HERMOSILLO, SONORA, MEXICO -- In an effort to counter a negative image for Mexican-grown produce in the United States and other export markets, the Mexican government implemented a program in 1999 called Mexico Calidad Suprema or, in its English translation, Mexico Supreme Quality. The program had a two-fold purpose: to assure that product bearing the "Mexico Calidad Suprema" logo meets rigid standards with regard to quality and safety; and to promote the program so that buyers and consumers of Mexican produce in the United States and elsewhere would have confidence in the quality and safety

USA Today recently selected the top 25 inventions that have changed the lives of American citizens, and Salinas, CA-based Fresh Express made the list for its bag technology. Rating No. 10 on USA Today's list is Fresh Express' invention of a high-tech plastic bag introduced nationwide in 1989 that helped ignite a whole consumer category of portion-controlled foods with the rollout of mixed lettuce greens in a bag. Jim Lugg, food safety chief for Fresh Express, has held several roles with the company since joining its predecessor Bruce Church Inc. in 1963. He was integral in helping lay the

Ron Wilkowski joined The Oppenheimer Group, headquartered in Vancouver, BC, as a sales representative, effective May 14. Based in the marketer's Wilmington, DE, office, he will sell Oppenheimer's comprehensive product range to customers in the Northeast. Mr. Wilkowski's produce experience began in 1977, when he was hired to stock shelves at the Tops Market in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. In the last 30 years, he has worked in produce sales, procurement, quality control, operations and inventory management. Most recently, Mr. Wilkowski worked for Eden Prairie, MN-based Supervalu Inc. as a

The light brown apple moth is in the crosshairs of California officials ready to do battle with the pest. While the moth currently appears to be a particular threat to nursery products, more than 200 plants are known to be hosts for the moth, including stone fruits, citrus, grapes, strawberries and flowers. On May 18, the Light Brown Apple Moth Technical Working Group drew up draft recommendations to combat the threat. The final recommendations should be coming soon. The group recommended eradicating the pest from California and the United States. The short-term strategy would be to delimit

A shortage of federal inspectors in Nogales, AZ, compounded by several other issues related to inspections, is creating a bottleneck for arrivals of Mexican table grapes cleared for shipment, just as the harvest is coming into its peak period. The Mexican grape harvest got off to a slow start this spring, but "now it is coming heavier and heavier, and there are not enough inspectors to inspect the number of loads crossing," Chris Ciruli of Ciruli Bros. LLC in Nogales told The Produce News on May 30. "So while you have a good grape market, you are not actually able to sell everything that is

To hear him tell it, Peter Grannis started in produce "before I could walk." The produce specialist with Maines Produce Express in Conklin, NY, credited his father, Gary Grannis, with instilling in him a passion for the trade through years of working together at their family-owned seasonal roadside stand in Endicott, NY. "My success in the industry is due to the education and the experience I got working with my father at our family farmstand," Mr. Grannis said. "My success in the industry is due to the passion my father has for produce as well as the work ethic he instilled in me." Mr