On March 27, Piazza Produce Inc. was named the winner of Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s 2012 Sustainability Award in the category of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with its project entitled, Piazza Zero Waste. Four other projects submitted by other applicants were also awarded in the categories of air, land, water and energy.

“Each of our five winners was chosen for inspiring innovation, showcasing a positive community impact, demonstrating leadership and promoting education around the principles of sustainability,” Mayor Ballard said in an earlier statement.

JACK MOYER has joined McAllen, TX-based Loop Fresh Produce LP and Loop Cold Storage as director of operations.

WASHINGTON — A government study on tapping crop insurance to cover recall when a specialty produce crop is not responsible for the recall is just one of a few dozen amendments voted on during the last 24-hours as the Senate rushes to pass the 2012 farm bill.

The U.S. Senate may end up voting for final passage of the farm bill as early as late Wednesday, but not before pulling the lever on 73 amendments — a far cry from the 300 amendments filed earlier this week.

WASHINGTON — Consumers who reach for citrus may see codes etched directly on the fruit in the near future as the Food & Drug Administration approved for the first time the use of the new technology.

Sunkist Growers Inc. was one of the companies that petitioned the FDA last year to use the new technology, a carbon dioxide laser, for etching information on the skin of fresh, intact citrus fruit.

BrightFarms Inc. and The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc. announced an exclusive partnership June 19 to deliver the freshest local produce to A&P's family of stores.

A&P has signed the grocery industry's third long-term produce purchase agreement, becoming the only retailer of BrightFarms' Brooklyn-grown produce from the world's largest rooftop farm.

FRESNO, CA — The California table grape industry logged its second-highest export volume in 2011, according to Susan Day, vice president of international marketing for the California Table Grape Commission, here. The 2012 crop could set new records for harvest and export volume.

In 2011, many of the industry’s top export markets imported their largest volume ever of California grapes, she said.

“Total exports last year, including Canada, were 344,997 metric tons,” second only to the export volume in 2005, she said.