In a chain-wide effort to help the hungry within their local communities, Big Y’s fourth annual Sack Hunger/Care To Share program brought 15,741 bags of food to local charities. 

The Hass Avocado Board has estimated that avocado consumption around the Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 1-2) will top 100 million pounds this year, representing a 30 percent increase over 2013.

“We have seen consistent growth for many years,” said Emiliano Escobedo, HAB executive director. “Since 2000, consumption [during the Super Bowl time period] has increased 1,200 percent.”

Ralph Schwartz, vice president of innovation and marketing for Potandon Produce LLC, said the company plans to roll out a fresh new approach to its marketing in 2014. “We will continue our sampling trailer tours across America, and we have some cross promotional partnerships in place that will be extremely engaging for consumers,” he told The Produce News.

Although it is the newest grower-packer-shipper of premium potatoes in Washington’s Skagit Valley, Sterling Hill Farms hit the ground running this year. Partners Norm Nelson Jr., Jim Nelson and Tony Wisdom opened their doors for business on March 1. The vertically integrated company, headquartered in Burlington, WA, grows, packs, ships and markets premium-quality conventional reds, yellows and whites.

The Produce Marketing Association, Fedefruta, Chile’s Fruit Growers Federation and Yentzen Group announced a partnership to bring together the fresh produce supply chain at the inaugural PMA Fruittrade Latin America, an international convention and exposition to be held Nov. 12-13, 2014 in Santiago, Chile.

WASHINGTON -- After Congress acted on few legislative priorities last year, produce industry advocates are hoping for a 2014 farm bill agreement this month and cautiously optimistic lawmakers may begin addressing the broken immigration issue in the first half of 2014.

Stakeholders may get a first glimpse at the farm bill conference report as early as the second week of January, when the House and Senate conference committee is expected to hold meetings on the five-year bill.