Although the f.o.b. prices for Iceberg lettuce that surpassed $35 in mid- October dropped considerably the third week of the month, the lettuce market remains strong, and experts said that the current conditions should hold for at least the next several weeks. Iceberg lettuce shippers have had a pretty good market since the beginning of October, with f.o.b. prices at least in the high teens. Rain in the California coastal production areas around Oct. 10 led to lighter supplies as much of the industry was in Houston for the Produce Marketing Association convention. By Monday, Oct. 15, demand

Speedy97 S.r.l., headquartered in Scordia in the province of Catania, Sicily, is a major grower and packer of high-quality Sicilian citrus fruits. Sebastiano Spicchiale, president and chief executive officer, Rudolf Baron Von Freyberg, partner and vice president, and Giuseppe Spicchiale, junior partner, attended their first PMA Fresh Summit in Houston in October. Initially not certain of what they would learn about doing business in the United States, they came away from the PMA experience inspired by future possibilities. "We were able to meet with some major importers-distributors," said Mr

Pro*Act, a leading fresh produce supplier to the foodservice industry based in Monterey, CA, announced the promotion of Max Yeater to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Mr. Yeater previously held the position of vice president of procurement. In his new role, Mr. Yeater will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company with procurement, client services, marketing, business development and food safety all under his purview. He reports to Steve Grinstead, president and chief executive officer of Pro*Act. Over the past 14 years, Mr. Yeater has held positions of

An initiative that started in early 2006 as a project among the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, the Canadian Horticultural Council and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association to promote food safety by establishing comparability of Canadian industry-led food-safety programs at the primary production and packer-wholesaler levels of the supply chain with those in place in other countries has resulted in a detailed, 125-page comparison report on 15 non-Canadian programs from around the world. A letter issued about the report said that "the goal of the Joint Food Safety Program

HOUSTON -- It's an innovation that may just set the produce industry on its ear. AAAbco LLC, the marketing arm of Feasterville, PA-based seed company Abbott & Cobb, unveiled its new microwaveable, easy-open single ear of premium corn at the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit, held here Oct. 12-15. Abbott & Cobb, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, gave itself a big present with the trademarked "Quik'NEasy" corn, which company President Art Abbott told The Produce News has been in the works for over a decade and would finally come to fruition after Jan. 1. "Quik'NEasy

A merger north of the border has brought together two highly regarded greenhouse growers known for their quality products. Jem-D International and Flavour Pict Produce, which are both based in Leamington, ON, merged operations effective Oct. 1. According to Jim DiMenna, president of Jem-D International, the deal is in the transition phase and should be finalized by Feb. 1. "Jem-D has merged with the largest producer of cucumbers in Canada, and perhaps the largest in North America - Flavour Pict Produce," said Mr. DiMenna. "Flavor Pict is known as a producer of the finest quality hydroponic