California fresh-market carrot production in 2009 was 19.25 million hundredweight, a decline of slightly more than 5 percent from 2008 production figures, said Jerry Munson, manager of the California Fresh Carrot Advisory Board in Dinuba, CA. The drop in production last year marked the most pronounced year-over- year change in some time. California fresh-market carrot production had held relatively steady for the past several years. The 2008 production total of 20.29 million hundredweight was a slightly higher tally than 2007. In 2006, the tally was 20.89 million hundredweight and in 2005, the

Misionero Vegetable Sales has launched a new salad kit line that looks to provide consumers with a restaurant-style salad experience at home. The line, which shares the name of the company's popular "Garden Cuts" brand washed and trimmed heads of lettuce, contains four items: Iceberg wedge, Romaine leaves, Cosmopolitan and Butter wedge. The Iceberg wedge contains bacon and bleu cheese and ranch dressings in addition to wedges of Iceberg lettuce. The Romaine leaves contains Romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, croutons and parmesan cheese. The Cosmopolitan contains cosmopolitan lettuce, shredded

Visions of the record-breaking 2007 spring onion deal are dancing in the heads of growers and shippers as they are watching this season unfold. With supplies short, the prices on all onions have skyrocketed over the last couple of weeks -- and there is no break in sight. "I think we could have a very good market for the next four to six months," said Derrell Kelso Jr., chief executive officer of Onions Etc. Inc. in Stockton, CA. "The crystal ball is cloudy and cracked, and it is always difficult to forecast, but we could have a good market for a long time," said Dan Borer, director of Keystone

Gourmet Trading Co., based in Los Angeles, has joined with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to promote the animated family adventure comedy Planet 51, coming to DVD and Blu-ray March 9. As part of the promotion, iconic characters from the film will be featured on Gourmet Trading's asparagus tags for a month. "We are truly excited about this promotion," Julia Inestroza, marketing manager for Gourmet Trading Co., said in a Feb. 24 press release. "As asparagus has been traditionally thought of as a vegetable only consumed by adults, it will be great to bring a new demographic into the mix."

Rick Estess, retail marketing manager at Six L's Packing Co. Inc. in Immokalee, FL, has left that company to take a sales position with Russet Potato Exchange in Plainfield, WI. Mr. Estess was with Six L's as it branched out into potato production in Florida last year, growing a debut crop of red, white and gold potatoes on almost 1,000 acres at the northwestern edge of the Everglades. Six L's announced plans to double its Florida potato acreage this year. That growth in part spurred Mr. Estess to move to RPE, he told The Produce News Feb. 23, saying that he found himself focusing more on

TAMPA, FL -- Founded 10 years ago with just six members, the Southeast Produce Council is on a roll. From humble beginnings, it has grown to 600 members, many of whom will be in attendance when the council hosts the 2010 Retail & Foodservice Conference & Exposition, known as Southern Exposure, here March 4-6. "We've got a great growth streak," SPC President Tom Page of Supervalu Inc. told The Produce News in mid-February. "Right now we're looking at record attendance. The word's gotten out about SPC and Southern Exposure." The council limits the number of exhibitors to 200, and this year there