River Ranch Fresh Foods Inc. in Salinas, CA, laid off 16 people over the past two weeks including Bruce Knobeloch, who was vice president of marketing. Senior Marketing Manager Kim St. George called the layoffs a "normal cutback" and indicated that they represent the difficult economic times facing the industry. She said that a number of firms in the Salinas Valley have laid off employees in recent weeks, and this action by River Ranch is no different. She confirmed that Director of Sales Tim Meissner has also left the company but said that it was unrelated to the cutbacks. "He left to pursue

As a result of the recent cold spells throughout California, highly flavorful fresh artichokes known as "frost-kissed" artichokes are now in local grocery stores. Artichokes are frost kissed when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. Following a freeze, artichoke plants take two to three weeks to start producing frost-free artichokes again. "The impact of frost on artichokes is similar to how human skin reacts to a sunburn," Kori Tuggle, marketing manager of Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms, said in a press release. "Frost burns the outside layer of the artichoke, causing it to turn

Pro-Act, a leading fresh produce supplier to the foodservice industry based in Monterey, CA, announced that General Produce Co. in Sacramento, CA, has joined its distribution network. General Produce, a third-generation, family-owned produce distribution company, was founded in 1933 and is currently led by cousins Thomas Chan and Daniel Chan. Its 85,000-square-foot facility boasts a refrigerated receiving dock and superior third-party sanitation and security rating. General Produce distributes a full line of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables, including custom packs, pre-cut, organic

Irradiation may be effective in ridding fresh produce of pathogens, but it may not be so easy to bring irradiated fresh produce to the marketplace. It is no secret that foodborne outbreaks are causing the industry to take a closer look at the technology, especially after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration gave its approval last August to use irradiation for killing pathogens on Iceberg lettuce and spinach. But is the technology a good fit for various commodities? And how effective is it? The University of California-Davis' Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center explored the

Stop & Shop and Giant, two sister retailers under the Ahold umbrella, are the latest grocery store chains to help their customers find nutritious alternatives through an in-store labeling system. In early January, more than 550 of these stores up and down the East Coast rolled out the Healthy Ideas campaign, which identifies more than 3,000 food choices that are designed to give consumers a healthy alternative. Faith Weiner, senior director of public affairs for Stop & Shop, who was serving as spokesperson for the identical rollout at both chains, said that the goal of the program is to

The Hass Avocado Board in Irvine, CA, estimated that Super Bowl fans will consume 46.3 million pounds of Hass avocados "during this year's Big Game Day parties." That is a lot of guacamole, and it makes Super Bowl weekend a strong contender for the biggest weekend of the year for avocado consumption in the United States. It also comes during the peak of the season for Mexican avocados, and Mexican fruit represents a significant share of the market in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 1 Super Bowl festivities. According to the board, Mexican fruit is expected to account for more than half of the