The first shipload of Brazilian canary melons from Itaueira Farms in northeastern Brazil is expected to arrive on the East Coast of the United States Sept. 20, according to Rodrigo Lima, who handles the company's North American sales through Crown International USA LLC in Key Biscayne, FL.

Mr. Lima said that volume should be similar to last year, "but we don’t focus on volume, we focus on quality."

Leonard J. Ronan Jr., chief accounting officer for the Los Angeles Salad Co., died peacefully in his sleep Sept. 1 at his home in Walnut, CA. He was 78.

When shoppers see new Heart Check marks on potatoes next year, the industry hopes the U.S. Department of Agriculture will notice them too and add white potatoes to the federally supported Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children.

Starting in February, white potatoes will join a list of foods that have been certified to meet the American Heart Association's nutrition criteria as being low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

"Authenticity" has long been a watchword of the California Avocado Commission and never more than with the inception of the California avocado grower marketing campaign.

This season, California avocado growers have elevated their level of involvement in the consumer campaign by making personal appearances at retailer events and by interacting with consumers as well as with the media to create personalized marketing experiences.

The South African summer citrus season is progressing according to plan with 30,583 tons of clementines, Navel oranges and grapefruit shipped as of the second week of September.

"We have been delighted with the demand for our citrus this season," Gerrit van der Merwe, chairman of the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum, said in a Sept. 7 press release.

SUN VALLEY, ID - A year ago at the 81st annual Idaho Grower Shipper Association meeting, the industry strategized in the face of moving a record crop. As part of that effort, the Idaho Potato Commission ramped up its promotional programs on the retail, foodservice and international fronts with a number of consumer and trade initiatives.

This year, the industry is looking at a much shorter crop. However, the commission will continue with an all-out promotional assault to help move the state's famous spuds and maintain the "Idaho" brand recognition.