NEWARK, DE -- The Produce Marketing Association welcomed its 2005-06 foodservice board of directors, which took office during the PMA Foodservice Conference, Tours & Expo, July 23-25, in Monterey, CA.

Foodservice Board Chairman Gene Harris, senior p urchasing manager for Denny's Corp. in Spartanburg, SC, is joined by 16 directors. They are:

* Leonard Batti, vice president of production and processing at NewStar in Salinas, CA.

* Steve Bleeker, corporate manager of sourcing and procurement at The Walt Disney Co. in Orlando, FL.

University of California President Robert Dynes expressed his enthusiasm after witnessing a recent Radio Frequency Identification presentation at NewStar Fresh Foods LLC in Salinas, site of the nation's first RFID cold-chain produce testing center.

Sausalito, CA-based QLM Consulting and Michigan State University operate the facility on behalf of Eden Prairie, MN-based C.H. Robinson Worldwide and NewStar -- one of C.H. Robinson's preferred providers.

Mr. Dynes' enthusiasm was understandable to the small group that discussed RFID at NewStar after his departure.

The Pear Bureau Northwest will sponsor local U.S. National Ski Team athlete Torin Koos during the 2005-06 season.

Mr. Koos, a native resident of Leavenworth, WA, is a premiere Nordic ski athlete who will compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. As part of the

sponsorship, he will make appearances at schools and other events as a spokesperson for USA Pears.

NEWARK, DE -- More than 1,500 produce industry professionals, including double the number of foodservice buyers as last year, gathered at the Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference, Tours & Exposition held July 23 to 25 in Monterey, CA.

"Restaurant operators at the Foodservice Conference are up in caliber and number," PMA foodservice board Chairman Gene Harris, senior purchasing manager of Denny's Corp., said in a July 27 statement. "This reflects PMA's industry leadership and the significance that produce plays on their customer's plate."

RIVERHEAD, NY  Fresh from the Start LLC, a division of ADS Management LLC, based here, began shipping its Maine broccoli earlier this month.

"We had our first cut of broccoli on July 16," said Sales Manager Eric Scannelli. We started out a little dry, but we have had very good weather conditions and the outlook for the season is very good.

It is little surprise that a trade show named "Fancy Food" would quickly grow into one of the food industry's larger trade shows. It draws so many people that it is now held three times a year in three major U.S. cities: San Francisco, Chicago and New York.