HOUSTON -- More shoppers are looking for organic produce as well as locally produced fruits and vegetables, according to consumer attitudes research conducted by Cornell University researchers and presented during a workshop at the Produce Marketing Association convention, here. Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 544 shoppers in four markets across the United States, inquiring about food safety and organic produce. They also surveyed a variety of retailers, asking them to predict the responses of these customers. For the most part, retailers know their customers fairly well. In

HOUSTON -- After listening to several less-than-glowing accounts regarding competition from Chinese producers, Don Christopher of Gilroy, CA-based Christopher Ranch weighed in with a viewpoint that brought a lift to everyone assembled at the garlic industry's Oct. 13 breakfast at the PMA Fresh Summit. "About five years ago, we lost the battle with Chinese garlic," Mr. Christopher said. "Now the Chinese hit themselves in the foot. It's not costing us anything. The whole market looks good for this year and next year." Mr. Christopher told the audience -- many of whom were members of the

HOUSTON -- Packaging in fresh produce aisles can easily be overlooked since the majority of consumers buy 15 percent or less of their produce in packages, and a panel convened, here, at the PMA Fresh Summit, suggested that retailers may want to look at their produce department with a fresh set of eyes. Ron McCormick, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of produce and floral for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., who moderated the discussion, said that primary packaging -- what the consumer takes home -- is what the industry understands the least. "We've not been able to make a dramatic

Fresh Express announced Oct. 16 that it had acquired privately held Verdelli Farms, one of the top regional processors of value-added salads, vegetables and fruit snacks on the East Coast. The company, which markets its products under the "Harvest Select" and "Verdelli Farms" brands, operates in 10 states from Massachusetts to Virginia. Verdelli Farms will be integrated into Fresh Express, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chiquita, but it will continue with its same management team, and no personnel changes are anticipated at this time, according to Dan Verdelli, executive vice president

HOUSTON -- "Are we listening to consumer trends?" The industry's answer to that question is critical to its future success, according to Brian Silbermann, president of the Produce Marketing Association, based in Newark, DE. In his state-of-the-industry address delivered at the Oct. 13 breakfast general session during the PMA Fresh Summit International Convention, here, Mr. Silbermann emphasized the importance of focusing on basics, noting that "the first and perhaps most important basic rule is to listen to consumers." But consumers can be fickle, he said, "so we must constantly re-examine our

HOUSTON -- Don Harris, who has served as the top produce executive at Wild Oats for the past five years, did not survive as the melding of the chain into Whole Foods was completed. "I am happy that everyone on my team found positions with Whole Foods or with the Smart & Final aspect of the deal," he told The Produce News during the recent Produce Marketing Association annual convention. "But at the end of the day, there just wasn't a spot for me." He confirmed Oct. 13 "that as of midnight last night, I am out of a job and looking for another one." Mr. Harris has been involved in a number of