Interfresh Inc., a national supplier of fruits and vegetables based in Fullerton, CA, unveiled a new corporate identity and web site. The announcement came during the opening day of PMA Foodservice conference in Monterey, CA, where Interfresh showcased its new look and portfolio of products and services. "We are proud to celebrate our 20th anniversary this year. Over the past two decades, we have evolved from a two-man operation into a national distributor," said Chris Puentes, president of Interfresh. "The transformation of the Interfresh corporate logo and web site is one that we felt was

The Campari Marketing Group introduced the tomato variety to food editors at the some of the top national food, fitness and women's interest publications in New York. Joanne Weir, cooking instructor, host of the PBS television show "Joanne Weir's Cooking Class" and author of the cookbook You Say Tomato, joined CMG spokesperson Kari Volyn on the New York tour. During the editor meetings, they shared information about Camparis, executed a tasting and offered Ms. Weir's favorite tomato recipes. Campari tomatoes are grown in greenhouses by three companies in North America: BC Hot House Foods

Members of the leadership of the Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association met July 18 in Chicago, and while there was speculation that the focus of the meeting would be on a potential merger of the two associations, the chief executives of both groups said that was not the focus of the summit. "Both associations' priority is always to deliver the best value to our members, and our volunteer leaders and staff have been talking about ways to do that better," United President Tom Stenzel and PMA President Bryan Silbermann wrote in a joint statement released July 16.

MONTEREY, CA -- Jorge Hernandez of U.S. Foodservice called food safety an "industry issue," and Kathy Means of the Produce Marketing Association called it a "supply-chain issue," drilling home the point that food safety is a concern for all. The two industry representatives' comments came during a panel discussion on food safety at PMA's 26th annual Foodservice Conference & Exposition, held here July 13-15. Mr. Hernandez, U.S. Foodservice's vice president of food safety and quality assurance, and Ms. Means, PMA's vice president of government relations, were joined on the panel by Scott

MONTEREY, CA -- They came, they saw, they congregated. The Produce Marketing Association rode into town and drew 1,500 members to its 26th annual Foodservice Conference & Exposition held here July 13-15. Once again, PMA delivered the goods to a record or near-record crowd, which included a small increase in the number of distributors. The show squeezed in nine more booths than last year, bringing the total number of exhibitor booths to 150. The additional nine booths were in the hallway adjacent to the main showrooms. PMA President Bryan Silbermann said that the show has maxed out its

A hard freeze that struck avocado-growing areas in Chile early in the week of July 10 is being compared by some to the California freeze of mid-January that reduced that state's avocado crop by as much as 25-30 percent. It will be two to three weeks before growers can assess the extent of the damage, but some California shippers who handle imported Chilean avocados estimated the expected crop reduction somewhere in the range of 15-30 percent. The shortfall is expected to be felt most severely during late August and early September. Jose Luis Obregon of the Hass Avocado Board in Irvine, CA, was