Students from the Walker Junior High School in LA Palma, CA, will tackle healthy eating on Friday, Oct. 17 when they put 10 produce-centric recipes to the test at the fourth annual PMA Fresh Summit Sensory Experience Contest. The contest, sponsored by Bolthouse Farms and supported by Disney Consumer Products, features the top 10 recipes submitted by exhibitors that will be judged by the students and 15 key buyers, including Delhaize America, Pro*Act and SuperValu.

Honeybear Brands will introduce Pazazz, its latest apple creation that was seven years in the making, and will unveil TruEarth, a grower-wide commitment to sustainable farming, the highest standards and earth friendly practices, at this year's PMA Fresh Summit, Oct. 17-19 in Anaheim, CA.

Sandy Gatanio has joined the Kingston Fresh team as product manager for specialty vegetables and berries, a new position. With over 35 years experience in fresh produce sales and marketing, his immediate focus will be on establishing these new categories and markets to add to Kingston’s expanding product lines.

Alan Kleinman, sales manager at Gourmet’s Finest Mushroom Co. in Kennett Square, PA, said consumers continue to incorporate mushrooms into meal planning. “There are many new trends, and more people are trying mushrooms,” he told The Produce News. “With the advent of television food networks and menu advancements, we are reaching a whole generation of eaters.”

“The crop this year is much better than last year’s,” George Wooten, president of Wayne E. Bailey, headquartered in Chadbourn, NC, told The Produce News on Aug. 20. “Thankfully we started packing the second week of August, and although we aren’t yet in full swing, we’re doing our best to get customers what they want.”

He added that the company expected to be shipping stored sweet potatoes the week of Aug. 18, and anticipating shipping stored cured product by Sept. 15-20.

As nutrition professionals prepared to gather at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, slated for Oct. 18-21 in Atlanta, the Hass Avocado Board is readying to share the latest from its nutrition research and marketing program with the thousands of attendees.