SALINAS, CA -- The produce industry hopes the seven- to 10- day lull following Thanksgiving is the calm before the storm. Whether that storm brings a hail of business or erodes profits remains to be seen.

"We've had a big week," Joe Feldman, vice president of sales and marketing for Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms, told The Produce News Nov. 30. "The [post- Thanksgiving] lull is over."

European Union representatives agreed Nov. 25 in Brussels to establish the new banana tariff of 176 euros per metric ton. This pertains to "dollar" bananas sourced from Latin America, to give preferential treatment to growers in countries that are historically connected to Europe or colonized producing areas such as Martinique, the Canary Islands and Guadalupe.

Maui Pineapple Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Maui Land & Pineapple Co. Inc., announced that it has appointed Brian B. Orlopp as vice president of strategic planning. The appointment was effective Nov. 14.

Salinas, CA-based Epic Roots LLC, a leading grower and distributor of M?che salad products, announced that Mark Kreiner has joined its sales team as East Coast regional sales manager.

Mr. Kreiner was previously East Coast regional sales manager of Ready Pac Produce, based in Irwindale, CA. He worked as a retail director and senior account manager for many years with national consumer food products companies including Harmony Foods and Stouffer.

While Hurricane Wilma devastated many Florida crops in the field, it couldn't destroy the spirit of Florida's farmers, who have been replanting, rebuilding and working diligently to have fresh Florida products in grocery stores as soon as possible.

But when the new harvest of fruits and vegetables arrives, shoppers might notice a slight departure from the normally pristine appearance they have been accustomed to seeing.

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas in Nogales, AZ, is a trade association that has historically represented Nogales-based companies or companies with a Nogales presence involved in growing, packing, sales and transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico.

Most of the products coming into Nogales are grown in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora in northwestern mainland Mexico, directly to the south of Nogales, although products coming to Nogales also originate in other parts of the country.