Giumarra announced the expansion of its line of Fair Trade-certified fresh produce with the addition of USDA-certified organic and conventional acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash.

The squash are grown in Mexico and will be available from November through March to meet consumer demand for the winter holidays.

Scott David Grinstead, the former chief executive officer of Adams Produce Co. in Birmingham, AL, was sentenced to 16 months in prison Oct. 29, which was significantly less than sentencing guidelines.

Birmingham attorney William Athanas told The Produce News Oct. 30 that as part of the proposal in which the former CEO pleaded guilty to fraud and other charges, Grinstead paid almost double restitution to the estate of Adams Produce during the bankruptcy proceedings for that company.

NEW ORLEANS -- Susan Waters, executive assistant to the Vidalia Onion Committee since 2009, has been named the organization's new executive director after a six-month search.

Waters replaces Wendy Brannen, who held the post for eight years before departing to become director of consumer health and public relations for the U.S. Apple Association earlier this year.

The United Fresh Produce Association announced that its second annual Retail Produce Marketing & Merchandising Conference will be held June 12-13 in Chicago, immediately following the United Fresh and FMI Retail Connect shows.

The conference will be hosted by United's Produce Marketing & Merchandising Council, the association's volunteer leadership group consisting of more than 30 marketing experts across the produce and retail industry.

Kings Food Markets held a grand re-opening ceremony Oct. 25 at its location in Cresskill, NJ, which is the second-largest of the 25 outlets located in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. It is also the 10th to undergo a rebranding.

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For the past several years, the Almond Board of California has targeted dieticians and nurse practitioners in the United States with their health messaging, "based on research showing these were the two groups of health professionals most likely to provide dietary advice to consumers," according to an article in a recent edition of the board's newsletter, "Outlook."

However, a new in-depth quantitative study looked not at who was most likely to provide advice but whose advice consumers were most likely to find credible, the article stated.