ORLANDO, FL — The Argentinean Blueberry Committee was created this spring in a cooperative effort by the country's five leading exporters.

Ines Pelaez, manager of the new committee, was a guest speaker at the Oct 15 Chilean fruit meeting that was held here in conjunction with the 2010 PMA Fresh Summit. Ms. Pelaez and Chilean interests both emphasized that the Argentine and Chilean blueberry interests are complementary because Argentina precedes Chile into the market each fall.

National Apple Month's 2010 retail display contest is in full swing, but there is still time for retailers across the country to take advantage of the contest and boost their apple sales.

The contest began Sept. 1 and runs until Nov. 30, and retailers can submit entries until Nov. 30. Full details are available on-line at www.usapple.org/industry/apple month or by calling NAM Director Kay Rentzel at 717/432-0090.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal issued a final decision Oct. 19 that upheld a complaint filed by the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Association alleging the injurious dumping of greenhouse Bell peppers from the Netherlands.

The complaint, which the Leamington, ON-based association filed Dec. 24, 2009, alleged that imports of greenhouse Bell peppers originating in or exported from the Netherlands were being dumped in Canada, and that the dumping of these goods was causing injury to the Canadian industry.

NEW YORK — Martha Stewart joined Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. to fight childhood hunger and host a pre-Thanksgiving meal inside Ocean Spray's Big Apple Bog event held here Oct. 19 in front of the General Electric Building in Rockefeller Center.

What captures your attention when first stepping into a supermarket? At most stores, it is the first display you observe at the entranceway of the produce department.
But it never used to be that way.

In earlier supermarket years, produce departments were located in the rear of the store or at the end of traffic flows, and produce displays often lacked variety, thought and creativity.

With California's huge 2010 avocado crop winding down and a 2010-11 Chilean crop that is lighter than usual, Mexican avocados are expected to dominate the U.S. market from November through mid-spring.

The Mexican season, which officially runs from July through June, got off to a slow start this year partly because of the large amount of California fruit in the market and partly because of weather-related light volumes early in the deal.