Most experts who track sales of a product after a food-safety scare, expected sales of fresh spinach to rebound within six months of last year's E. coli outbreak linked to fresh spinach. But about a year later, sales are still down by 16-18 percent, and while there are signs that recovery continues, it is happening at a slow pace. Steve Lutz of The Perishables Group, which collects and analyzes scan data on a regular basis, told The Produce News that for the 52-week period ending Aug. 1, bulk spinach sales were down 26 percent compared to the previous year. But for the four-week period

When Sundia Corp. debuted in 2005, industry heavyweights paid little attention. Two years later, the San Francisco Bay area company has one of the faster-growing produce brands in the United States, successfully challenging established names in produce departments across the country and Canada. At the recent Produce Marketing Association show, Sundia unveiled "True Fruit Lite" and "True Fruit Organic," which are perfectly ripened fruit products in Sundia's proprietary "Grab n' Go" packaging that features a spork for on- the-go consumers. "We are innovating to expand the ready-to-eat fruit

WASHINGTON -- A congressional hearing raised serious questions about the adequacy of border security from foreign pests and diseases, prompting one congressman to say that the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program was "in shambles." "Stopping foreign pests and prohibited agricultural products from entering the U.S. might not be as sexy as stopping terrorists, weapons or drugs, but it is certainly just as important," said Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, who called the Oct. 3 hearing. Complaints about the

HOUSTON -- Since 2002, the Produce for Kids retail-supplier fundraising partnership has raised $1,187,707 for Children's Miracle Network, benefiting and saving the lives of countless children, John Shuman, president of Reidsville, GA-based sweet onion handler Shuman Produce Inc. and founder of PFK, told the audience gathered here to celebrate the success of the program. According to the PFK web site, CMN "is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children's hospitals across North America. Each year the 170 Children's Miracle

Well Pict Inc. in Watsonville, CA, has several new developments in both its organic and conventional lines, which it featured at this year's PMA Fresh Summit convention Oct. 12-15 in Houston. In response to the changes and demands of today's marketplace, Well Pict said that it is continuing to expand packaging, product options and availability for its premium proprietary variety berries. First, the long anticipated new four-pound strawberry pack is now shipping to club and retail stores. This smooth-sided clamshell is designed for improved product protection while addressing concerns about

At last year's Produce Marketing Association convention in San Diego, the spinach recall was top of mind and was the major topic of conversation throughout the convention -- both in organized seminar sessions and on the exposition floor. With the spinach industry reeling and all fresh-cut items experiencing a drop in sales, everyone was looking for a solution. At the PMA convention, at town hall meetings in Salinas, CA, and at other conventions and meetings, virtually every one up and down the distribution system agreed that something had to be done, and buyers and sellers needed to take