Albertsons LLC, based in Boise, ID, has named Jerry Callahan vice president of produce merchandising. He will be responsible for continuing to grow sales and profits through fostering innovation in the category and assisting the divisions in providing the best-in-fresh quality produce and programs, the company announced in a Feb. 26 press release.

The U.S. Department of Commerce published the final version of a newly renegotiated antidumping investigation suspension agreement with producers and exporters of fresh tomatoes from Mexico, which sharply increases the reference or floor prices at which Mexican tomatoes can be sold in the United States, effective immediately.

The new reference prices, which are identical to those in the propose agreement announced by Commerce Feb. 2, range from nearly 50 percent higher than under the previous agreement to nearly three times as high.

As one would expect on the heels of last year's mango recall at the end of the Mexican mango deal, food safety is the hot topic this year.

Recognizing this, the National Mango Board was scheduled to hold a free seminar for the industry March 6 in McAllen, TX, during the third annual America Trades Produce Conference to make sure that everyone had the latest information and the industry could take every precaution necessary to provide consumers with the safest product possible.

As part of its initiative to raise awareness among college students of the benefits of eating healthful, fresh and fresh-cut produce, Del Monte Fresh will provide its first Beach Bash Dash competition during Spring Break from 12-4 p.m. March 6-8 and March 11-13 in front of the Plaza Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, FL.

“We are going to see a delay” of two to three weeks in the start of many spring commodities out of Mexico, due to cold weather in January, said Luis Corella, a salesman in the Nogales, AZ, office of Fresno, CA-based Crown Jewels Produce Co.

But while the products may come in a little later than originally expected, they will come in “with pretty good volume,” he told The Produce News Feb. 8.

A set of core values, which has been passed from generation to generation at Liberty Fruit Co. Inc., has laid a strong business foundation and allowed the company to thrive.

“Service, quality and competitive pricing are what I believe in,” Arnold Caviar, owner and chief executive officer, told The Produce News. “I have always been a believer in hiring good people and paying them well. My people know — from the COO down — I spend money to make money. I have instilled this in my children and employees as a core company value.”