One major area on which the California Tree Fruit Agreement will focus in the coming year, according to CTFA President Sheri Mierau, is food safety and the possibility of establishing an industry food-safety certification program. Ms. Mierau, who was promoted to president effective Jan. 1, succeeding Blair Richardson, was previously vice president of marketing. Recent news reports of problems with food-borne illness have highlighted the need for growers, packers and shippers in all commodities to be sure that the food-safety programs they have in place are adequate. "Our industry has an

FRESNO, CA -- John Hein, who for the past 17 years has been director of marketing for Kingsburg Orchards in Kingsburg, CA, resigned Jan. 8 and accepted a position as marketing director for Crown Jewels Marketing & Distribution, here. A written statement from Kingsburg Orchards said: "John has been a valued member of the Kingsburg Orchards sales team. We will miss him, and we wish him every continued success." Kingsburg Orchards salesman Bob Maxwell said that an announcement would be forthcoming shortly regarding changes in staff assignments within the company. Mr. Hein told The Produce News

The California Central Valley citrus industry has been devastated by a deep and prolonged freeze. Without knowing the full details, citrus growers fear the worst -- that a substantial portion of the crop has been lost to the freeze. Growers will assess the damage again Monday, Jan. 15 and have a better idea as the extent of damage and loss. Meanwhile, the weather forecast for Bakersfield, CA, predicts morning lows of 25, 25, 28, 27, 29 and 31 over the next six days. Despite being located so close to the Pacific Ocean, Oxnard, CA, endured freezing temperatures over the weekend. The current

The company that brought the original seedless oranges to North America over a century ago will introduce its latest sweet, juicy citrus variety to the U.S. market in mid-January. Nour, a type of clementine indigenous to Morocco, is the newest addition to the Vancouver, BC-based Oppenheimer Group's citrus program. Nour clementines are produced in Morocco's premium orange-growing region, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Seedless, with high Brix and vibrant color, Nour enjoys a strong position in Europe and Canada, according to James Milne, executive director of

NEW YORK -- "Texas grows the reddest and sweetest grapefruit on the market today," Eleisha L. Ensign, executive director of TexaSweet Citrus Marketing Inc. in Mission, TX, said as she held a Rio Star variety high in the air to show off the good-looking fruit to an audience, here, Jan. 6, at the French Culinary Institute. The event, a demonstration of dessert recipes prepared by Gotham Bar & Grill's pastry chef, Deborah Racicot, was co-sponsored by TexaSweet and PastryScoop.com, an on-line magazine and information site founded by the institute. Ms. Ensign explained to the packed auditorium that

Unseasonably warm weather in Florida during November and December created at least a temporary glut of fresh produce coming out of fields near the beginning of the year. Although the problem was thought to be working itself out by around Jan. 10, it did cause prices to drop at least temporarily, especially on peppers and tomatoes. "Demands are also off a little, and that affects prices," Calvert Cullen, president of Northampton Growers in Cheriton, VA, told The Produce News. "We have not seen any weather issues this season in Florida, so yields have been very good. Combined, these factors