Speedy97 S.r.l., headquartered in Scordia in the province of Catania, Sicily, is a major grower and packer of high-quality Sicilian citrus fruits. Sebastiano Spicchiale, president and chief executive officer, Rudolf Baron Von Freyberg, partner and vice president, and Giuseppe Spicchiale, junior partner, attended their first PMA Fresh Summit in Houston in October. Initially not certain of what they would learn about doing business in the United States, they came away from the PMA experience inspired by future possibilities. "We were able to meet with some major importers-distributors," said Mr

Pro*Act, a leading fresh produce supplier to the foodservice industry based in Monterey, CA, announced the promotion of Max Yeater to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Mr. Yeater previously held the position of vice president of procurement. In his new role, Mr. Yeater will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company with procurement, client services, marketing, business development and food safety all under his purview. He reports to Steve Grinstead, president and chief executive officer of Pro*Act. Over the past 14 years, Mr. Yeater has held positions of

An initiative that started in early 2006 as a project among the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, the Canadian Horticultural Council and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association to promote food safety by establishing comparability of Canadian industry-led food-safety programs at the primary production and packer-wholesaler levels of the supply chain with those in place in other countries has resulted in a detailed, 125-page comparison report on 15 non-Canadian programs from around the world. A letter issued about the report said that "the goal of the Joint Food Safety Program

HOUSTON -- It's an innovation that may just set the produce industry on its ear. AAAbco LLC, the marketing arm of Feasterville, PA-based seed company Abbott & Cobb, unveiled its new microwaveable, easy-open single ear of premium corn at the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit, held here Oct. 12-15. Abbott & Cobb, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, gave itself a big present with the trademarked "Quik'NEasy" corn, which company President Art Abbott told The Produce News has been in the works for over a decade and would finally come to fruition after Jan. 1. "Quik'NEasy

A merger north of the border has brought together two highly regarded greenhouse growers known for their quality products. Jem-D International and Flavour Pict Produce, which are both based in Leamington, ON, merged operations effective Oct. 1. According to Jim DiMenna, president of Jem-D International, the deal is in the transition phase and should be finalized by Feb. 1. "Jem-D has merged with the largest producer of cucumbers in Canada, and perhaps the largest in North America - Flavour Pict Produce," said Mr. DiMenna. "Flavor Pict is known as a producer of the finest quality hydroponic

WASHINGTON -- A Senate committee approved its version of the 2007 farm bill with an estimated $3 billion for specialty crop programs, nearly doubling the funding amount approved in the House. The farm bill, which is expected to reach the Senate floor in the next two weeks, also contains the House-passed compromise agreement that paves the way for country-of-origin labeling for meats, nuts, fruits and vegetables. "There are significant achievements in this bill," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), who chairs the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee that marked up the 2007 farm bill on