Mastronardi Produce took top honors at the annual Tomato Capital Tomato Competition Aug. 16-17 in Leamington, ON. The company was recognized with top honors in the specialty variety category for its Champagne Cocktail Tomato, and with top honors in the beef variety category for its Beef Tomato. It also received the award for the overall best hothouse tomato for its Champagne Cocktail Tomato. "We are excited that our new variety captured all the top awards," Paul Mastronardi, executive vice president of Mastronardi Produce, said in a press release. "We just released it commercially in May of

The Mexican lemon season is underway, and Duda Farm Fresh Foods, headquartered in Oviedo, FL, is packing and shipping lemons from its newly constructed, 33,000-square-foot fresh citrus packinghouse in Guemez, Tamaulipas, Mexico, near Ciudad Victoria. The state-of-the-art facility, which is a partnership between Duda Farm Fresh Foods and Mexico Citrus Farms Inc., is managed and staffed by Mexico Citrus Farms Inc. Citrus at the facility is packed exclusively for Duda Farm Fresh Foods and includes full traceability. "The facility has the degreening-cooling capacity to store up to 42,000 cartons

LA MALBAIE, QC - According to the Chinese zodiac, 2008 is the year of the rat, but in the Quebec produce industry, 2008 is unmistakably the year of the woman. The Quebec Produce Marketing Association held its 61st annual convention here at Le Manoir Richelieu overlooking the St. Lawrence River about two hours northeast of Quebec City and paid tribute to women working in the produce trade at its industry brunch and closing banquet Aug. 16. In addition to the organization's staff members being all female, the association elected its first woman president, Bernadette Hamel of Metro Inc., at its

Apple demand in the United States is higher than it has been in decades, and prices are expected to be higher than ever due to short supplies. Several factors contributed to the state of this year's apple market. The 2007- 08 apple crop ran short, limiting its usual year-round supplies. Then, just as producers were weeks away from initial harvests for the coming year's crop, multiple hailstorms pummeled the Northeast, and extensive damage in some areas reduced projected volumes. Also, import supplies are down because of the weakened dollar. Most industry professionals agree that it is going to

NEWARK, DE -- Whose packaging has that special punch? Produce Marketing Association is looking for examples of innovative packaging solutions to be considered for the association's annual coveted Impact Award: Excellence in Packaging. With less than one month left before nominations close Sept. 5, nominees will then vie for the title of exceptional produce or floral packaging innovator in their respective judging category. Winners will be named Oct. 25 at PMA's Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in each of the six award categories: food safety; functionality/technology

Salinas, CA-based Fresh Express Inc. will hold a one-day conference Thursday, Sept. 11, in nearby Monterey, CA. The purpose of the conference is to share findings of nine E. coli 0157:H7 research projects that focus on contamination of leafy greens. Fresh Express funded the projects, all launched and completed in a 12- month time frame that wrapped up a few months ago. The Fresh Express 2008 Fresh Produce Safety Research Conference will be held at Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. The conference fee is $100 per person, though waived for government employees. For a confirmed registration, completed