California new potato acreage for 2010 is roughly on a par with 2009, when the estimate was 8,375 acres in Kern County.

Lee Frankel, president and chief executive officer of Salt Lake City-based United Potato Growers of America, told The Produce News May 4 that Kern County's acreage is down on russets. But Kern County potato acreage is up on red and yellow potatoes, fingerlings and small potatoes, he said. "There's a shift away from russets" among California growers, Mr. Frankel noted.

The Western desert melon deal starts in California's Imperial Valley before moving to Yuma, AZ, followed by Blythe, CA, and then on to Phoenix.

After the Phoenix harvest -- which starts in mid-June -- the deal continues to the Bakersfield, CA, area in late June and then Mendota, CA, area around July 1 for what is referred to as the West Side melon deal. The majority of growers in the desert wrap up harvests there by July 1.

I have spent the last 25 years of my career in grocery retail, and now I find myself on the opposite spectrum of the food chain with responsibility for sourcing food for an important agency in my community: the Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico. My job is finding good, quality food donations for the food bank to distribute to the growing number of hungry people in New Mexico.

WASHINGTON -- The American Meat Institute, the Food Marketing Institute and the United Fresh Produce Association announced May 10 the co-location of their premier trade shows -- the FMI Exhibit & Education Event, the AMI International Meat Poultry and Seafood Convention & Exposition, and United Fresh -- beginning in 2012 at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas.

The AMI expo will be held April 30 to May 3, 2012; the FMI exhibit and education event and United Fresh will be held May 1-3, 2012.

Food Circus Super Markets Inc., based in Middletown, NJ, has named Louis J. Scaduto president. He succeeds Joe Azzolina Sr., who died April 15 after a long battle with cancer.

Mr. Scaduto most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company, which operates 10 Super Foodtown stores in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Monmouth University.

Richard K. Gore, who worked in sales for Mike & Matt Produce Co. LLC in Vineland, NJ, died suddenly April 29 of a heart attack. He was 53.

"Richard was with our company for seven years," Jerry Mongelluzzo, owner of Mike & Matt, told The Produce News. "He was a tremendous help to our business during those years. He will be greatly missed by us all."