The competition is underway again to honor companies and chefs among the foodservice industry's top produce performers in the United Fresh Research & Education Foundation's Produce Excellence in Foodservice Awards. Winners will be honored in each of five business categories: fine dining restaurants, casual and family dining restaurants, quick-serve restaurants, business in industry/colleges and hotels/healthcare operations. Nominations must be submitted before Feb. 15, and a nomination form is available on- line at www.unitedfresh.org. "There are thousands of chefs who work hard every day to

Executives seeking to revitalize their leadership skills and recharge their batteries might want to participate in the Produce Marketing Association's 2009 Leadership Symposium, which will be held Jan. 14-16 in Dallas. Offered by PMA's Foundation for Industry Talent, the Leadership Symposium offers high-level leadership training in an intimate, collegial atmosphere. Perennially PMA's highest-rated leadership education event, the symposium is designed for chief executive officers, presidents, company executives, vice presidents, and directors of produce, merchandising, category management and

The eighth annual "Scramble for a Cure" golf tournament, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society, was held Oct. 4 at the Glen Eagles Country Club in Delray Beach, FL. "I am extremely pleased and proud to announce that collectively we raised $7,200 in the fight for a cure of this deadly disease," Ken Nabal, vice president of sales for Frontera Produce in Boca Raton, FL, an organizer of the event, said in a press release. He proudly dubbed this year's tournament a "huge success." The produce industry was well represented with participants and sponsors of the event from Frontera

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced Friday, Nov. 21, the commitment of $5.8 million in funding to stop the spread of Asian citrus psyllid -- a small insect that feeds on citrus plants and trees -- in California. The Asian citrus psyllid can carry citrus greening, which is one of the more devastating citrus diseases in the world. The funding will be used to stop the spread of the pest in California before it seriously damages citrus production in the state, which at $1.1 billion ranks it second in citrus revenue behind Florida. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health

Shoppers at the new Kowalski's Market in Eagan, MN, got a fresh taste of California in late November when Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms served artichokes as part of the store's grand opening. Ocean Mist Farms served 1,800 servings of grilled, fresh, long-stem artichokes with artichoke hummus on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 20-21. The Ocean Mist Farms demo team showed shoppers how to use a potato peeler to remove the outside strands of a long-stem artichoke to prepare it for cooking. Once the artichoke was cooked, the demo team used a food processor to make artichoke hummus with garbanzo

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to purchase 2.9 million pounds of fresh-cut apple slices in two-ounce bags, which it will donate to child nutrition and other domestic nutrition assistance programs. The purchase is a pilot program and will be made with currently available farm bill funds. Section 4404 of the 2008 farm bill provided an additional $193 million in fiscal year 2009 for the purchase of fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts for use in domestic nutrition assistance programs. This pilot program will help test the