The 2014 Fresno Food Expo presented by Union Bank will be held July 24 at the Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center New Exhibit Hall, a shift from its traditional date in March. The date change will provide greater inclusion of more than 2,500 fresh produce growers and packers in the San Joaquin Valley.

A trio of produce companies has been named to the list of Canada's Best Managed Companies.

Mastronardi Produce, a Kingsville, ON-based greenhouse vegetable producer, JemD Farms, a Leamington, ON-based greenhouse vegetable producer, and Oppy, a Vancouver-based marketer of a full line of produce items from around the world, were among the 50 best-managed companies in Canada.

California strawberry shipments as of mid-March were running significantly ahead of the same date a year ago, the difference being primarily due to good growing weather this year in contrast to cold and wet weather a year ago.

Kristin Shafer recently joined the sales team at Salinas, CA-based The Nunes Co. She will be handling the company’s full line of organic sales.

Shafer has been working in the produce industry for nearly 11 years. Prior to joining The Nunes Co., she worked for New Star Fresh Foods/Organic Girl, also based in Salinas, for six years.

Does a controlled atmosphere during transit with a high concentration of carbon dioxide, such as found in the Tectrol system from TransFresh Corp., help reduce the incidence of decay in strawberries?

The answer is yes, according to Elizabeth (Beth) Mitcham, a researcher at the University of California-Davis Department of Plant Science and director of the UC-Davis Post Harvest Technology Center.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s 2014 Annual Convention and Trade Show will take place April 2-4 in Vancouver, BC, at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The CPMA Convention and Trade Show Organizing Committee is led by 2013/2014 CPMA Chair Walt Breeden of The Oppenheimer Group, Convention and Trade Show Chair Scott Fairbairn of Thrifty Foods, and Co-Chair and BCPMA Liaison Margie Schurko. The Committee along with the dedicated CPMA staff and CPMA board of directors are sure to put on an impressive event.