Kicking off the prime California avocado season with a bang, the California Avocado Commission is supplementing its recently announced advertising campaign with promotional activities in support of Cinco de Mayo, the celebration in which guacamole and other avocado dishes are as ubiquitous as turkey is for Thanksgiving.

The commission's promotion plans include public relations outreach featuring celebrity chefs, an extensive on-line campaign and strong in-store merchandising support.

Salinas, CA-based Grower-Shipper Association of Central California has rolled out a new logo as well as a new web site that offers more information than its previous site.

A strong marketing and public-relations program has propelled "Wholly Guacamole" processed avocado products to lofty heights, with more than $100 million in annual sales. Similar efforts are enabling other products marketing by Fresherized Foods, based in Ft. Worth, TX, to enjoy similar success.

SEATTLE -- With the Food & Drug Administration reluctant to set national safety standards, big buyers and their risk-averse lawyers are driving food- safety standards and demanding more microbiological testing and audits, according to produce consultant Devon Zagory of NSF Davis Fresh.

No official estimate was available at this writing, but industry sources suggest that the total California cherry crop for 2008 could be similar in volume to last year's record 7.5 million boxes.

Bings, which accounted for nearly two-thirds of the state's total cherry volume last year, will be a little lighter this year. However, the early cherry varieties such as Brooks, Tulare and Sequoia are expected to be up in volume, due largely to new plantings coming into production or young plantings coming into fuller production.

Fresh fruit is the specialty of Sunny Valley International Inc. in Glassboro, NJ. This summer, however, vegetables are going to play a larger part in the firm's marketing mix, according to Phil Neary, Sunny Valley's director of operations and grower relations.

"We have dabbled in vegetables from time to time over the years," Mr. Neary told The Produce News April 14. But recently, "we were approached by a vegetable grower to take his whole deal. It's a relatively small deal overall," but it will be a strong program for regional retail markets, Mr. Neary said.