Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer advocacy groups, recently published findings of an eight-month survey highlighting the challenges Mexican farmworkers face when they are recruited and deployed to work.

At a time when retailers call for a safer and more consistent source of leafy greens, Revol Greens brings on a new vice president of food safety to navigate distribution, particularly in a food supply chain fraught with continued challenges. Having officially joined the team Feb. 21, Dinesh Babu brings a Ph.D. in food safety and more than 15 years in food science and food-safety experience.      

Natural Delights is offering its two-, five- and 11-pound window boxes again this year to meet the need for Ramadan Medjool date consumption. April kicks off the holiday, but shoppers are going to be looking for Medjool dates in bulk starting in early March when peak sales season begins.

The one-week suspension of imports of avocados from Mexico was lifted on Feb. 18, and shipments were expected to reach pre-suspension levels as soon as the week of Feb. 20.

The Coalition for Sustainable Organics joined with the Aquaponics Association, Western Growers Association, International Fresh Produce Association, Mulch & Soil Council and The Scotts Co. to file an amicus ("friend of the court") brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The Saguaro Half Marathon, held Feb. 19 in Tucson, AZ, provided a perfect setting to showcase the health and hydration benefits of watermelon while putting the finishing touch on the two-year reign of National Watermelon Queen Paige Huntington.

Huntington was selected National Watermelon Queen two years ago for what is typically a one-year term. She stayed on for a second year due to the cancellation of the 2021 National Watermelon Association convention, where a new queen was to be selected.