PMA develops member guide to amended hours of service regulations
Building on its commitment to helping its members understand transportation issues critical to the fresh produce industry, particularly the recently amended U.S. Department of Transportation hours of service rules, the Produce Marketing Association released via its web site a question-and-answer guide to the new regulations. These regulations went into effect Oct. 1.
Mike Casazza heads in a fresh direction
Mike Casazza has been changing keys within the produce industry for a few years now. The 27-year-old aspiring musician works as a sales manager at Fresh Directions International, an avocado house in Ventura, CA. Mr. Casazza grew up in the small farming town of Hughson, CA, and was exposed to the trade at an early age. "I have family that's involved," he said. But the way I got fully involved was when my father was a vice president at Del Monte.
Wholesalers pool their talents at Fresh Green
SAN FRANCISCO -- When Ray Mah, Joe Thomas and Steve Ng joined their three separate businesses to form Fresh Green on the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market, it was a decision based more on the future than the present.
"None of the businesses were in any trouble," said Mr. Thomas, formerly president of DeMattei Bros. "We just said, 'Let's try it.' All of us are hard workers, so we knew that wouldn't enter into the picture.
VegiWorks Inc. grows thriving business from humble origins
SAN FRANCISCO -- Shing Ho took his background in catering for renowned San Francisco-based Bill Graham Presents and fashioned a wholesale produce company -- VegiWorks Inc. -- that delivers fresh produce to its clients.
Project: Re-Leaf helps raise $17,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief
TORONTO -- In a little under four hours, a fund drive held Sept. 23 at the Ontario Food Terminal, here, raised over $17,000 in Canadian funds for Hurricane Katrina relief.
Project: Re-Leaf was designed to show the Canadian produce industry's support for those suffering in the wake of massive Hurricane Katrina, which hit the U.S. Gulf Coast in late August.
USDA to close two PACA branch offices
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will close two of its five PACA branch offices in February as a cost-cutting measure, according to Bruce Summers, chief of the PACA.
According to Mr. Summers, who was installed as chief of the PACA about four months ago, closing the Northeast regional office in New Brunswick, NJ, and the Midwest regional office in Glen Ellyn, IL, will result in a savings of over $1 million annually.
Best opportunity to grow produce sales seen in snacks
According to the Produce for Better Health Foundation, the key for retailers to sell more fruits and vegetables is to pitch them as snacks because consumers are already eating lots of fruit at breakfast while losing interest in cooking vegetable side dishes at dinnertime.
This was just one of the messages from PBH's 2005 State of the Plate Research on-line seminar designed to help retailers boost fresh produce sales.
AgraCo named Exporter of the Year by export magazine
AgraCo Technologies, based in Lafayette Hill, PA, has been awarded a 2005 ThinkGlobal/Commercial News USA Exporter of the Year award from ThinkGlobal Inc., publisher of Commercial News USA.
Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a catalog-style magazine distributed to approximately 400,000 readers in 145 countries worldwide. Awards are given to one U.S. company in each of 14 industry categories. AgraCo Technologies, a privately held company, was named Exporter of the Year in the agriculture category.
FLORAL FOCUS: Retreats and advances
The "retreat" (my name for it) at the Pro Institute held Sept. 18-21 in Volcano, CA, was both peaceful and exhilarating.
There were no TVs, no telephones, no radios and no newspapers at the 100-year-old St. George Hotel. No one had cell phone recepti on either except for magical William from Passion Flowers, who somehow could call Colombia. I was not jealous. I loved the serenity of this historic place -- the buildings of the town have been maintained or restored to their original 19th century gl ory and gorgeous gardens abound.
Dole Fresh vegetables announces voluntary recall of Dole packaged salads
SALINAS, CA -- Dole Fresh Vegetables, a division of Dole Food Co. Inc., announced that it is cooperating with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Minnesota and California departments of health regarding an investigation of an outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7, between Sept. 13, and Sept. 19, in the Minneapolis/St Paul area of Minnesota.