Dan Duda, CEO and former president of Duda Farm Fresh Foods, will retire after 40 years from the six-generation family-owned company effective Dec. 31. Dan’s brother and fourth-generation family member, Sammy Duda, will continue to lead Duda Farm Fresh Foods as president.

During Dan’s tenure, Duda Farm Fresh Foods transitioned from a commodity business to a well-known consumer brand with value-added operations that have gained exceptional growth. The Dandy brand has more than doubled in market penetration, with 80 percent market share in retail fresh-cut celery.

U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility struck a blow on narcotics smuggling organizations with the seizure of $37 million worth of alleged methamphetamine discovered in a commercial shipment of fresh tomatoes.

Keystone Fruit Marketing was founded in 1977 and is proud of the fact that apples were the first commodity that it sold. In fact, El Vista Orchards in Fairfield, PA shipped its first load of apples and the company is still shipping its apples today. 

ShopRite has joined a partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control to ensure Americans have access to the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available.

Farmstead, an online grocer offering fresh, high-quality groceries, delivered for free, announced its fourth major city: Nashville, TN. The company’s customer base has grown by double-digits, month over month, throughout 2020, and it is planning to expand to at least 14 more markets in 2021.

Farmstead will bring its online grocery service to Nashville in late Q1 2021. The waitlist for service opens today and is limited to the first 1,000 people.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on RRD Produce Co. of Los Angeles for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include barring the business and the principal operators of the business from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.