Produce

Over a year ago we began the establishment of a new industry institution with a simple announcement f the creation of The New York Produce Show And Conference. Of course, when confronted with the overwhelming success of the event, the leaders of the Eastern Produce Council and your friends at PRODUCE BUSINESS had only one reaction: A joint vow to make the 2011 event even better. We established a tradition last year and will continue it this year with the announcement of our Retail “Thought Leaders” Panel. These key retailers, a “Who’s Who” of the industry, help define what actually happens in this dynamic marketplace.
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Two leaders from the retail and foodservice buying community were honored by the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement during a breakfast meeting held this morning at the Produce Marketing Associations Fresh Summit in Atlanta, GA. Bill Pool of Wegmans and Mike Spinazzola of Diversified Restaurant Systems, the produce buying arm for IPC and SUBWAY restaurants, were announced as recipients of the LGMAs Golden Checkmark Award. The Golden Checkmark is given to recognize individuals and organizations that support mandatory government inspection of food safety practices in the produce industry. …

Representatives of the Produce for Pink campaign announce today that $6,000 was raised during the recent Fresh Summit exposition held in Atlanta, Georgia, October 14 – 17, 2011. During a press conference held on Monday, October 17, 2011, a check was presented to Atlanta-based Saint Joseph’s Mercy Foundation on behalf of the fresh produce industry. …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s release of its Environmental Assessment confirms that the outbreak of listeria associated with Colorado-grown cantaloupes is the result of one grower-shipper not following well-established food safety practices that have been in place throughout the melon industry for many years. In a media briefing, FDA officials stated that “…these factors are not indicative of practices found throughout the cantaloupe industry.” …

Taylor Farms Retail Inc. is initiating a voluntary, precautionary recall of 3,265 cases of various salad blends with the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella following a random test conducted on a finished package of spinach by the State of Washington Department of Agriculture. …