Family-owned fresh produce distributor Capital City Fruit Co. in Des Moines, IA, has completed the transition of company leadership to the third generation of the Comito family, just in time to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2009. The family business began in 1949 with founder Joseph T. Comito. His son, Joseph M. Comito, worked at Capital City Fruit, and in 1975 became president of the firm following the death of his father. Now, after 30 years of successfully leading the family business, three of Joe Comito's sons, Brendan, Christian and Kieran, have purchased his shares and have equal

In concert with the Texas Produce Association, Western Growers Assurance Trust will be offering health insurance plans developed for companies in Texas beginning Jan. 1. WGAT, which is a non-profit entity, has been providing health plans designed to meet the needs of agricultural customers since 1957. Previously, it had operated in California and Arizona providing services for Western Growers Association members in those two states. TPA President John McClung said that WGA has an excellent reputation for providing very good health insurance geared toward agriculture, and he is excited that he

Driscoll Strawberry Associates has entered into an agreement to increase its investment and shareholdings in Driscoll's of Chile. According to the firm, this increased investment will make Driscoll's of Chile stronger and aligns it more closely with the overall Driscoll's organization. "Driscoll's of Chile has grown dramatically during the past several years under the leadership of Sofia Rebolledo and Mauricio Gonzalez, our long-standing partners who will retain a significant ownership stake in Driscoll's of Chile and will continue to be our co-general managers," Soren Bjorn, Driscoll's senior

On Dec. 3, Mark Bassetti, vice president of customer development for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, headquartered in Oviedo, FL, told The Produce News that reports stating that A. Duda & Sons (the parent company) has sold 2,000 acres of citrus groves in the state's Indian River region to Premier Citrus Packers in Vero Beach, FL, are true. But he added that A. Duda & Sons has no plans to reduce its involvement in citrus fruits, including citrus from Florida. "We have continued to build a diversified global citrus program with a strong import program," said Mr. Bassetti. "Duda's line includes

The Avocado Producers & Exporting Packers Association of Michoacan, which represents the avocado industry in the Mexican state of Michoacan and which is better known by the acronym APEAM, has named Emiliano Escobedo director of marketing, reporting directly to the organization's new chairman and board of directors, who were appointed in July and officially inaugurated Nov. 18 by Mexico President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa. Mr. Escobedo has been with APEAM since 2005 as an industry representative and marketing strategist, initially working out of New York and for the past two years in California

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Food & Drug Administration updated its plan for reforming the agency's food-safety program in a Dec. 1 report, but consumer groups criticized the agency for not doing enough to stem the safety problems caused by domestic and imported foods. Last November, FDA released its much-touted Food Protection Plan, which was launched to improve protections for domestic and imported food in the wake of reports of faulty Chinese imports. The Food Protection Plan signaled a move toward targeting high-risk foods, embracing third-party inspections and renewing its focus on protecting