Produce

The official word: If you think seedless watermelons taste bland compared to the seeded ones, it's all in your head. It's nostalgia, pure and simple, says Todd Wehner of N.C. State's horticultural science department. …

Keenan Farms, Inc. has welcomed Beth Sequeira to their sales and marketing team. In her role, Sequeira will work to expand domestic and export sales of Keenan pistachios. …

Gills Onions, LLC of Oxnard, CA is expanding its July 18 voluntary recall to include additional products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes; a list is provided at the end of this release. The expanded product list includes diced, slivered and whole peeled onions and diced onion/celery mix with use-by-dates on or before August 3. No illnesses have been linked to this recall. …

Tasti-Lee® Tomatoes is pleased to announce it is the Official Tomato Sponsor of the 19th Annual Oxnard Salsa Festival. In anticipation of its upcoming California launch, Tasti-Lee hopes to create a buzz about their tomatoes at the festival, which is close to Oxnard’s own Deardorff Family Farms. As Deardorff is Tasti-Lee’s West coast grower/packer, “it seemed a perfect opportunity to introduce our tomatoes to the 50,000 people attending the festival,” said Jeff Trickett, Tasti-Lee’s Sales and Marketing Manager. …

As part of the Christie Administration’s efforts to provide improved nutritional opportunities for school children, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today announced New Jersey has received federal funding to expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program for the 2012-2013 school year. …