River Ranch Fresh Foods LLC in Salinas, CA, has promoted Tom Bramers to sales manager. He has been with River Ranch for 11 years and was previously leaf lettuce commodity manager. In his new position, he will manage the 10-person sales staff and oversee day-to-day sales functions, emphasiszing commodity markets and customer relationships. "Tom has been, and continues to be, an insightful, knowledgeable and strategic leader within the River Ranch organization," said Tim Meissner, director of sales. "Tom's experience is highly valued within the company and he has been instrumental in mentoring

BANGKOK, THAILAND -- The epic 21-hour flight to Bangkok notwithstanding, the trip to Thailand was an incredible experience and opened my eyes in many ways. Never having been to Asia, I knew not what to expect, but was filled with excitement and apprehension based on second-hand anecdotes and some Internet research. But our group, which consisted of two importers from Chicago who specialize in Asian produce items, two members of the U.S. government's Department of Agriculture and Department of Customs & Border Protection, and two produce trade journalists, was in the capable hands of a team

The Avian flu has been in the headlines for months with talks of a pandemic and questions about the preparedness of the United States for an outbreak. In fact, federal and state health officials throughout the country have issued warnings advising that companies and local officials develop and have ready a preparedness plan. This in turn has led to many companies around the country asking their suppliers if they have a plan in place. Numerous produce shippers have received letters from retailers asking for a copy of their plan. As such, Western Growers Association is currently putting together

"Florida blueberries" may have an unfamiliar ring for many. The popular fruit is commonly associated with Michigan, New Jersey and other northern states, with the bulk of off-season supplies coming from South American countries. Given the production growth rate in the Sunshine State over the past several years, however, the term is likely to "roll off the tongue" with more familiarity in the future. And if the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services continues to broker deals like its current promotional program with Canadian retailer Sobeys, Florida growers may end up on the

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has elected its new incoming chairman. Larry McIntosh, president and chief executive officer of Peak of the Market, will be inducted as only the fourth Manitoban ever to serve as chairman in CPMA's 82-year history. He will become chairman at the CPMA convention in Montreal May 8, 2007, and will remain in office until the convention in Calgary in May 2008. With a membership of organizations representing 13 countries around the world, CPMA is Canada's foremost coordinator of marketing efforts for fresh fruits and vegetables. This appointment certainly

Japan informed the U.S. Department of Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service in Tokyo May 16 that it was removing a number of pests from quarantine and inspection status, which should give U.S. lettuce shippers a sales boost. "I think there could be an immediate impact," said Ken Gilliland of Western Growers Association. He explained that among the pests removed from the quarantine list is the Western Flower Thrip. "There are three pests that we are most concerned about, and apparently we are getting rid of one of them," he said. Prior to this change, the finding of this pest by Japanese or