Ocean Mist Farms, based in Castroville, CA, has pledged $50,000 to the Produce Marketing Association Foundation for Industry Talent. This funding will support programs designed to broaden awareness about the rewards and opportunities of a career in the produce industry. "With an impending labor crisis facing all industries, the competition for new and existing talent will continue to be fierce at all levels of staffing -- operational and managerial," Joe Pezzini, chief operating officer of Ocean Mist, said in a July 21 press release. "As an industry, we have to join forces to compete for

Luciano Fiszman is an expert on blueberries. In fact, the 29-year-old agronomy engineer is the expert on blueberries in Argentina for Los Angeles-headquartered Gourmet Trading Co. Mr. Fiszman began his produce career in 2001 while still a student at the University of Buenos Aires, where he started as a research assistant. "I became a researcher myself in 2004," he said. He first became acquainted with Gourmet Trading in 2003. The company was founded in 1982 as an importer and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables. It partners with growers in South America and Central America, Australia

This summer, as consumers are looking for ways to enjoy healthy meals that help stretch the family's grocery budget, Iceberg lettuce can help achieve that goal by offering versatility, value and the "crunch factor" that's a natural for summer dishes. Easy to prepare and naturally refreshing, Iceberg has always been a family favorite. In fact, a recent on-line national survey of 500 premium lettuce purchasers found that Iceberg is the most frequently purchased lettuce. The results also showed that nearly 70 percent of consumers think a whole head of Iceberg lettuce is a good value. Tanimura &

The California Date Administrative Committee and Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association joined forces to commission new research to determine the extent of antioxidants and polyphenols in dates. Early studies have indicated exceptionally high levels of the compounds, well above those for other fruits, prompting considerable excitement among growers and consumers alike. Charlene Rainey, who has been at the vanguard for such studies on pomegranates, has been retained to oversee the date nutrition studies and serve as nutrition spokesperson for the California and Arizona date industries. Ms

"You have to be able to pick up a lemon and talk about it for half an hour, and do it with knowledge, interest and enthusiasm," said Bobby Flay, chef- restaurateur, cookbook author and television personality. "I tell people that if they want to be a chef, go to cooking school. If you want to be a television personality, go to acting school." During the pre-Julia Childs and James Beard era, chefs were educated, trained and then employed by highly acclaimed restaurants. They worked behind spring-loaded doors separating their kitchens from the dining areas. Other than an occasional peek at guests

As the first shipments of Navel oranges from Chile are arriving in U.S. ports on both coasts, the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association is launching a media campaign to build consumer awareness for the latest addition to the summer citrus mix. Navel oranges will be joining the successful clementine deal, now in its third year, with the first grapefruits scheduled to arrive in September. Lemons and mandarins round out Chile's citrus offerings. As U.S. citrus supplies decline, freshly harvested citrus from Chile is filling the void for produce managers and chefs to provide them to customers for