Last year was not a particularly good year for Mexican grapes, according to shippers and distributors in Nogales, AZ, who handle the products. Volume was down, and quality was problematic at times. But two years ago was another matter. That, they say, was a banner year, with a combination of strong volume and outstanding quality that resulted in strong demand. This year, there is an air of optimism among marketers of Mexican grapes as it appears that the 2005 crop will be very similar to 2003 with regard to both volume and quality. Jose Luis Obregon, deputy director of the Fresh Produce

VIDALIA, GA " "My focus and the focus of the committee is the consumer, and if they ask their produce manager for Vidalias, they will bring them in," said Jeffery Hall, manager of the Vidalia Onion Committee, here. And he has big plans to reach consumers, making heavy use of television appearances and magazine coverage. On May 5 and 6, Mr. Hall will be in New York City. "I have desk-side interviews? with food editors at publications such as Bon App?tit and Southern Living. He plans to "meet them and familiarize them with what we are doing with the onion? and also to establish relationships. On

Since 1998, the Produce Marketing Association, based in Newark, DE, has addressed food safety at the consumer level through its financial support of the Partnership for Food Safety Education, a non-profit membership organization dedicated to educating consumers at home and at work about safe food handling. During PMA?s Fresh Summit 2004 in Anaheim, CA, PMA and the PFSE unveiled produce-specific safe handling messages for consumers; now, these valuable consumer-education tools have been released in Spanish. ?Adding Spanish versions of the safe produce-handling messages enhances the usability

Columbia Marketing International, a Wenatchee, WA-based distributor of premium-quality apples, pears and cherries, has announced that Mike Wade, general manager of Columbia Fruit Packers, has been named this year?s Apple Citizen of the Year. The award began in 1981; the recipient is chosen by a group of apple industry representatives. Mr. Wade is the third generation of his family in the agricultural business in the Wenatchee Valley. In 1946, his grandfather Ike Wade began Columbia Fruit Packers Inc. In 1950, Mike?s Wade?s father, Jim Wade (who was the recipient of the 1995 Apple Citizen of

PRO*ACT, a Monterey, CA-based leading fresh produce supplier to the foodservice industry, announced that it has appointed Steve Finberg vice president of sales and marketing. He will assume these responsibilities from Brad Young, who recently stepped down to assume leadership of Incredible Fresh in Naples, FL, one of PRO*ACT?s 44 distribution companies. Mr. Finberg has more than 15 years of experience in the industry with increasing responsibilities from upper management to executive leadership roles. He comes to PRO*ACT from L&M Cos., where he most recently held the position of vice president

The Produce Marketing Association announced that John Raudabaugh, vice president of systems implementation for Albertsons, will discuss the implementation and benefits of radio frequency identification technology and discuss his expectations of how the growth of this technology will affect members of the produce supply chain during PMA?s RFID Fresh Produce Academy & Expo on June 2 in Monterey, CA. This event is scheduled in conjunction with the June 2-4 PMA Retail Produce Solutions Conference, also in Monterey. Albertsons, a $40 billion retailer with more than 2,500 stores, has made a strong