The Fresh Demand Working Group is set to launch an important signature campaign Jan. 15. "Potatoes: Goodness Unearthed" is the culmination of several months of in-depth consumer research by a leading New York-based international branding agency. Fresh Demand Working Group Co-Chair Tim O'Connor told The Produce News, "This is a campaign that will engage the entire industry." The Denver-based organization works cooperatively with the U.S. Potato Board's Domestic Marketing Committee, United Potato Growers of America, state industry organizations and grower-shipper representatives. An aggressive

Speaking with one voice, 23 produce associations and commodity groups asked a buyer consortium to reconsider the effort it has launched to require suppliers to sign and comply with specific new food-safety guidelines. Over the past several weeks, produce suppliers of Publix Super Markets, headquartered in Lakeland, FL, received a letter and a 19-page addendum with specific food-safety guidelines in areas such as sanitation, water quality and animal feedlot setbacks. Many suppliers received the letter from Publix or a foodservice-buying company named Avendra, but the letter said that the Food

HARTFORD, CT -- Although summer is but a distant memory in the Nutmeg State, there are still opportunities to include plenty of local flavors on the holiday table. To meet the large and increasing demand for Connecticut-grown products, a number of farmers markets throughout the state have extended their season through the holidays. Several have remained open into these colder months, while others are re-opening in conjunction with special holiday events. "These markets are a terrific place to find those beloved local products for the holiday season," Richard Macsuga, manager of the Connecticut

A truckload of Salinas Valley produce was scheduled to arrive Thursday, Nov. 15, in San Bernardino County, providing fire victims with food assistance thanks to the generosity of growers, shippers and food banks in and around the Salinas Valley. The load included strawberries donated by Driscoll Strawberry Associates; salads from Dole Fresh Vegetables, Tanimura & Antle and Taylor Farms; bread from the Food Bank for Monterey County; and bottled water and dry goods from Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz & San Benito Counties. The food was to be delivered to the Community Action Partnership

How do consumers crave their pears? Crunchy and tart? Moist and mildly sweet? Bursting with sweetness and juice? Throughout the ripening process, the Bartlett pear fits each of these delicious flavor and texture characteristics, and a new tool called the Bartlett Pear Ripeness Guide from Portland, OR-based USA Pears will help consumers determine when their Bartlett pears have reached the ripeness level they prefer. The guide features colored panels with die-cut windows through which one can view the skin color of a Bartlett pear when held against the fruit. Ripeness is determined by matching

UCLA and Notre Dame college football tailgaters feasted on free hot dogs and hamburgers featuring the creamy taste of Chilean Hass avocados during the Chilean Avocado Importers Association's first-ever college football tailgate party Oct. 6 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. Before the game's kickoff, college football fans devoured "AvoDogs" and "AvoBurgers" -- sandwiches that featured a creamy spread of mashed Chilean Hass avocados in the Lot H parking lot. More than 250 lucky tailgaters received a special seven-inch vinyl football they tossed around with their family and friends. "It was