“The weather in Louisiana has been great for this year’s sweet potato crop,” Rene Simon, executive director of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA, told The Produce News in mid-August. “Overall it’s been a really good growing season for our producers.”

He said that the crop was planted a little late due to cool and wet weather, so bedding was delayed a little.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture audits that verify produce meet Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices will be modified to meet the new food-safety standards coming from the Food & Drug Administration, a top USDA official reassured the Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee at a Sept. 29 meeting.

Brian Weiner joined the sales and procurement team at Benny’s Farm Fresh Distributing Co. He will be handling a full-line of commodities for the Chicago-based company.

Prior to joining Benny’s, Weiner worked for Get Fresh Produce in Bartlett, IL, for a little over a year. He has been working in the produce industry for 20 years.

Texas-based MountainKing Potatoes has taken another step toward helping retailers boost impulse sales, reduce in-store labor and complement ad features with new, high-graphic display units including large bins for high-volume promotions, easy-to-install display wraps and smaller, yet attractive display-ready stack boxes.

Bringing to market new flavorful and unique potato varieties is a major focus of Idaho Falls, ID-based Potandon Produce LLC, and in pursuit of that objective, the company formed a subsidiary, SunRain Varieties LLC, also in Idaho Falls, “to do our seed production and hold all our varieties and also do grower seed for our production farms,” according to Melvin Davenport, president of SunRain and co-chief executive officer of Potandon.

Since its founding, SunRain has broadened its scope and now makes many of its potato varieties available to other producers as well.

This summer, Frieda’s Specialty Produce once again solidified its reputation as an innovator in the distribution of more than 600 exotic fruits, gourmet vegetables and unique companion items with the introduction of purple snow peas from Guatemala.

“A friend brought them to the attention of Frieda’s,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Caplan. “It’s a great color contrast.”