Albert Perez, president of Continental Fresh LLC, in Coconut Grove, FL, said that the Southern Exposure conference and expo provides the company with great exposure to key retailers in the country.

“And at a significant value over larger shows like the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit,” said Perez. “I also like that all booths are on equal footing. I can present my goods and services in a manner equal to a large multi-national company.”

The Southeast Produce Council is expecting to break a variety of attendance records when it convenes its very popular conference and trade show at the end of February.

The board of directors of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. announced that Robert S. Bucklin has been nominated as a candidate for election to the board of directors, at the company’s upcoming annual meeting of shareholders scheduled for April 30.

If elected, Bucklin will replace Elias K. Hebeka, who will retire from the company’s board of directors at the end of his current term as director, which expires April 30. Hebeka assumed his responsibilities on Fresh Del Montes’ board in November 2007 and has served on the audit and governance committees.

TPG, a leading global private investment firm, has completed its acquisition of Arden Group Inc., parent of Gelson’s Markets, an operator of 17 distinctive, full-service specialty grocery stores in Southern California.

The SpartanNash Expo was held Feb. 19-20 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The theme of the event was “Rock & Roll for Sales and Profits,” and it was attended by multiple vendors and suppliers along with retail buyers from SpartanNash’s six midwestern distribution centers. This was the first buying event since Nash Finch and Spartan Foods combined last July and formed the new entity, SpartanNash.

Mann Packing’s sweet potato crinkle cut fries will be featured on national television this week on Food Network Canada. The product will be featured on "Food Factory," an original series created for the Food Network Canada, which airs on Discovery Channel subsidiary’s Destination America, as well as being broadcast in more than 160 countries worldwide.