“We have experienced good volumes of blueberries from Chile, as well as cherries,” said Ana Ramos, co-owner with her husband, Frank, of the Perishable Specialist Inc., headquartered in Miami. “We are seeing good volumes by ocean and a steady stream by air of Chilean blueberries.”

She added that blueberries would be in full swing at the turn of the New Year.

Gourmet Trading Co., headquartered in Los Angeles, was entering its first peak for the Chilean blueberry season in mid-December.

“We anticipate a good supply that will feed the U.S. demand for blueberries at competitive prices,” said Chloé Varennes, marketing manager for the firm. “Quality and rotation has been excellent this season.”

Doug Stoiber, vice president of produce transportation operations for L&M Transportation Services Inc., based in Raleigh, NC, has resigned his position with the company, effective January. A 10-year veteran of the third-party logistics company, he will pursue a career as a recruiting consultant in the post-harvest produce industry.

Stoiber will be based in Wilson, NC, and will focus on produce businesses primarily based in the eastern and southeastern United States.

COLUMBIA, SC — Despite an early freeze that killed an estimated 20 percent of the 2014 peach crop, production finished strong and managed to pull within shouting distance of last year’s harvest. Matt Cornwell, marketing specialist for peaches at the South Carolina Department of Agriculture here, said final totals, as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in mid-September, were 2,290 truckloads, compared to 2,320 in 2013.

Two companies have announced recalls for their caramel apples as a result of the current outbreak of Listeriosis. Both companies — California Snack Foods and Happy Apples — cited Bidart Bros. as one of their apple suppliers.

The Center for Disease Control has noted 29 illnesses in 10 states linked to the outbreak, and it has advised consumers not to eat commercially produced, pre-packaged caramel apples until more is known.

Baltimore's Virtual Supermarket Program, a nationally award-winning program that increases food access in neighborhoods designated as food deserts by providing online ordering and delivery options, has recently expanded.