As California citrus growers continue to invest in needed research to aid the state's more than $2 billion citrus industry and battle threats such as the Asian citrus psyllid, citrus industry veteran Ken Keck will join the California Citrus Research Board as its new president on June 1.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today introduced in Congress the Local Farms, Food & Jobs Act of 2013, which seeks to make fresh, healthy food more accessible to consumers and to support the farmers who grow it.

FoodLink, a commerce and traceability platform that connects fresh food retailers and wholesalers to a network of over 2,000 growers, packers and shippers, today introduced FoodLink Transit, a cloud-based inventory tracking system that provides real-time visibility into the inbound status of freshly harvested produce.

Identifying the multi-stakeholder challenges in an increasingly complex marketplace is crucial for today’s produce industry professionals. To facilitate conversation on those concerns, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association will debut two new programs at its 2013 convention in Toronto: the Retail Produce Manager event and a business program.

The business program will discuss industry topics through moderated sessions with various presenters, and the Retail Produce Manager program will do so through speakers.

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The Perishable Specialist Inc., headquartered in Miami, is a customs broker that is completely dedicated to fruits and vegetables. Ana Ramos, co-owner with her husband Frank, said that the couple recently attended Agritrade in Antigua, Guatemala.

“We love this show because it provides us with an opportunity to visit one of the beautiful areas of Guatemala,” said Ms. Ramos. “It is surrounded by active volcanoes and ruins.”

She noted that the company was in the process of clearing the last blueberry containers from Chile in late March.