Ted Kreis, marketing director for the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association in East Grand Forks, MN, said the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit creates just the kind of visibility that gets Red River Valley potato growers noticed. “We have participated for 33 years, since 1979,” he told The Produce News on Dec. 7. “Of all the shows we do, we get the best participation at PMA from our shippers, which is very important.”

The Perishable Specialist Inc., headquartered in Miami, issued a Dec. 13 memo to its customers and others of interest to advise them that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has extended it deadline for Food Facility Registrations until Jan. 31, 2013.

USA Onions/Weber grill products “Get Grillin’“ football bowl season retail display contest kicked off Dec. 15, and produce managers across the country have received their custom logo-emblazoned black Weber Kettle grills as well as plenty of Spanish Sweets from the Idaho-Eastern Oregon onion-growing region.

Although it is located in the Eastern United States, Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, is a major exception to the huge crop losses most growers suffered in 2012. In fact, the company has the largest crop of apples in its near 100-year history.

John Rice, president of the company, told The Produce News that the firm’s situation is different than other apple producers due to its precise location in the Adams County Fruit Belt.

The media exposure related to food allergies, including lactose intolerance, during the past few years is a clear indication that consumers are looking for more dairy-free foods, according to Jamie Schapiro, director of marketing for Galaxy Nutritional Foods, headquartered in North Kingstown, RI.

With the new proposed produce rule requiring handlers of produce to create food-safety practices that can be verified and audited, the cantaloupe industry is a step ahead of the game.