Tom Page, whose career in the retail food industry spans over 40 years, will be retiring from Supervalu Inc. this coming June.

Page, who is based in Lakeland, FL, is East Coast-import procurement manager for Supervalu, which is headquartered in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, MN, and which has around 3,000 stores under a variety of banners throughout the United States, he noted.

On May 21, 2013, vegetable growers from around the Southeastern United States gathered at the Seminis research station in Felda, FL, for a close look at more than 100 recently commercialized and pre-commercial Seminis varieties of vegetables, including additions to the company’s premium watermelon line. Among the featured products was a pre-commercial pollenizer hybrid watermelon, showcased as a new pollenizer option for SV0241WA, a high-quality 45/60 count watermelon hybrid with an average of three to four fruits set per plant.

There are watermelon festivals, and then there are Watermelon Festivals. For more than 50 years, the annual Sunland-Tujunga (CA) Watermelon Festival has drawn thousands from the Los Angeles area, and it has finally gotten so big that the 2013 event will require a new home: the legendary Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA. This year, the National Watermelon Promotion Board will also be stepping in as a sponsor for the Aug. 14-16 festivities, hosted by the Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club and benefitting schools, youth and community activities.

Sage Fruit Co. lives by the motto that one-size marketing programs do not fit all. “Most retailers want to differentiate themselves from their competition to keep from having the ‘me, too’ syndrome,” President Chuck Sinks told The Produce News.

Global sustainability begins at home for Peri & Sons Farms. “Sustainability relies on a balance of environment, society and economics. All three are equally important for the longevity of not only the company, but for global sustainability as well,” Director of Food Safety & Organics Lindsay Dixon told The Produce News on May 9. “In regard to environmental sustainability, it is not just a philosophy at Peri & Sons; it is a way of life. It has to be. Not only is sustainable farming morally right, but farming is our livelihood.

Members of the produce industry recently had the chance to meet Kary Osmond at the Ontario Produce Marketing Association booth at the 2013 CPMA convention, where she was promoting the Produce Made Simple campaign. Ms. Osmond, former host of the CBC’s cooking show, “Best Recipes Ever,” has joined with the OPMA to create a healthy living program which stresses simplicity and learning the fundamentals of working with produce.