held its 2023 Merchandising Marketplace Tuesday, Aug. 8, and Wednesday, Aug. 9, at Foxwoods Resort Casino, here. Fresh produce was very well represented, as always, with exhibitors from around the country showing their products.

Headquartered in Cheshire, CT, Bozzuto's Inc. is a total service wholesale distributor of food and household products to retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Established in 1945, the company is headed by Michael A. Bozzuto, who is chairman, president and CEO.