WASHINGTON -- Leanne Skelton, a 22-year veteran with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service's Fresh Products Branch, will be moving to the Food & Drug Administration for six months to help the agency write produce-safety regulations. A familiar face to the fresh produce industry, Ms. Skelton is chief of the Fresh Products Branch, which provides fee-based auditing, inspection and grade certification services for fresh fruits and vegetables. "We are delighted that the FDA sought USDA's counsel and cooperation as they tackle the challenges of ensuring the safety and

ANAHEIM, CA -- Two well-known politicos from opposite presidential camps in 2008 addressed the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition Oct. 2-5, but politics wasn't top of mind. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the keynote speaker at the opening general session Oct. 2, while President Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, did the keynote honors at the Oct. 4 general session. Ms. Rice gave a non-partisan speech stressing the need for American capitalism and democracy to be spread worldwide as she said that it shines above all other

The question is a persistent one, but now more than ever we find ourselves wondering why we are still asking when we live in a society that is characterized by abundance. It's shocking, but a recent University of Toronto study found that as many as one in seven young Canadian adults may be deficient in Vitamin C, potentially placing them at increased risk for chronic health problems. When scurvy was epidemic among sailors and pirates at sea for months, where perishable fruits and vegetables could not be stored, this can be understood. But it is very surprising when our North American youth are

ANAHEIM, CA -- A pioneer in U.S. fresh produce importing earned two recognitions for his contributions to the international produce trade business at an industry reception Oct. 4. Jack V. Pandol Sr. will receive Chile's highest presidential award, and was also recognized by Chilean and U.S. fresh fruit industry organizations. The awards were announced at Produce Marketing Association's annual International Partners Reception at the 2009 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, held here Oct. 2-5. Chilean Counsel General Jose Manuel Lira announced that Mr. Pandol will receive the

Rio Rico, AZ-based Divine Flavor LLC is marketing its own vegetables. The company perhaps is best known as a grower-shipper of greenhouse products and various tomatoes, zucchini squash and table grapes. Divine Flavor's greenhouse products include cucumbers and grape tomatoes. The company provides the green table grape varieties Sugraones and Perlettes and the red table grape varieties Crimson and Red Flames from its grower operations in Hermosillo in the state of Sonora, Mexico. The company also grows product in northern Baja California in Mexico. The company has offered organic table grapes

Frontera Produce Ltd., a vertically integrated grower, packer and shipper of fresh produce headquartered in Edinburg, TX, announced in a Sept. 28 press release that the company plans to invest in a consumer-focused marketing approach in the fourth quarter of 2009 and throughout 2010. The announcement followed the launch of the company's recent addition to its marketing arsenal, a newly designed trailer featuring the company's latest consumer-focused message: "Growing the food your family loves to eat." "The time is right for Frontera Produce to begin speaking directly to the consumer," Will