By April or May, an innovative transportation option will be in place for Washington state's grower-shippers, allowing fresh produce to travel from that state to New York in five days by refrigerated rail car. The new service, provided by Railex LLC, will move perishable commodities by a 55-car train. Each of the new 64-foot refrigerated boxcars will carry the equivalent of four truckloads, and the high-speed travel time will be achieved by keeping the train intact and moving non-stop from its loading point in Wallula, WA, to its destination in Albany, NY. According to Paul Esposito, vice

Produce industry veteran Robert H. Castellini may soon be the new president of the Cincinnati Reds. Mr. Castellini heads a group of local businessmen who have made a bid to purchase a controlling interest in Major League Baseball's oldest franchise. If the group's efforts are approved by the other owners in the league, which is expected to occur before the end of the year, the Cincinnati Reds have announced that Mr. Castellini would replace Carl Lindner as the team's chief executive officer. Joe Bride, a spokesman for Mr. Castellini, said that Major League Baseball prohibits the bidding group

MANLIUS, NY -- New York Apple Association nutritional spokeswoman Linda Quinn will star in an episode of "The Secret Life of ..." which is shown on the Food Network. The show featuring Ms. Quinn will premier Nov. 14 at 10 p.m. In the episode, Ms. Quinn interacts with host Jim O'Connor as they make a classic apple pie for the show's holiday special, "The Secret Life of ... Thanksgiving" In the baking segment, Ms. Quinn takes Mr. O'Connor through the whole process of slicing apples, putting the ingredients together and finalizing the lattice crust on top. This was done during a discussion of the

For more than a century, National Apple Month has provided a promotional foundation for the domestic apple industry, which evolved from a single-day event to a three-month promotional marketing opportunity for retailer and military stores nationwide. Most important, it is not too late to capitalize on the fall merchandising and display benefits of the 2005 National Apple Month contest. The program is making a difference for the industry. While the awards and prizes are distributed to individual stores and foodservice operations, the end result of the promotion is a positive for everyone. Last

MONTCLAIR, NJ -- Delicious Foods announced that Dan Hamilton has joined its advisory board effective immediately. Mr. Hamilton was formerly the senior vice president of marketing for H.E. Butt Grocery Co.'s Houston division and has held a number of key executive positions at HEB in the perishables and marketing areas. "We are excited to have an individual with Dan's extensive background and experience on our Delicious Foods team," Doug Brent, co-chairman of Delicious Foods, said in a statement. "With the growth plans we have in place for our Sunsweet Fresh and Made In Nature businesses, Dan

ATLANTA -- An orange is an orange is an orange -- except when it isn't. When it or any other item in fresh produce is more is a determination made by those with their finger on the pulse of consumer tastes. A panel of such pulse feelers convened here Nov. 5 at the Produce Marketing Association's annual convention to discuss successes and challenges in reinventing produce and reinvigorating profits. Sometimes, success lies in repositioning a product, including perhaps a packaging upgrade. Other times, presenting a product in a whole new way is the ticket to a sea change in sales results. Robert