John McAleavey, longtime executive director of the Eastern Produce Council, died Friday afternoon, June 5, at his home in Short Hills, NJ, of complications from pneumonia. He was 80 years old.

John Joseph McAleavey was born Nov. 5, 1934, in Newark, NJ, where he was raised. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1958, and graduated from Rutgers University with a business degree.

NatureSweet Tomatoes, a vertically integrated company that controls every step of the tomato-growing process from seed to shelf, continues to cultivate an innovative lineup, taking its tasty tomatoes on the road to a national fresh produce conference.

Village Farms International, headquartered in Heathrow, FL, is a finalist in two categories in this year’s United Fresh New Products Awards competition. Its new Cabernet Estate Reserve tomato, a brown cherry on-the-vine, is in the Best New Vegetable category, and its True Rebel Mix one-pound clamshell is a finalist in the Best New Packaging category.

GLOBALG.A.P., one of the larger farm certification standards organizations, and United Fresh are inviting United Fresh Convention attendees to stay in Chicago for an exciting one-day conference, Thursday, June 11, with leading agricultural industry and government representatives.

The TOUR 2015 event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the McCormick Place Convention Center features a keynote address by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor on the FDA's view of the role of on-farm audits in the coming era of the landmark FSMA legislation.

CHEP, a global leader in supply chain management solutions, is launching a series of high value-add services to help companies in the consumer goods manufacturing, fresh food, grocery and retail industries optimize their supply chains and support the development of corporate social responsibility programs. The Solutions Portfolio, which is being announced at the Food Marketing Institute Connect Conference in Chicago t

Gem Tomato Sales Inc., which represents Triple M Farms, is pleased to provide its customers with the finest quality early summertime tomatoes grown in Arkansas. Gem Tomato was founded in 1982 and today has offices in Florida, Arkansas and Michigan.