What would you do if a food-borne illness were traced to your produce? Events beyond your control can put your company right in the middle of a crisis at any time, and how you respond to it can make all the difference. The new PMA Crisis Management Manual is designed to do just that -- help the produce industry prepare for and properly manage any kind of crisis that may occur. This user-friendly guide was released at the 2005 Foodservice Conference Tours & Exposition July 23-25 in Monterey, CA. PMA President Bryan Silbermann said, "The PMA Crisis Management Manual is an updated and

Morinaga Nutritional Foods Inc., a leader in the soyfoods industry and maker of shelf-stable "Mori-Nu" silken tofu based in Los Angeles, has introduced a tofu especially designed to address health concerns of women. The new Mori-Nu enriched silken tofu contains the ingredients that women especially are striving to get more of in their diet: calcium and fiber. With Enriched, Mori-Nu has created a silken tofu with the same creamy-smooth texture and mild flavor that has made Mori-Nu Silken Tofu popular, but with more calcium and fiber than the company's original and lite tofu varieties. Like all

LA MIRADA, CA -- As has been the case for many years, the mid-summer luncheon membership meeting of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council, held here Aug. 3 at the Gateway Plaza Holiday Inn, was devoted to raising funds for the City of Hope, a Southern California cancer and research hospital. The local food industry adopted the innovative program as its charity of choice in 1973, and has raised more than $100 million for the hospital in the last 32 years. Fundraising is divided into the various segments of the supermarket, with the FPFC and its members very active in the Produce & Floral Circle

Recently formed Greenhouse Produce Co. LLC in Mission, TX, has finalized its marketing team with the addition of three experienced produce professionals. For the Western region of the United States, sales will be handled by Los Angeles native Glen Bezanson, who brings over 20 years of experience in the greenhouse industry to the company. Mr. Bezanson, who started his career as a grower in the San Joaquin Valley, worked in sales for Westlake Inc. and joined Eurofresh in 1999 as Western sales manager, is considered a pioneer in the introduction of "on-the-vine" tomatoes to retailers in Southern

New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Charles M. Kuperus recently sampled some of New Jersey's bounty at farmers markets in Englewood, West Orange and Middlesex Borough during a farmers market tour. At the Englewood Farmers Market located near the downtown area, Mr. Kuperus was joined by local legislators, Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg and Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson. "Community farmers markets, such as in Englewood, provide residents with access to Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables and a market for our farmers," Mr. Kuperus said in a statement. "This market in Englewood also helps attract

The cost of entering the radio frequency identification game may be much less than first anticipated, according to research by a logistics publication. In Logistics recently published a story reporting that cost of initial compliance may be as little as $15,000 for some firms and stretch only as high as $400,000 for even the largest vendors. That is a far cry from the early estimates that put cost estimates for the larger companies at well over $1 million. Even in the Aug. 1 issue of The Produce News, Gary Fleming of the Produce Marketing Association said that realistic cost estimates had