A new face will be joining the United Apple team for the 2023-24 season. James Williams has joined the Lyndonville, NY-based grower-packer-shipper as business development manager.

Williams is bringing a diverse background in the produce industry. Previously a business development manager at Intergrow Greenhouses Inc. and a produce merchant at Sam’s Club in Bentonville, AR, he has experience from tropicals, to grapes and potatoes to tomatoes.

Freshouse Produce, a full-service produce company located in Salisbury, NC, has appointed Nate Nelson as senior warehouse operations manager, where he will utilize data and transparency to increase efficiencies and safety practices.

The Kroger Wellness Festival will take place Sept. 22-23 in downtown Cincinnati.

The free health and wellness festival celebrates physical, mental and emotional health for the whole family. It will showcase more than 150 experiences and food offerings focused on six core pillars of transformation: balance, move, breathe, care, uplift and play.

If a late-night talk show married IFPA’s Foodservice Conference, they’d give birth to Monterey Bay Live!, a fun, energetic session with thought-provoking interviews, a lively chef demo and recognition of the best of the best in foodservice. The conference is July 27-28 in Monterey, CA.

Art Munoz has returned to Church Brothers Farms to serve as vice president of raw product procurement for the U.S. and Mexico.

Munoz has more than 20 years of raw material sourcing experience, both domestically and internationally. He was previously with Taylor Farms as a director of ag ops, and prior to that had been part of the Church Brothers team for nearly 12 years. Munoz graduated from the University of California-Davis with a degree in agricultural and managerial economics.

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has initiated a two-year food-safety study. Approved unanimously by the LGMA advisory board, the study — called Romaine Test & Learn — involves collecting and analyzing LGMA members’ pathogen test data for Romaine lettuce including both pre-harvest and post-harvest testing.