Dennis James, director of marketing for the Pear Bureau Northwest in Milwaukie, OR, said that retailers who have implemented ripe programs for pears have seen sales volume increase by as much as 25 percent. "Ripe programs are a logical way to give your customers the fruit they want to eat," he told The Produce News Aug. 18. “In the last year, retailers and shippers are more fully embracing the ripe program.” A study was conducted in March to assess how successfully consumers were able to determine if fresh pears are ripe. According to Mr. James, only 15 percent of respondents knew how to

NEWARK, DE -- Johnna Hepner, Produce Marketing Association's director of food Safety and technology, joined other fresh produce industry representatives to conduct an educational field tour Aug. 21 for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in California's Salinas Valley. She participated in the tour as part of the association's efforts to better educate government officials about the produce industry and its particular food safety challenges, which have included recent field tours for other government officials. Secretary Vilsack was invited to tour the valley by Reps. Sam Farr

Joe Sbrocchi, a veteran of the Canadian produce industry who has held high- profile retail positions during his career, has joined Mastronardi Produce as vice president of sales and marketing. Mr. Sbrocchi, who officially joined the Leamington, ON, greenhouse produce marketer seven weeks ago, assumed the duties of Chris Veillon, the previous director of marketing, who recently left the company. Mr. Sbrocchi's duties reach beyond marketing, as he also serves as vice president of sales. "Chris left the company as of Friday, August 20, to pursue a great opportunity elsewhere," Mr. Sbrocchi told

Estimates released by the Pear Bureau Northwest Aug. 6 indicated that the overall pear crop from the Pacific Northwest is expected to be down approximately 11 percent for the 2010-11 season. In all, a total of 17,926,920 standard boxes of conventional and organic pears are expected to be produced during the crop year. "We had a cool spring which extended the frost season and, in some cases, shortened the pollination season as the bees do not get active until the temperatures get warm," said Kevin Moffitt, president and chief executive officer. “There was some limited hail but not much more

Too bad there isn't a default setting for a perfect-selling produce display. If there was, perhaps it would be an easy way to move massive amounts of product and generate huge sales on a consistent basis for every company in the business. That would be fantastic for all segments of the industry, from growers to retailers. Just imagine how productive each company would be if selling was that simple. But realistically, a retail display default setting is mere fantasy. The produce industry is unique. A farmer plants seeds and grows fruits and vegetables. Then workers come along and pick the items

Fresherized Foods Inc. announced a partnership with ABC Television for a rebate program on the purchase of certain DVD titles. From now until Oct. 31, consumers who purchase Fresherized Food's "Wholly Guacamole" and one of the promotion's ABC TV on DVD titles are eligible to receive the $10 rebate. Fresherized Foods, which is based in Fort Worth, TX, said in an Aug. 24 press release that "grocery produce aisles are destination points for today's health- conscious perimeter shoppers, but are rarely hunted for consumer promotions - until now." The promotion, Stay In, Tune In, Dip In, focuses on