The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement presented produce buyer Tim York with its Golden Checkmark Award for his role in initiating a companywide policy at Markon Cooperative Inc. to accept the LGMA mandatory government inspection as the only required audit for its leafy greens suppliers. According to an Oct. 4 LGMA press release, in a special presentation during the Sunday morning general session of the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA, LGMA board Chairman Joe Pezzini presented the award to Mr. York, who is president of Markon Cooperative Inc., a produce

ANAHEIM, CA -- With speakers on both sides of the issue, the concept of a generic national fruit and vegetable promotion campaign was debated during a workshop held during the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, held here Oct. 2-5. The amount of money being proposed for this effort appeared to be the hot topic of conversation during the so-called town hall meeting, which took place Oct. 3. Most of the panelists seemed to be in favor of the concept, or at least in favor of continuing to move the discussion forward to allow more produce industry

Dole Fresh Vegetables, a division of Dole Food Co., announced a new long- term contract with CHEP, a leading pallet and container pooling company, that calls for Dole to continue shipping the majority of its products on Chep pallets from its 12 facilities in California, Arizona, North Carolina and Ohio to major supermarket retailers, clubstores, foodservice distributors and wholesalers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Prior to joining the Chep pallet program in 2006, Dole Fresh used limited-use pallets and determined that the practice was inefficient and costly. During the past three

ANAHEIM, CA -- Looking to inject some innovation into a category that has been devoid of any significant advancements for years, Del Monte Fresh Produce unveiled a new technology that it believes will improve banana consumption and sales. Del Monte officials held a press conference Oct. 3 prior to the opening of the 2009 Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit exposition to announce the launch of its proprietary Controlled Ripening Technology, or CRT. CRT, which has been under development since 2002, controls the exchange of gases, resulting in a more brightly colored banana with extended

ANAHEIM, CA -- The Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, held here Oct. 2-5, attracted a record crowd of 19,070 attendees, and the organization announced that PMA Australia-New Zealand officially began operations Oct. 1. Bryan Silbermann, president and chief executive officer of the association, introduced the affiliate's board of directors during his annual State of the Industry address Saturday, Oct. 3. He said that the launching of the affiliated organization is in keeping with the association's goal of bringing more events and meetings closer

WASHINGTON -- Leanne Skelton, a 22-year veteran with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service's Fresh Products Branch, will be moving to the Food & Drug Administration for six months to help the agency write produce-safety regulations. A familiar face to the fresh produce industry, Ms. Skelton is chief of the Fresh Products Branch, which provides fee-based auditing, inspection and grade certification services for fresh fruits and vegetables. "We are delighted that the FDA sought USDA's counsel and cooperation as they tackle the challenges of ensuring the safety and