VISALIA, CA -- California Navel oranges have lost market share to clementines and other Mandarin varieties in recent years during the early part of the traditional Navel season. Many in the industry believe that the reason for the decline is that although Navel oranges, when at their best, remain the U.S. consumer's favorite in the citrus category, the competing citrus varieties in the market simply satisfy consumer tastes better than some of the early- season Navels that are shipped before they are ready. The industry is now looking at changes in maturity standards to assure that Navels do

PHILADELPHIA -- "Most businessmen don't mind risks. They mind the unknown," said Philadelphia attorney Aaron Krauss, a partner in the downtown law firm Cozen O'Connor, who will be half of a duo speaking in early April to the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia about the legal ramifications of dealing with the unknown within the food-safety realm. Also speaking will be Bob Sulick, national director of procurement support for Sodexho Health Care Services, which has a U.S. health-care operation based in Simsbury, CT. Mr. Krauss told The Produce News that the food

After the Food & Drug Administration issued a March 22 alert that a Salmonella outbreak was possibly tied to cantaloupe from Honduras, the produce industry countered with a firestorm of protest from a variety of interests, including the president of Honduras. According to the FDA, cantaloupe exported by Agropecuaria Montelibano, a melon grower and packer in San Lorenzo, Honduras, "based on current information ... appears to be associated with a Salmonella Litchfield outbreak in the United States and Canada." The March 22 alert "advises FDA field offices that all cantaloupes shipped to the

CASTROVILLE, CA -- As part of an ongoing commitment to sustainable agriculture, Ocean Mist Farms, a leading grower of artichokes and other fresh vegetables, has formed an alliance with an environmental group in Monterey County to convert farmland into wetlands. The unusual alliance, called a "convergence of interests" by those involved, started in 2006 when Hugo Tottino and his partners, owners of Ocean Mist Farms, agreed to sell 183 acres of farmland to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation for much less than the land's market value for Salinas Valley. The land, formerly known as the DeSante Ranch

For the second year, Yakima, WA-based Sage Fruit Co. and its regional retail partners have seen a significant uptick in their apple sales as the result of Sage's produce department display contest. Sage President Chuck Sinks said that the contest ran from early January through late February and involved approximately two dozen retail stores in the Upper Midwest. "We ran the apple display contest to see who could build the most original display while increasing apple sales in their produce departments," Mr. Sinks said. "Hugo's in Grand Forks, North Dakota, won first prize." Hugo's Produce

"We introduced the Ojai Pixie tangerine to America in 2002," said Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Melissa's/World Variety Produce in Los Angeles. "We are now entering our sixth season, and we are geared up for the continued increase in demand." Mr. Schueller said that the Ojai Pixie is "the best tasting fruit out there." He described the flavor as a cross between a King and a Dancy tangerine. "They have all the attractive features that consumers are looking for in a tangerine," he said. "The Pixie is seedless and easy-peel. It is low in acid and high in sugar. Overall, its