AVONDALE, PA -- National mushroom sales are up slightly for the year and growers are always eager to meet demand with more volume. It is a long established pattern that characterizes the business. Paul Frederic, the senior vice president of To-Jo Fresh Mushrooms Inc., based here, said that the mushroom industry has "pretty strong results and positive growth at retail. The foodservice business is soft, as we try to be aggressive in promoting deals to keep them moving. In the past week our whole team was out at distributor food shows," he said Oct. 14. "We are trying to do all we can to keep

As of late October, almost all the major U.S. fast-food chain restaurants reported increases in their most recent quarterly earnings over the same quarter a year ago. It's no surprise: the lowest-priced restaurant category was expected to benefit during the bad economy as consumers tightened their spending. Some wonder, however, if sales at McDonald's, Burger King, Yum Brands and other quick-serve style restaurant chains will start to trickle down as the United States inches toward economic recovery. A story in the Oct. 22 issue of The Wall Street Journal stated that the recession helped

FRESNO, CA -- It wasn't supposed to be this way. When water districts that supply water to millions of acres of orchards on the east side of California's San Joaquin Valley agreed three years ago, as part of a settlement of an 18- year lawsuit brought by the National Resource Defense Council, to allow 225,000 acre-feet of water to be returned to the dry bed of the San Joaquin River for a river restoration project, it was on the strength of certain promises in the agreement that would make the arrangement something by which the districts could abide. But by the time the first experimental

The announcement by C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. last month that it had acquired Florida-based Rosemont Farms and its sister company, Quality Logistics, might not be the last such announcement. Jim Lemke, senior vice president of produce for Minneapolis-based C.H. Robinson, told The Produce News in a recent interview that Rosemont Farms fits very well within the company philosophy and that C.H. Robinson is always open to similar acquisitions. "If the opportunity is there and we feel we can enhance the services we offer, we are always open to new acquisitions." In general, C.H. Robinson, which

WASHINGTON -- The latest changes to the H-2A program will be too costly for employers to work through, and the Obama administration should refrain from making changes until Congress acts on AgJobs legislation, according to the National Council on Agricultural Employers. Employers have had to navigate a shifting regulatory landscape in the H-2A program over recent months. In May, the Obama administration suspended the Bush administration's 2008 H-2A rules. In June, a federal court ordered the federal government not to suspend the rules, so now the 2008 rules remain in force as legal and

Temecula, CA-based West Pak Avocado, a leading grower, packer and shipper of premium avocados from California, Mexico and Chile, has hired Dan Acevedo as its director of business development. Mr. Acevedo will be responsible for increasing sales with key customers and developing new customers for the company. He will be working with all members of West Pak's sales and marketing team. Mr. Acevedo has 25 years of experience in the retail food industry, having worked for Frito Lay, Kellogg's and, for the last seven years, with Chiquita Brands North America/Fresh Express as director of retail