Going "green" is great unless it's on your potatoes. NNZ Inc. and Walnut Packaging Inc. have teamed up to manufacture, market and distribute the Spud Shade anti-greening poly potato bag. The "Spud Shade" bag is a patented design that uses a co-extrusion film process that laminates regular poly to a special opaque poly that inhibits UV light from penetrating the front of the bag. This also allows a large area on the front of the bag for printing graphics for marketing purposes. The back of the bag is a normal ventilated clear poly to allow consumers to see the quality and freshness of the

James Michael has taken over the reins as promotions director for the Washington State Fruit Commission and Northwest Cherries. The position was previously held by Andrew Willis, who left the commission to pursue his doctorate at the University of Washington. Mr. Michael joined the commission July 1 as the 2009 cherry season moved into full swing. "It was nice to get my feet wet during the harvest," he told The Produce News Sept. 8. "This harvest you had the phone in one hand to your ear and were sending out an e-mail with the other hand." A native of the Pacific Northwest who grew up in the

The whirl of activity in Washington on food-safety issues is deservedly the subject of much concern in the produce industry. Everyone in the produce chain, from the farmer through the retailer, could be impacted by the various proposals aimed at reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. Driven by the nationwide attention given to Salmonella in peanuts earlier this year, the temptation in Washington will be to craft the strictest possible regulations, and that may mean trouble for small farmers if not handled correctly. Members of Congress are likely to paint all produce growers with the same

WASHINGTON -- Expect more government testing of fresh produce in the coming months and more recalls. This was the message that more than 100 United Fresh Produce Association members heard from Food & Drug Administration officials at a Sept. 10 meeting. As part of the Sept. 9-11 Washington Public Policy Conference, United Fresh staged a town hall meeting with FDA regulators to hear about the latest developments at FDA's College Park, MD, office. At the two-hour meeting, a top FDA official said that the agency is conducting "fresh produce sampling blitzes" to look for pathogens in commodities

Beth Manfre-Gross sees the future of the produce industry through the prism of the past. "This is an industry and a business that is so important, incredibly important, to the future of this country and our children that I have to be a part of it," the 31-year-old produce entrepreneur said. "I have to help strengthen it. I love the idea of being able to improve the industry by providing talent and helping shape the next generation of leaders." Ms. Manfre-Gross is the founder and managing member of the grow search group, which was launched earlier this year and is based in Scottsdale, AZ. "We

Frank J. (Francis) McCarthy III, a veteran produce marketer who most recently was vice president of marketing for Albert's Organics, died Sept. 9 following a brief illness. He was 66 years old and a resident of Auburn, MA. "Frank was a very dear person to all of us at Alberts Organics," Simcha Weinstein, director of marketing for Alberts, told The Produce News Sept. 10. He started here in January 2004, and he and I were the marketing team for most of those four years. He had the best marketing mind I have ever had the pleasure of working with -- even the best I ever knew. He was charming