Delhaize Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Holt as chief executive officer for Delhaize America. Holt, formerly president of retail operations at SuperValu, will also become a member of the Delhaize Group executive committee. He will start July 7 and lead the Group’s U.S. operations.

WASHINGTON — Fruit importers are protesting a government proposal to hike agricultural quarantine and inspection service fees — the first in nearly a decade — they say will have severe financial repercussions throughout the market.

In April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant & Health Inspection Service proposed new user fees to defray the cost of inspection services at U.S. ports of entry to prevent pests and diseases. At the same time, APHIS proposed changes to the hourly rates charged for overtime work. Comments are due today.

Cherries from the Pacific Northwest are sizing larger than years past, with sugar levels at the top of the charts, according to Columbia Marketing International. Retailers are reporting positive feedback from consumers, but CMI anticipates that the best is yet to come.

With some 2,500 acres of melons in production on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, Westside Produce in Firebaugh, CA, anticipates “business as usual this year,” except for a little bit earlier start than usual, according to Garrett Patricio, vice president and general counsel.

The expected start date is between June 25 and 28, just slightly earlier than the typical start date of about July 1.

“Acreage for the year appears to be normal,” with ample supplies of melons available “during our peak shipping months of July, August, September and into October,” he said.

“The organic industry can more broadly be seen as a subset of the larger environmental movement,” said Simcha Weinstein, director of marketing for Albert’s Organics headquartered in Swedesboro, NJ. “How we deliver our food system to our tables has a tremendous impact on our ecology. But even within the context of that system, it’s only one part of the equation. Organic refers to the process of how we grow our food, but also to how the food travels to our plates, which is another aspect entirely. And it is this aspect that is gaining awareness as the local movement moves forward.”

Greene River Packing and Leroy Smith Inc. have entered into a strategic operating alliance and will be conducting business as Greene-Smith Packing LLC.

Commencing with the 2014-15 Florida fresh citrus season, the packing operations for both companies will be located at the current Greene River Packing facility in Vero Beach, FL.