Numerous factors combined to push some vegetable items to dizzying heights through much of April and some of these items will remain in short supply and at high prices for at least several more weeks.

“There is hardly a red pepper to be found,” said Damon Barkdull, sales representative for Uesugi Farms Inc. in Hollister, CA. “And there is going to be no relief until sometime in late May.”

The first few hours of a recall are the most crucial. There is little time to develop strategies to protect public health and repair a company’s reputation. Yet it is critical that a company demonstrate it can quickly and accurately execute all aspects of a recall. The best way to ensure this is to have a plan.

Under Section 103 of the 2010 Food Safety Modernization Act, mandatory “preventative controls” include a recall plan. But this new food-safety law isn’t the only good reason for having a recall plan.

“Being in the limelight” is a term that dates back to the early 1800s when an intense white light was created by heating a piece of lime in a flame.

A London theater was the first to use the bright limelight on stage to illuminate the performers. Thus, celebrity entertainers became the center of attention by being “in the limelight.” The use of limelight became obsolete when Thomas Edison invented a practical electric lighting system. However, the term “limelight” is still frequently used today.

Produce companies that lost sales because of Mexico’s retaliatory tariffs should mark May 13 on their calendar: It’s the deadline for sending comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation on a long-awaited proposal to restart its cross-border trucking pilot program.

On April 13, the DOT published details of a proposed three-year cross-border trucking program that comes after President Obama and Mexico President Felipe Calderon announced an agreement in early March.

MONTREAL — Tanimura & Antle is looking to capitalize on its recent successful campaigns with its new “Celebrate Summer” promotion for its Artisan Lettuce line.

MONTREAL — New Zealand pipfruit grower Enza is ramping up commercial volumes of its Envy apple variety, and its North American marketer believes that it has the potential to be an unequivocal success in the marketplace.