Though the contract still needs to be ratified, activity at all 29 West Coast ports was at near normal levels Feb. 23 after the two sides reached tentative agreement Feb. 20 on a new five-year contract.

There were still reports of work slowdowns or skeleton crews over the weekend, but by mid-morning Monday observers saw lots of dockworker activity up and down the West Coast.

Still, experts say it will take several months to get completely caught up and eliminate the backlog that piled up over the last several months of decreased activity.

The Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative complaint charging that the proposed merger of Sysco and US Foods would violate the antitrust laws by significantly reducing competition nationwide and in 32 local markets for broadline foodservice distribution services.

The FTC alleges that if the merger goes forward as proposed, foodservice customers, including restaurants, hospitals, hotels and schools, would likely face higher prices and diminished service than would be the case but for the merger.

Village Farms has unveiled a new look and feel for its website, found at www.villagefarms.com.

The yearlong effort was a direct collaboration facilitating a cross-functional team process within the company combined with consumer-driven research. The primary focus of the redesign is to position Village Farms as a consumer brand.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed a new rule last week that would amend regulations “to allow the importation of fresh Hass avocado fruit into the continental United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico from all of Mexico, provided individual Mexican states meet the requirements set out in the regulations and the operational workplan.

Posted Feb. 18 in the Federal Register, the proposal calls for an initial 60-day comment period, with the USDA accepting all comments received by April 20, 2015.

Lipman, one of North America’s larger open field tomato growers, is rounding out its fresh produce programs with one of the most diverse vegetables available: potatoes.  

“Fresh from Florida, Lipman’s red and gold potatoes are available to purchase for a 10-week period from the middle of February through April,” Jessica Kerstein, who handles marketing and business development at Lipman, said in a press release. “Our potatoes are consistently delicious and grown with a great deal of care to ensure quality.”

“At DeLallo, we are meticulous about our ingredients, careful to select just the right flavors and use only the best quality ingredients,” said Giuliana Pozzuto, marketing director of The George DeLallo Co., headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. “What’s so distinct about our family-owned-and-operated company is our passion for great food, and we’ve been doing it for over 60 years.”

She added that while it’s apparent that the company’s “SaladSavors” are made for topping salads, the company makes sure that each single ingredient is good enough to eat straight out of the package.