Frontera Produce announced that it has begun a new melon import program into the port of Corpus Christi to service retailers and wholesale distributors throughout the United States.

Frontera, based in Edinburg, TX, will be importing cantaloupe and honeydew from Guatemala through Altobaso S.A., contracting 2,400 tons per week for the duration of the season running November to May.

PHILADELPHIA -- International logistics executive George Sibley received the eighth "Friend of Chile" award Nov. 16 at a luncheon, here.

Mr. Sibley, who is senior vice president of Barthco International Inc., here, received the award from the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce in Philadelphia. More than 150 people were in attendance at the Hyatt Regency hotel, which, appropriately, overlooks the Delaware River. Ports on the river received 55 million cases of Chilean fruit last year.

WASHINGTON -- Dole Fresh Fruit International said that a federal review board's decision to postpone acting on whether to keep ethylene on a list of substances allowed on organically labeled bananas would leave farmers in a tenuous position.

At a Nov. 16 meeting, Franz Wielemaker, director of sourcing and development for Dole's organic program, said that the National Organic Standards Board should recommend that the U.S. Department of Agriculture continue listing ethylene as a post-harvest substance used for banana ripening.

ATLANTA -- The Chilean Fresh Fruit Association is extending a $4 million 2005-06 promotion to many major markets throughout North America.

In a presentation to the trade and media here Nov. 5, Tom Tjerandsen, managing director for the association, which is based in Sacramento, CA, presented details of the promotion.

Gustavo Yentzen, marketing manager for the Chilean Exporters Association, or ASOEX, which is based in Santiago, outlined an overview of the plans.

Vida Fresh Inc., a Los Angeles area-based grower, shipper, importer and exporter of fresh herbs and assorted fruits and vegetables, has received certification for the second successive year from the Mexican government for its food- safety practices on its herb farms in Baja California, Mexico.

ATLANTA -- Produce for Kids hosted a ceremony Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit to honor its 2005 participating retailers for their combined help in raising $225,000 for the program so far in 2005.

"The checks were make out to the Children's Miracle Network, the organization that Produce for Kids supports," said Heidi McIntyre, marketing director for the organization. "We also presented each of our sponsors with a plaque to thank them for their 2005 contributions."