Monterey Mushrooms Inc. is launching its "Sun Bella" brand mushroom, which it says is the first fresh mushrooms to provide at least 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D in a single, three-ounce serving (about four or five mushrooms) through a natural sun ripening process. The "Sun Bella" brand sun-ripening process was developed through a collaborative research program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture by exposing the mushrooms to ultraviolet light, thus increasing the stable level of vitamin D to a minimum of 100 percent of the level recommended by the FDA. The

West Sacramento, CA-based JC Produce, an independent statewide distributor of fresh produce and other perishables in California, is going out of business. John Tedesco, who was formerly the chief financial officer of the company, confirmed to The Produce News an Oct. 15 story in the Sacramento Bee newspaper that the company would make its final delivery on Friday, Oct. 17. Mr. Tedesco, who retired several weeks ago, has returned to assist JC Produce in closing the business, which he hopes will be completed by the end of the year. The statewide wholesaler had truck depots throughout the state

We have the product, now we need to protect it. We are at a crossroads in the produce industry and we must act now if we are to ensure the stability and profitability of our industry. In light of tough economic times, it is more important than ever to consider technologies with the potential to affect our bottom lines. Over the years, we've developed new seed varieties to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, but all too often we've done so at the expense of quality, taste and even nutrition. We've shipped products along the supply chain only for them to be misplaced and mishandled

Dole and Del Monte faced huge fines from the European Union while Fyffes plc in Dublin, Ireland, announced Oct. 15 that "it has not been found to have breached EU competition rules and no fine has been imposed on it." Fyffes said that this followed an Oct. 15 European Commission announcement that it had concluded its investigation into the supply of bananas to the northern European region of the European Economic Area. The Associated Press reported Oct. 15 that the European Union slapped an $82.9 million fine on the importers of Dole and Del Monte bananas, claiming they operated an illegal

Attendees of the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit will have the opportunity to ascertain exactly how well they lead by attending Harold Lloyd's seminar, "Am I the Leader I Need to Be?" He has developed a system that individuals can use to determine their "leadership quotient," which quantifies their leadership skill and highlights their specific strengths and weaknesses with the goal of helping them to improve immediately. Mr. Lloyd, a celebrated speaker and a regular guest lecturer at Fresh Summit, will deliver his presentation at 9:35 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. As he has been

Colorama, a Chilean graphics company, has developed more reliable labels for the fresh produce industry to assist North American companies with the need to implement new country-of-origin labeling requirements. Over recent years, Colorama, based in Santiago, has witnessed increasing problems with labels staying put or holding up during international transit. "We have been called on numerous times to help fix problems caused by lesser-quality labels which look great when they leave Chile but don't perform under the circumstances presented by fresh produce shipping," Francisco Langlois, general