The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas held its annual membership meeting earlier this month at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort to talk about FPAA activities for the year, to talk about upcoming efforts and to hear about the efforts of the board and staff.

The meeting was held just prior to the start of the SouthWest International Produce Expo and the 54th Annual Golf Tournament. As part of the annual meeting, FPAA members elected new directors to the board.

Scratch last year’s apple plan because it’s time to turn the tide on this year’s big apple crop and move volume. The October 2023 Nielsen retail scan data reveals that apple dollars and volume sold are trending down compared to the same time frame last year. Stemilt Marketing Director Brianna Shales said retailers can reverse this trend with multi-variety ad promotions that boost volumes across the category and start growing apples dollars over last year.

Arizona is known as the winter lettuce capital of the U.S., providing Americans with an abundance of lettuce and leafy greens from November to March. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, Arizona farmers grow approximately 25 percent of the total U.S. lettuce supply each year. On an annual basis the leafy greens farming community in Arizona generates a $2 billion impact.

With increasing consumption of fresh produce as its top priority, on Nov. 15, International Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns and Vonnie Estes, vice president of innovation, attended a roundtable meeting focused on U.S. and Canadian consumer food affordability with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The meeting was hosted by Michael Janis and the San Francisco Market.   

Monterey Mushrooms announced that George Haggar has been appointed president of Monterey Fresh. He will work alongside Monterey Mushrooms’ founder and CEO Shah Kazemi. Haggar will relocate from Australia to the U.S. to lead the fresh mushroom production business, which operates eight growing sites throughout North America.

Leftover berries and bananas? Here’s a wonderful way to put them to delicious use. This jazzed up version of banana bread has a kiss of lemon and cinnamon, and bursts of luscious berries, to add to the usual moist, dense loaf. The cranberries can be fresh or frozen.